The Human Space Program Launches the Overview Round Table for Youth, Uniting Students from New York and Nairobi in Virtual Space
First-of-its-kind program using virtual reality enables students from across the globe to explore space, systems thinking, and environmental stewardship together in the context of the transformational Overview Effect
Boston— August 12, 2025 — The Human Space Program (HSP) – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a citizen-authored blueprint for conscious space migration and stewardship of the solar ecosystem - is pleased to announce the official launch of Overview Round Table for Youth (ORTY). After a four-week pilot with the Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning at Framingham State University (FSU), ORTY successfully united students from New York and Nairobi on common ground—in space—using virtual reality (VR) technology. Participants met in HSP’s HomeSpace virtual ship on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, to explore systems thinking, space exploration, and environmental stewardship in the context of the Overview Effect™, a term coined by HSP Co-Founder Frank White that denotes a profound shift in perspective astronauts describe when they see Earth from space and in space. Presenting immersive VR-simulated scenarios to youth across the globe, ORTY aims to help young people comprehend how this potentially transformative experience is applicable within their own communities and cultures.
“We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to bring this leading-edge, VR-based program to young people on a global scale, providing them with the chance to witness the awe-inspiring view of Earth from a distance,” says White. “Thanks to our stellar HSP team and a grant from Agog: The Immersive Media Institute, we have an extraordinary opportunity to shift the perspective of young minds at a critical stage in their lives, when they are still open to new and transformative experiences. It’s programs like ORTY that have extraordinary potential to foster social unity while dissolving political, geographical and ideological boundaries.”
The ORTY program was inspired by HSP’s Overview Round Table (ORT). Since May 2020, a community of 450+ international members from space-related backgrounds meet weekly to discuss their individual “quests,” which span professional projects, research, art endeavors, campaigns/movements, and start-up ventures, all aimed at making the world a better place. Project presenters receive valuable insight from fellow members in tandem with unearthing opportunities for cross-collaboration. ORT also hosts monthly guest speakers that present on a range of relevant topics.
Participants in the ORTY session included students from New York-based Mindtek and Nairobi-based Africa VR Campus and Center. “People across the African continent are now using VR and XR technologies to enhance a wide range of industries, from agriculture to education and everything in between,” said Paul Simon Waiyaki, Africa VR Campus and Center Founder. “We are thrilled that a cohort was selected from the Center’s XR Girls Africa program, which is dedicated to socio-economic empowerment targeting young women in rural areas. We hope this is just the beginning of a larger movement, where ORTY is the conduit bringing together young people from across the globe for a shared purpose without the limitations of time and distance.”
Frank White’s theory of the Overview Effect has helped provide astronauts with concepts and language to articulate the profound shift in worldview they experience when viewing the Earth from outer space. Since the first edition of his book, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, the Overview Effect has become a standard term for describing the spaceflight experience. The fourth edition of The Overview Effect, published in 2021, includes original interviews with approximately 50 astronauts and future astronauts who recognize that, as humans, our commonalities far outweigh our differences. This life-changing perspective reframes our understanding of the cosmos, and our relationship with our home planet and each other. The resulting overview perspective plays a vital role in helping us cultivate a future of sustainable peace and prosperity for all of humanity.
“What makes this extraordinary is that geography and borders do not matter,” said Mindtek Director Krisitin Gelzinis. “Whether a student is in a big city or a rural village, VR places them in the same room, looking down at our shared home, discussing how we can work together for a better future. For many of them, this ORTY session is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For all of us, it’s a glimpse into what’s possible when technology, education, and human connection align.”
HSP’s Homespace2025 (VR HQ) (photo credit-ShuShu)
To support the work of HSP or to make a donation to ORTY, please visit the Get Involved page