Global Kids' Online Leadership Program

Well today in class i learned about peace education . From what i remember peace education is when people teach you about peace and how it helps us . well i believe that peace and justice go hand in hand . you need one to make the other. Qithout justice you don't have peace . Justice is way of bringing fairness to people all over the world . It is used to justify the law or to correct moral standards . Peace is when you are in perfect harmony with everyone you interact with . When no one is violent and where everyone is happy. But pay close attention because when justice is disrupted or destroyed , peace is literally gone . no one agrees with anyone . Everyone is violent . So basically , peace is what brings this world together . Justice is another way to just make things equal , so that peace is never destroyed in one community. That's what i think peace and justice is and that's the way i believe they interact.

Posted by VVP Ronald at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well... today we began off with technical difficulties. But we did get a cool comic strip of how to customize an avatar... sadly enough... the places mentioned in that comic strip...I couldn’t find on Teen Second Life... but oh well ^^;;~ we met someone named Ming and he helped Joe and me get new clothes... ^^;;... Hmm.... what else.... well I found out that 80L$ = about ten US cents... keke ^^;;... or something like that. Basically it isn’t much ^^;;. What else, What else? Well today, we began our VVP program with a discussion about Peace and Justice. I didn’t really share my thoughts on that since....I think that those things vary depending on setting and circumstance.

I came across a very interesting question a couple of weeks ago: Can there be a price put on freedom? A lot of people would answer no, because it seems logical that freedom is something man must strive for, but then...if you think about it... in our system of government....it can be...right? Especially since there is a price to bail yourself out of jail if you do something wrong... and this type of use of money is probably used everywhere...especially places with corrupt governments and systems of law. But this brings up the question: Is it just for a guilty person to buy off his freedom, when an innocent one cannot because he does not have the money to do so?

Anyway, as for peace, is it true that there can be no peace without war? I understand that life needs a balance of some sort... but do those balances go to the extremes of war and peace? I forgot who it is that said it, but someone said that there needs to be justice in order for there to be peace. So that brings up, is man kind capable of judging what is just--especially when mankind is so very flawed? And if not, then that proves peace to be nothing more than an idea--or dream--or rather something that is unattainable.

It sounds...maybe blunt to say, but if you think about it, there is a reason this world cannot achieve this "Utopia". Society will never be perfect....because life would be too boring, which is what makes things like second life so interesting. Second life...you can make it out to be whatever you please for it to be like...I guess it gives people a sense of power...which makes it so desirable. Its interesting...you can either reinvent yourself, or remain exactly the same. Its weird, because after I began playing second life....as I walk around the real world and see people...I can see them in a completely different way... I can just imagine how they would look in a virtual world.

Anyway~ ^^;; I got off track~ well today...we were taught how to make billboards in Second Life ^^;;~ (for anyone who's read the Great Gatsby doesn’t that word always remind you of Dr. Eckleburg?) Anyway... my group had to work on Absence of Peace... and we had to make a Billboard on that...and it was an interesting assignment....but I don’t think we worked together as fast as we should have~ because we came across...some difficulties... ^^;; like Ting not having any money and her being the one creating the object....which made it hard for her to actually put in the picture we wanted...so Christina had to teleport herself from the Sandbox off GK island to give her money to post the picture up... ah~ the confusion that all created ^^;; but it worked out pretty well at the end... ^^;; even though we were kind of late in putting up our billboard. But it is through failure, mistakes, and obstacles in life that we learn...right? Anyway...we ended up making our Billboard's texture of a car bombing in Iraq....and that was what we thought the absence of peace was equivalent to: war.

So over all, even though we started the day off with some net difficulties, the day was pretty good ^^ and we learned a lot of things~ ^^~ and I guess I will end the blog right here since I've already written a page and I don't think anyone really wants to read all this.

