Global Kids' Online Leadership Program

Looks like a standard Second Life scene right? People dancing, having a good time, living it up. But, there's a twist...

As I was dancing with these teens in this virtual space, we were actually having a full on political conversation. Ryan brought up an article on a car bombing that just took place in Baghdad, Itokuzu mentioned that her brother was a Marine about to ship out to Bahrain. The conversation eventually turned to social policy in Canada, and the expected changes to come with the new government that gained power a couple of months ago. All the while we were shaking our virtual hips!

What's so powerful to me about this anecdote is that it indicates a shift in how the teens are relating to the space of Second Life, what social meaning it holds for them. There already exist a number of meaningful behaviors within the teen grid, from building and scripting to dancing and playing. At Global Kids, we see the possibility of a space that includes all these things but that also has room for engaging in issues that affect the wider world.

When I begin to see the things we're aiming for more broadly manifest organically in an instance like this one, I can't help but smile.