Between spring and summer 2026, the NatureVR consortium asked youth workers across Europe a simple question: what would it take for you to use virtual reality in nature-based work with young people? 259 youth workers answered, most of them from Spain, Croatia and Italy, with a smaller number from the Netherlands, Ireland, North Macedonia, Czechia, Belgium, Germany and Slovenia. The survey was led by BACKSLASH (Spain) as part of the project’s research phase, and its results now shape the training programme the consortium is preparing.
Confident with digital tools, new to VR
The respondents are not digital beginners. Seven in ten use online collaboration tools in their work, more than half use e-learning platforms, and they rate their overall digital competence at 3.6 out of 5. Nature-based practice is familiar too: outdoor sessions, nature walks, creative activities and environmental volunteering are part of most respondents’ toolkits, and 77% see nature as significantly beneficial for young people’s well-being.
VR is a different story. 83% have never used VR in their professional practice, and 42% have never used it at all. Only one respondent out of 259 uses VR regularly with young people. When asked to rate their confidence across six competency areas, the two lowest scores were both VR-specific: setting up and operating equipment (2.4 out of 5) and adapting VR content for young people with fewer opportunities (2.5 out of 5). Confidence in facilitating nature-based activities or using digital tools in general was a full point higher.
The concept behind the project’s approach is also new to most: 57% have either never heard of Nature Intelligence (NQ) or know very little about it.
What they want to learn
Youth workers were asked to pick the three training topics they would find most useful. The results map almost exactly onto the confidence gaps:
- Adapting VR content for inclusive and accessible youth work – 50%
- A practical, hands-on introduction to VR tools – 47%
- Nature Intelligence theory and its practical application – 43%
- Evaluating the impact of VR on well-being – 41%
- Designing nature-based learning sessions – 39%
The preferred format is equally clear. 59% want hands-on experimentation with VR equipment and 56% want in-person workshops of one to two days. Blended formats, peer-learning exchanges and live webinars follow at around 40%. Self-paced e-learning on its own came last, chosen by 31%.
In open responses, the same requests kept returning: basic training paired with simple, ready-to-use materials; a peer network where youth workers can compare experience; and a sequence that starts with training and only then moves to equipment.
The equipment gap
Training alone will not close the gap. Most organisations have computers, smartphones and reliable internet, but only 22% have access to VR headsets and 10% to cardboard viewers. Youth workers themselves are sceptical about accessibility: 70% consider current VR tools only slightly accessible, or not accessible at all, for young people with fewer opportunities. Their suggested solutions are practical – shared equipment pools, community lending schemes, low-cost or offline devices, and free access through youth centres, schools and libraries.
Ethics is the one area with near-total agreement. 90% say clear ethical guidelines are necessary when using VR with young people, pointing to consent (including parental consent for younger participants), data privacy, age-appropriate content and the option to opt out at any moment.
How this shapes NatureVR training
Six priorities follow directly from the findings and will guide the WP4 training and capacity-building activities:
- Lead with hands-on, in-person formats rather than self-paced online modules.
- Teach Nature Intelligence before or alongside VR skills, without assuming prior knowledge.
- Treat inclusion as a dedicated, practical module with worked examples, not an add-on.
- Plan for organisations without headsets – shared and lending models, cardboard viewers as an interim step.
- Build a community of practice into the programme, not a one-off event.
- Place ethics and safeguarding at the start of the training sequence.
The full Youth Workers’ Needs Assessment Report will be published on nature-vr.eu together with the parallel study of young people’s views, which the consortium carried out in the same period.