Posted by Nafiza - TSL Intern/VVP at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey it's me brandon again. Today in machinima we talked about peace and justice. It was very interesting because we learned how peace and justice are like brothers and sisters.
We learned that peace education is an integral part of thw work of the United Nations. They strive to counteract the dehumanization of poverty, prejudice, discrimination, rape, violence, and war.
We also had quotes on justice. "Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and...when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structered dams that block the flow of social progress." This is by Martin Luther King, Jr. and this means that without law and order it becomes a blockage to different speeches.

Well thats all folks.
See you next time on my blogs hope you learned something.

Posted by VVP brandon at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey what's good?

I want to say that this program is good, we are learning about machinima. So far I like it, I get time to learn in a fun way and also to get to know the people in the group. I am looking foward to continuing this program.

Well that's what I wanted to say soooooooooooo see you soon, take care.

Muahzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted by VVP-maria at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello everybody =) !! I usually read other people's blogs, but I'm not used to write my own blog, it feels really weird, it's like talking/writing into the air, especially because you never know who is reading it! =0 heheh.... Anyway, I think it was fun yesterday, I think the best part of Second Life is that we can fly in that world. In real life, I always imagine that I'm a witch who is able to fly. Unfortunately I can't, so I love to use my flying ability in Second Life..XD. The sad part about our meeting is that I always feel the time is so short. If my time in school is in walking pace then, my time in our meeting is in a running pace..so, if you ask me about my experience, i might not able to talk much about it. What I liked about the machinima that we saw yesterday was that it looks very good and it's funny. It shocks me that it took so much time to make it. I kind of start worrying about the machinima that I am going to make!

Posted by VVP Ting at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday in the meeting of Global Kids we went learned more about the program Second Life. We discussed some rules about Second Life and the precautions. We started a scavenger hunt which was pretty fun but was not long lived due to the limited time we had. That is all I really remembered since I had a long day of school and I'm pretty sleepy. I have many tests on Thursday so i know it's going to be a long day.

Posted by VVP Armando at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is my first blog on Global Kids. I'm very bored right now and I'd rather be playing Second Life but my computer doesnt have the right video card to play it. See everybody on Thursday =)

Posted by VVP Alex at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

-Hey I am excited to be in the Machinima program....... It is a lot of fun and I am learning a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Thank you guys.....

Posted by VVP Rocio at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was pretty fun. I enjoyed being at Global Kids as I always do. It's miraculous that I actually found time once I got home to type in this blog but I'm actually doing it. I'm not going to stay on this too long because I'm actually going to take the time to download Second Life. Maybe I'll see you guys there, and I'll get a chance to learn things on my own, disruption free! So that wraps this up, and I can't wait until the next time I am able to post a blog!!!!
~Nicholas

Posted by VVP Nick at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

well im in a new site with other people too...this is my first blog...we are having lots of fun ...GOSH IM SUPER DUPER HUNGRYYYYYY

Posted by VVP genesis at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hmm... well today...I guess we began off with playing Common Ground....and I have to admit...this version of common ground was a lot different from the GK one I did in my school.... ^^ but I thought it was interesting. But... when I tried to name 4 South American countries in my head I got confused, lol....Panama is North American right?.... Isnt it the last country on Northern America? or is that Central America?... >< I'm not too great with geography~ lol. Anyway... after that we all went into GK Island and met one and another and went on a scavenger hunt! ^^ there I met some GK VVP members and Sam~ lol... hmmm what else? well... Ting went before me on the Hunt... and when it came to switching users the lappie kind of froze a little ><~ so I barely got to do anything on the hunt~ but oh well ><;;~ I've been on the Island before and looked around... ^^;; so I didnt really miss out on a lot... hmm... except I didnt find the Darfur wristband or whatever ><~ Hmm...what else? well we got introduced to this Blog too ^^~.... and when I first read the title it kind of seemed weird~ lol... but I guess its a nice place.. ^^ although I did have some trouble actually getting my account all together~ but now its all fixed~ so YAY~ ^^
Anyway~ ^^;; I guess thats about it~ ^^;;

Posted by Nafiza - TSL Intern/VVP at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi my name is Brandon, its about 8:30 so I'm going to talk fast. Today at Second Life we learned how to talk to other people. We also did a scavenger hunt and saw the animals and objects like pizza in Second Life. This is what we did itoday.

