Further to the announcement issued on 5 October 2020 regarding the annual ‘Global Youth Takeover’ event being delivered for the United Nations, VR Education Holdings plc (AIM: VRE; Euronext Growth: 6VR), a leading virtual reality technology company, is pleased to announce that the Group is working closely with BridgingTheGap® Ventures, who are the organisers behind the inaugural YOUNGA™ forum.  As previously announced, the YOUNGA™ forum is a major global event in VR which is being hosted via the Group’s ENGAGE platform.

YOUNGA™ is a global youth takeover focused on a central theme for 2020, “the future youth want, the action we need”, is organised by BridgingTheGap® Ventures alongside the commemoration of the United Nations’ 75th anniversary in response to the UN Secretary-General’s call to host the most inclusive, future-forward, global dialogue on the change we need.  Using VR and XR technologies, YOUNGA™ will connect 1,500 Youth Delegates with top-level decision-makers and influencers to co-create solutions to global challenges like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Speakers include senior leaders from the World Health Organisation, UN Foundation, UNAIDS, The World Bank Group, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, and a variety of celebrity mentors.

Delegates at YOUNGA™ will be able to hear from global influencers, including, among others:

• Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organisation
• Cara Delevingne, Founder #MyEcoResolution, model, actress and singer
• Julianne Hough, Actress and Performer (including as a judge on America's Got Talent)
• Siyabulela Mandela, Journalist and grandson of Nelson Mandela

The Group previously announced that Jayathma Wickramanayake would be speaking at the YOUNGA™ forum and this information was incorrect.

David Whelan, CEO of VR Education, said: “We are delighted to be working with Kelly Lovell and her excellent team at BridgingTheGap® Ventures to deliver the VR technology behind this ground-breaking event.  The YOUNGA™ forum allows the youth of the world to have a voice in so many issues that the world faces and we are pleased to play our part in facilitating this inaugural event.”

Kelly Lovell, CEO of BridgingTheGap® Ventures and Founding Chair of YOUNGA™, said: “YOUNGA™ is founded on the principles of access and inclusion, to bridge opportunity gaps and connect young people with decision-makers to co-create solutions for pressing global issues.  Virtual reality enables us to transcend geographic barriers and offer a truly interactive, borderless experience.  The ENGAGE platform has given us the tools to inspire creativity and imagination among youth, inviting them to explore thematic VR locations, learn from influential leaders and collaborate with peers like never before.”

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Notes to Editors

VR Education, together with its wholly owned subsidiary, is an early stage VR software and technology group based in Waterford, Ireland, dedicated to transforming the delivery methods of education and corporate training by utilising VR technologies to deliver fully immersive virtual learning experiences.  The Group's core focus is the development and commercialisation of its online virtual social learning and presentation platform called ENGAGE, which provides a platform for creating, sharing and delivering proprietary and third-party VR content for educational and corporate training purposes.

In addition to the ongoing development of the ENGAGE platform, the Group has also built two downloadable showcase VR experiences, being the award-winning Apollo 11 VR experience and the Titanic VR experience.

On 12 March 2018, VR Education listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange and on the Enterprise Securities Market, a market regulated by Euronext Dublin.  For further information, please visit www.vreducationholdings.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts but rather are based on the Group’s current expectations, estimates, and projections about its industry; its beliefs; and assumptions. Words such as 'anticipates,' 'expects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'believes,' 'seeks,' 'estimates,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond the Group’s control, are difficult to predict, and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements.

The Group cautions security holders and prospective security holders not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the view of the Group only as of the date of this announcement. The forward-looking statements made in this announcement relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. The Group will not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions or updates to these forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances, or unanticipated events occurring after the date of this announcement except as required by law or by any appropriate regulatory authority.