Gaia: About

ABOUT GAIA

GAIA aims to substantially address issues of gender-based discrimination and contribute to women empowerment. It does so through technological innovation and digital tools based on the development of a novel Virtual Reality (VR) tool.

It takes as its focus women within higher education in Greece; a group that experiences inequality and discrimination. It approaches digital technology not as an accelerator of gender inequality but as a prevention tool in a world of digital transformation. The rationale behind GAIA is to contribute to the creation of an inclusive and innovative contemporary society. GAIA is a project that responds to the specific priorities of the call and promotes the inclusion and diversity in the fields of education. GAIA consolidates an interdisciplinary team of researchers in a position to address both the priority to build an inclusive higher education system and stimulate learning and teaching practices.

Main
Objective

To raise awareness regarding gender equity

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Specific
Objective

To provide higher education institutes with a VR tool that will foster inclusion and diversity at work.

Added Value

The added value of the GAIA project lies in the development and implementation of a novel practical learning scheme by taking advantage of Virtual Reality (VR) technology. The proposed VR tool contributes to the promotion of gender equality, offering immersive experiences for the users. In particular, the VR tool addresses the specific needs of women related to gender-based stereotypes and discriminations through realistic training scenarios that reflect everyday situations and incidents. Through the use of the proposed VR-based approach the GAIA project promotes the prevention of harmful practices against women, including sexual harassment and discriminations.