See you later.

Posted by VVP brandon at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever wonder what it takes to do some of the presentations and events held within Teen Second Life? We put together a pdf of some of the methods and techniques used by Global Kids within this virtual space.

Includes discussion of the following various approaches:

• The Live Video Stream
• The Live Radio Show
• The Virtual Lecture
• The Virtual Performance
• The Interactive Experience
• Physics-free Presentations

Read the full pdf here.

Posted by joyce at 7:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is my first blog to Holy Meatballs, and wow, is it fun. Just think: Lots of people around the world are going to be able to read about me talking about how they're reading about me talking about them!!! How cool is that?

Posted by smejias at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

At the end of the Camp GK all campers filled out a lengthy online survey which asked about such things as what they liked about the program and what they learned. As these surveys were completed with the expectations of anonymity, they will be referred to below in the aggregate. However, we can share some of the wonderful names taken by these TSL residents, such as Keleus Ferguson, Lucky Figtree, TheCoolLeader Boyer, Tin Bling, and Itokuzu Shimada.

The most common issue raised was that they had learned about world issues, often a sense of discovery. One camper wrote, "I came into camp thinking yea the world is big but after I realized its not just big its HUGE!" A second wrote, "I learned how many things I don't know or weren't aware of." A third wrote, "I learned more about the world and issues I never even knew
existed." As a result, a number reported being better prepared for the new school year, as this one camper reported: "You all prepared my brain for my first year in High School, and I will make you all proud one day!"

The second most common issue mentioned was the sense of personal and collective agency they developed. Five examples are: "I learned that in a short amount of days ANYTHING can be done," "I learned that if you put your heads together, anything is possible," "I learned that people can do things you never expect of them," "Before camp I never thought about issues in the world. Well I did but I never thought there was anything I could do to fix them. But I've found out thatŠ I can help to make a difference," and "I am going to make a difference in the world, and I will have all of you to thank for giving me that big push!"

One of recurring items in the surveys that surprised us was how often they comment on the programs "fun-factor." Three examples are: "I didn't think I'd have that much fun when learning," "I learned sooo much there is not enough paper in the world to write it on and the best part about it I learned it having fun," and "It was so fun I wanted it to go through the weekend."

Less surprising was their delight in the maze and what they learned from building and promoting it. Three examples are: "I think the final project was awesome. I loved building and helping out and I feel like we have reached a lot of people," "I was surprised by how dedicated these teens are; we all worked hard and we completed our goal," and "The final activism was great! It was fun, educational, and we got to help out kids at the end!"

Finally, a number of campers appreciated their opportunities to express their opinion and learn new things from their peers. Two examples are: "Discussions with other teens can happen with them being very mature," and "I liked how all our ideas were heard."

Posted by joyce at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Something great about Second Life is that you can interact with Second Life members from around the world.

Posted by p4kvladimyr at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

2 day was fun talking 2 people while playing the Global Kids workshop in Second Life "avatar scavenger hunt." If you don't know about Second Life you should try learning about it.
Lithelson

Posted by p4klithelson at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harper Poultry, a resident in Teen Second Life, experienced Global Kids' representation of the Darfur photo exhibit from the U.S. Holocaust museum and left the following comment:
"This isn't gonna happen again, the holocaust will never happen again, because I wont let it."

First, the event in the real world.

Our Walls Bear Witness
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will project wall-sized images of the genocide in Darfur onto its facade every night during Thanksgiving week, marking the first time the national memorial's exterior will be used to highlight contemporary genocide. The photographs are drawn from the work of some of the world's premier photojournalists, including VoGP guest, Ron Haviv.

A version of the museum, and of the photos, have been created in the main grid. Those folks were kind enough to give us a copy, with the help of Claudia Linden, and they are now on display on Global Kids Island. Come check them out and leave your comments below. You can also read a post created by Joe, a GK youth leader in the machinima program, about his response to the photos.

