VR Exhibition – Service Learning Project: Sankofa Virtual Reality Transit Heritage Experience

Youth participants will engage in comprehensive training on Sankofa principles—the African concept of learning from the past to move forward—while mastering cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology to create an immersive digital exhibition documenting the complete Blue Line Extension corridor from downtown Minneapolis’ Target Field to Brooklyn Park. Students will collaborate with community historians, transit planners, and cultural practitioners to research and digitally reconstruct the historical timeline of neighborhoods, businesses, and communities that have existed along this 13-mile route, creating a virtual journey that allows users to experience how the corridor has evolved over decades.

Through 360-degree photography, historical image integration, and interactive storytelling, youth will develop VR experiences that highlight the displacement and resilience of BIPOC communities, celebrate cultural landmarks, and showcase community assets while addressing the complex social justice implications of transit development.

If time allows, youth will work on both VR/VR experience, to support each virtual station stop that features immersive environments where users can explore neighborhood histories, hear from longtime residents through embedded audio interviews, and understand the interconnected stories of migration, economic development, and community building that define North Minneapolis.

This comprehensive VR exhibition will be integrated into the broader Sankofa Map platform, creating a comprehensive digital archive that connects to the NorthStar Urban Farm & Food Digital Platform’s community directory and cultural preservation efforts, ultimately providing transit riders and community members with a powerful educational tool that honors the past while advocating for equitable development that serves existing residents and preserves cultural heritage.

AR Exhibition – Service Learning Project: Sankofa Cultural Heritage Mapping for Blue Line Extension

Youth participants will engage in comprehensive training on Sankofa principles—the African concept of learning from the past to move forward—while actively supporting the North Minneapolis Blue Line Extension’s community engagement efforts. Through this service learning initiative, students will research, document, and digitally preserve the rich cultural history of North Minneapolis by identifying key cultural facilities, community landmarks, and heritage sites along the proposed transit corridor.

Working alongside community elders and cultural practitioners, youth will develop augmented reality (AR) experiences that bring these locations to life through historical images, audio narratives, and interactive storytelling. Each documented site will be integrated into the broader Sankofa Map platform, creating a comprehensive digital archive that connects to the NorthStar Urban Farm & Food Digital Platform’s community directory and cultural preservation efforts.

This project empowers young people to become cultural historians and technology innovators while providing valuable community asset mapping that will ensure the Blue Line Extension development honors and highlights the neighborhood’s deep-rooted cultural heritage, ultimately creating a lasting digital legacy that celebrates North Minneapolis’ identity and supports community-controlled economic development.