Three Years on ENGAGE XR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY | October 29, 2026

On October 31, 2026, ENGAGE XR is sunsetting. The platform has been The Foremothers Café's home for three full years. While we're very sad to see it go, we're grateful for the support ENGAGE has given The Foremothers Café.

From live Swedish cultural celebrations to friendships spanning continents, The Foremothers Café found a home and an international community on ENGAGE XR.

We joined ENGAGE in our second year, and during our time on the platform, The Foremothers Café grew into a full-fledged Swedish-American women's history museum and cultural center, the first of its kind in virtual reality.

Together, we celebrated Swedish traditions in entirely new ways. We produced live Lucia concerts and interactive Midsommar celebrations, bringing people from around the world together to experience Swedish culture in an immersive setting.

Our monthly Community Discussion Series continued to grow, welcoming an incredible range of speakers and exploring fascinating topics. We laughed, cried, shared stories, and learned so much from one another.

But perhaps the most meaningful tradition to emerge during our years on ENGAGE was our weekly Thursday fika.

Fika is a simple Swedish tradition of gathering with friends over coffee and something sweet. What began as a small weekly get-together gradually became something extraordinary.

One person at a time found their way to our little café. People joined us from the Netherlands, Montreal, Kenya, North Carolina, Malta, the UK, California, Missouri, Sweden, Japan, and many other places around the world.

Some became weekly regulars. Others visited whenever they could. Together, they transformed The Foremothers Café into a truly international cultural center.

There is a saying: "Don't build a wall, build a longer table."

At The Foremothers Café, we literally did just that. We pushed two tables together so everyone could fit around our fika table.

Somewhere along the way, our little café took on a life of its own. It became a place without borders, where people from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds could meet as equals. Real friendships formed, grew stronger, and became family.

What began as a museum dedicated to Swedish women's history became so much more.

Thank you, ENGAGE XR, for giving The Foremothers Café a home and supporting us as we grew. You helped make possible something that has changed our lives for the better.

And now, we're packing up and moving back to AltspaceVR, where our journey first began in 2022!

There may be a little dust in the corners and a few steps left unswept while we get settled into our new home, but we're excited to return to our roots and begin this next chapter.

And if you don't mind the dust, you're already welcome to visit!