Floating above the museum:

Linden made the welcome message to the teen grid over Thanksgiving weekend a promotion for the event. It read: "Ever ask yourself, What Genocide in Darfur? Find out now through Nov. 26th by viewing a special video and photos, developed in partnership with the U.S. Holocaust Museum. TP to Global Kids Island event stage."

A number of teens built objects to support the event. nik385 Doesburg helped out a lot, amongst other things building a rotating globe with an arrow pointing to the Darfur region of the Sudan.

Along with a video from the opening ceremonies at the U.S. Holocaust museum, we ran a second screen with a student project about Darfur from TSL resident Aesop Thatch, created for a school project:

Posted by Barry at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eliane Alhadeff, who has been covering our work since we began blogging last summer, has just added a section on her blog just to cover our work. She explains:

Even though I have already dedicated 8 posts to Global Kids' achievements, I feel a compelling need to publish a new post each time GK manages another breakthrough. It is a sort of personal celebration -- Global Kids challenging us to play a better future!

Global Kids have now a dedicated category, as I anticipate a series of breakthroughs in a near future.

Thank you Eliane. We like having the bar held high.

Posted by joyce at 3:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again, Eliane Alhadeff, on her excellent blog, has focused her attention on Global Kids' programs. This time around, she reviews Ayiti, both the game the program that produced it, and incorporates and responds to some recent crtiques of the game,

Educational serious games are on the rise. Recent years have seen the development of games in which the player tries to dispense food in a war zone, tries to make peace between Israel and Palestine, tries to escape warlords in Darfur, and much more. But even in this pack of progressive educational tools, Ayiti stands out.

read more here.

Posted by joyce at 3:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Newsletter YouthLearn cites the Global Kids gaming program as one of the top 100 big things in regards to Youth, Education & Technology!

YouthLearn Newsletter, Issue 100 - November 21, 2006
Special Issue: YouthLearn's 100 Big Things in Youth, Education & Technology

As we record this milestone of our 100th newsletter on the eve of our fifth year here at EDC, we thought it might be fun to try to identify 100 "Big Things" (innovations, opportunities, challenges, heroes, etc.) that have had an impact on youth, education, and technology in the past 5 years. As a disclaimer, this list is by no means intended to be definitive or remotely scientific, but perhaps a chance to think about what truly drives our work and how to influence it moving forward for another 5 years and beyond.

Posted by joyce at 3:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by joyce at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Henry Jenkin's recently posted on his notable blog about his experience with Global Kids Island, both appearing in a live video stream during the recent MacArthur Foundation announcement and through viewing images of the avatar we created for him.

From his blog entry entitled, "The New and Improved Henry Jenkins":

I was so impressed by the experience of participating in the MacArthur Foundation's press event, which was partially held in the New York Museum of Natural History and partially held in Second Life, that I sought out Barry Joseph from Global Kids, an organization which regularly runs events through Teen Second Life, to see if there might be a way I could engage with their youth participants. My one concern, as a media scholar, had been that when we spoke in Second Life at the press event, we appeared as cinematic images and not as avatars.

So, in speaking with Joseph, we decided that I should get an avatar if I was going to relate to the Second Life youth on their own terms. Joseph was nice enough to volunteer to get some members of his group to create an avatar for me. Apparently, some of the youth had expressed a particular fascination with my beard and therefore wanted to be able to reproduce it and share it with their friends. (I wasn't sure which Henry beard they wanted since mine comes in various lengths from trim to shaggy depending on what point it is in the term and how hectic my life has been.)

This past weekend, Barry wrote to introduce me to the second Henry Jenkins. I have to say that I bonded instantly with this frisky fellow.

Read more, and view the photos here.

Posted by joyce at 3:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ayiti: The Cost of Life was recently featured at the Margaret Mead Film Festival. Alongside a number of other games including Darfur is Dying and A Force More Powerful, Ayiti helped to flush out the panel on video games with an activist bent. The panel was organized by Games for Change, the organization that leads the field of social change through digital gaming.

