Pitufo’s Angels Receives License For Interactive Virtual Reality Training
Florida Anti-Trafficking Organization Joins Forces with Radical Empathy to Help their Communities to Experience Human Trafficking Education in Interactive Virtual Reality
By: Radical Empathy Education Foundation
MIAMI, Florida – May, 2023 – “Requesting printed material to raise awareness in Miami,” read the subject line of the Google group email. Andres Ricardo Medellin Diaz was reaching out to one of the world's largest human trafficking help email lists as the leader of a group that has been raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking through soccer in Miami since 2010, Pitufo's Angels. He was looking for things he could use at a soccer tournament to open the hearts of youth to the reality of human trafficking.
Medellin Diaz got a response that came with more behind it than printed materials. Billy Joe Cain, from the human trafficking prevention education nonprofit Radical Empathy, saw an opportunity to make direct connections with youth in the Miami area, and responded immediately.
TRAPPED: A VR Detective Story is the first virtual reality experience that allows you to learn about the world from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl who was tricked into becoming a victim by someone she met online. Unfortunately, it's a story that plays out all across America; it's not just ‘happening in other countries.'
Pitufo's Angels have been playing coed soccer to raise awareness of human trafficking since 2010. Their mission is simple: End human trafficking through education and by creating empathy on the subject using soccer and technology as transformative forces for change.
Pitufo's Angels is the only non profit soccer team in the world that raises awareness and creates empathy for the subject of human trafficking through soccer and VR technology in order to end it 🔥⚽❌
“Andres is so committed to helping wake people up to the dangers in their own backyards,” says Billy Joe Cain, founder of Radical Empathy Education Foundation. “He takes his headsets everywhere with him and sends in some of the most amazing stories.” Cain concludes, “I really believe he is changing lives with his personable approach and sincere concern for his community.”
Cain was just interviewed by Medellin Diaz on his YouTube channel. Viewers learn how Cain got interested in human trafficking prevention and what it's like to help people come to the realization that human trafficking is happening everywhere.
Radical Empathy's VR software is only available through a direct licensing agreement, and operates on affordable Oculus Quest VR headsets licensees purchase themselves.
“I am so happy to say that Pitufo's Angels now has a lifetime software license to bring awareness of human trafficking through Virtual Reality. It is an honor to be able to provide training of this amazing quality to our community,” says Medellin Diaz. “I know we are saving lives every time we put on a headset!”
Above is a screenshot of one of the comments from the above video.
Cain concludes, “Andres is so involved with prevention through awareness it helps me stay excited about our work. We appreciate you so much, Andres!!”
ABOUT RADICAL EMPATHY EDUCATION FOUNDATION
Radical Empathy is an Austin-based nonprofit dedicated to ending human trafficking. Their VR experience includes fully interactive, computer generated environments married with narrative, user-directed stories.
ABOUT PITUFO'S ANGELS
Pitufo's Angels is the only non profit soccer team in the world that raises awareness and creates empathy for the subject of human trafficking through soccer and VR technology in order to end it 🔥⚽❌