The My Hometown Project is an immersive learning initiative that connects students and educators worldwide through virtual cultural exchange. By creating and sharing VR tours of their own hometowns, participants invite others into their personal worlds—telling stories, showcasing local culture, and fostering empathy across borders. The project blends technology and storytelling, using tools like smartphones, VR headsets, and a custom-built online platform to transform local experiences into global learning opportunities. At its core, it encourages students to become subject-matter experts of their own lives, building confidence, communication skills, and a deeper sense of identity while simultaneously learning about immersive media design and the future of digital tourism.
Since its launch in 2016, the project has grown from classroom-based experiments into a global network of participants spanning Asia, Europe, and beyond. The pandemic accelerated its role as a meaningful alternative to study abroad, offering sustainable ways to connect across cultures when physical travel was limited. Today, the My Hometown Project stands as both a course and a platform—part virtual travel showcase, part training ground for next-generation skills in AR/VR and storytelling. Whether joining individually or as part of a class, students not only learn how to design immersive experiences but also step into a shared digital space where they can meet, exchange, and reimagine what it means to learn about the world together.