One might be wondering, "Why are there games at a documentary film festival?" This is a valid question. Games are undeniably not films. However, some video games (and the number grows each day) are in fact documentaries. Video games with real world content, like Ayiti and others like it, reflect a natural outgrowth of the medium that reflects what is actually happening in the world. A similar thing happened to film in the 1970's, when documentary film changed the way that people looked at the medium of film and its potentials. As opposed to being a fluke, it's likely that this isn't the last time you'll hear about games at film festivals. In fact, we know it's not. : )

Posted by Rafi Santo at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GK is proud to host the "OUR WALLS BEAR WITNESS - DARFUR: WHO WILL SURVIVE TODAY?" is a mixed media event, taking place during Thanksgiving week, 2006 at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, as well as concurrently in the virtual 3-D reality on-line community, Second Life. Wall-sized images depicting the escalating genocide in Darfur will be projected onto the facade of the Museum as well as in SL. This represents not only the first time the national memorial's exterior is being used to highlight contemporary genocide, but also in Second Life on GK Island.

Visitors to GK Island will be able to view the exhibition with its powerful, thought-provoking images, as well as a 1 hour video of the actual installation at the GK theatre.

Teens on TSL are encouraged to drop by between Nov 22-26, 2006 to check out the event, leave their feedback, take a snapshot, and GK will reimburse $20L per snapshot submitted. For more information on the event by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, please go to www.ushmm.org

Posted by tabitha at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It amazes me that I can still be amazed by Second Life. After eleven months in this space you would think we would have experienced it all by now. But no...

Yesterday we took the Playing 4 Keeps students into Second Life for the first time. You can read what Lithelson had to say about it, even though his TSL account was not available until this morning. Then this afternoon we took the machinima students in to Second Life for the first time.

Okay, that's it. End of day. Time to go home.

At home, I needed to go into TSL to work on the Darfur Photo exhibit. However, I was not in for ten seconds when I received one, two, then a third IM, from that number of GK Leaders. They were all teens from the Machinima program, that I had just left a few hours earlier. One by one they were logging in, I presume from home.

I found where most were gathering, where I last left them, at the entrance to the maze. And there was another GK Leader, Lithelson, the one from Playing 4 Keeps. There he was standing in front of me, surrounded by other "Gkids", none knowing who the others were.

I explained that all Gkids, who are not staff, are other Global Kids Leaders. Then they met each other.

Then a number of teen residents who have been involved with GK's programs, but are not Gkids, came by. More introductions.

I am not sure how to say this, but my mind was blown. For readers of this blog, we are used to people connecting online all the time. But please keep in mind - most of Global Kids is an in-person program.

Watching our GK Leaders meeting each other, on their own terms, outside our programs, for the first time, in a virtual space, amazed me.

Watching GK Leaders continue our programs on their own, watching them learn to build, or buy, or ride a motorcycle, amazed me.

Watching them look to each other for advice, such as when the residents took the Gkids on a tour of the main grid and taught them how to buy things, amazed me.

What will it mean that these three separate programs have found one another, on their own terms, after only being in the space for less than 24 hours? How will this impact how we structure the programs? What possibilities will emerge for peer education and collective intelligence across and between the programs? Will some teens in one program get to know youth in another program better than they know the youth in their own and, if so, what does this mean? Will teens with greater home access diverge in knowledge and practice from their peers who lack such access and how with that divide play out within the program?

These questions amaze me. I look forward to experiencing it unfold over the next few months.

Until then, here are some photos:

P4K, Machinima, and teen residents find each other:

Posted by Barry at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This afternoon the Global Kids Leaders at the Museum of the Moving Image, learning about global issues and machinima through TSL, embodied their avatars for the first time. They learned how to "talk and walk". Below are some photos of their first few minutes, as they learned to change their avatar.

I look forward to returning to these photos with these GK Leaders in a month or two once they not only created their own particular look for their personal avatars but come to identify with it so closely that the images above will appear alien to them.

