Virtual worlds, especially Second Life, provide an invaluable lifeline for many in our community who are isolated for a variety of reasons. I’ve written about this before and personally experience how helpful Second Life can be. The immersive experiences and connections with others have been especially helpful over the past three years as shifting health mandates and recommendations are more often confusing than helpful.
The big push for video meetings, aka “zoom meetings” with the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020 helped some and left many others without the connections they craved and that, as humans, we need.
For neuro-divergent individuals, 2-dimensional video meetings, especially in groups, proved to be cognitively overwhelming. To respond to the needs of our community we set up phone trees, conference calls, and hosted more activities in Second LIfe.
Trying to manage everything that is happening during a video meeting is challenging for those with cognitive challenges. It’s more than “squirrel”. It’s about people talking over one another, delays, bad video connections, and all the myriad lumps and bumps that come with video meetings.
Many people use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms to connect with friends and family. but what if you could go shopping together or take a long walk through Norwegian fjords? Go to a play or a concert? And never leave your home. This is what virtual worlds offer.
In Second Life BEST facilitates discussion groups and workshops. We host concerts, dances, tours, drumming circles, and more. We offer caregiver respite activities monthly. We partner with other organizations that, also, host activities in Second Life.
Since 2020 BEST has partnered with Whole Brain Health in Second Life to bring monthly discussions on important topics that impact brain health. Topics include neuroplasticity.
We meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 11am PST/SLT at the Brodman Brain on Inspiration Island. Get more information on our calendar.
