VR experience featuring First Lady Michelle Obama and Modern Family's Nolan Gould encourages students, parents, and educators to experience America's National Parks.
Jaunt Inc., Sub Rosa, a Manhattan-based strategy and design studio, The North Face, and Civic Nation today unveiled the brand-new Every Kid in a Park Virtual Reality Experience featuring First Lady Michelle Obama and Modern Family’s Nolan Gould, a Sierra Club Youth Ambassador. The VR video was designed to support President Obama’s Every Kid in a Park program, which provides the Nation’s fourth graders, their teachers, and their families with free admission to more than 2,000 public lands and waters for a full year.
Civic Nation, a nonprofit organization that has worked closely with the White House to develop outreach and campaigns around the Nation’s most pressing issues, looked to design and strategy studio Sub Rosa, which oversaw creative direction, production, and writing for the new experience. To capture the bespoke VR content, Sub Rosa partnered with industry leader Jaunt Inc.
“Working on the Every Kid in a Park initiative this year has been an huge honor for my team,” said Sub Rosa’s Founder/CEO Michael Ventura. “From launching everykidinapark.org this past spring, to collaborating on the VR experience with Jaunt, The North Face, Nolan Gould, and Mrs. Obama, we’re proud to help nurture the next generation of environmental stewards.”
The virtual reality experience begins with First Lady Michelle Obama introducing Every Kid in a Park’s mission, then follows Modern Family's Nolan Gould as he, with the help of marine biologist Kelly Moore, take viewers around the Channel Islands National Park.
“We’ve been thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the Every Kid in a Park Virtual Reality Experience. It’s an incredibly important initiative that inspires kids and their families to explore this beautiful country of ours,” said Alex Pearce, Producer for Jaunt. “The filming process - working with Rangers from the Channel Islands National Park, and with the very talented Nolan Gould - was a dream from start to finish.”
Every Kid in a Park aims to introduce a new generation and population of students, parents, and educators to the awe-inspiring experience of learning in the living classrooms of America’s unique National Parks, public lands, waters and historic spaces; and to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards by: instilling them with curiosity about nature’s wonders, fostering their appreciation for diverse cultural heritage, and furthering their understanding of historic events. During the program’s first year, over two million passes were downloaded. Philanthropic and federally-funded transportation grants have enabled half a million fourth graders across the country to visit their public lands and waters through school field trips.
The virtual reality experience launches as several federal agencies signed an agreement earlier this month to keep the program running and maintain the success of Every Kid in a Park in order to give every child access to our greatest classroom – our public lands and waters – for years to come. After the program has run for 12 years, every school-age child in the country will have had the chance to explore their public lands and waters for free.
The seven participating federal agencies where the pass can be used are U.S. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service.
Students, parents, and educators can log onto the everykidinapark.org to find resources like:
The new Virtual Reality experience.
An online resource guide, including information on how download the free pass and plan your trip!
An online community of individuals dedicated to furthering the movement.
A chance to officially pledge and share a commitment to Every Kid in a Park on social media through a digital badge, designed by Sub Rosa.
Information on how to become a Community Ambassador, with access to tools, resources, and support to help spread the word.
Everykidinapark.org is now available in Spanish!
To view the Every Kid in a Park Virtual Reality Experience, visit www.everykidinapark.org, as well as the Jaunt VR app available on Daydream, iOS, Android, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and major desktop browsers.