Posted by Barry at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

P4K Leader DeWayne travelled to Phildalelphia to present along with Barry Joseph at Microsoft's Wide World Summit. More information to come. But, in the meantime, here is a photo of DeWayne arriving at the hotel to learn his was the official Guest of the Day! As a result, they upgraded him to one of the largest rooms in the hotel.

Posted by Barry at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today in Playing 4 Keeps we went into Second Iife. I learned how to do some basic things with an avatar such as: walking, chatting, flying, trading friendship cards, using a map, teleporting to where ever I want and dressing up my avatar. Even though I haven't play it yet from what I have seen so far, in my point of view, I could say that's a fun inner world to be in. Do me a favor - to who ever is reading this- just check it out. Trust me, you'll like it!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by p4klithelson at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week's BusinessWeek Magazine has a series of articles about real-world organizations taking their brands into Second Life. A neat graphic lists the picks for examples in each category. For non-profit? Global Kids! (Of course, we view other non-profits in SL as members in a growing community, not as our "rivals," but I guess this is how the business world sees what we do.)

NONPROFITS

Global Kids
January 2006

WHY Education, teen ourtreach, fund-raising. WHAT Runs after school programs and held a summer camp where students built an educational game about child sex trafficking and raised funds for victims. RIVALS U.N., American Cancer Society, Dartmouth, Harvard, NYU. FACTS Located on Teen Second Life grid, for users age 13 to 17.

Posted by joyce at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We can't say when. And we can't say how. But soon. Really soon.... Henry Jenkins will be coming to Global Kids Island in Second Life...

Here are some sneak peeks...

www.flickr.com Holy Meatballs' Henry Jenkins photoset

Posted by Barry at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi there! Let me introduce myself, my name is Alpha Zaius on the teen grid. I am currently helping Global Kids along with with the the "World Fit for Children Building Contest." This contest is the biggest one ever seen on the grid and I am extremely happy to be a part of it. So, here is the low-down on what is going on.

(click to read on)

Teams of at least 3 members will assemble on the grid and attend a fully interactive workshop. The two hour workshop will showcase several different global issues that UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) strive to correct in the world such as hunger, education, discrimination, etc. The teams will then build an exhibit in Second Life to demonstrate one or more of these issues and what we all can do to help out. The exhibits will be judged by a "Voices of Youth" (A group of teens that represent UNICEF) member. Here is the exciting part! The prizes are as follows (all in United States Dollars:)

1st place: team shares $200
2nd place: team shares $100
3rd place: team shares $50

The workshops consist of a snapshot contest, scavenger hunt, and other interactive fun things to get yourself situated about what UNICEF is doing without the boring lecture. The following is a list of avaliable time slots that Global Kids have devoted to the timeslots. Keep an eye on this blog in the very, very near future for information on how to sign up.

December 4
8am - 10am
11am - 1pm
2pm - 4pm

December 5
8am - 10am

December 11
11am - 1pm
2pm - 4pm

December 12
8am - 10am
4:30pm - 6:30pm

December 13
7am - 9am
5pm - 7pm

December 14
8am - 10am
4:30pm - 6:30pm

December 15
11am - 1pm
2pm - 4pm

I am not alone on this venture. I would like to say thanks to Aesop Thatch, Katharine Berry, and Global Kids with their hard work to keep me moving along with this project. Aesop is our builder who created the awesome workshop area! Katharine is our web girl / scripter / all-a-round-handy person to have.. She has been working on the whole web application entirely by herself!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Tabitha GKid inworld. Thanks :)

Posted by tabitha at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We were delighted recently to be featured on the podcast MediaSnackers, a wonderful series that focuses on innovative new media producers for a free-form ten minutes or so interview. They describe themselves as "a site/weblog/project/call to action for people interested in how young people consume and create media across the globe." This is a lovely piece that allowed us not just to give an overview of our programs but explore some of the larger implications of our work.

Listen to it here.

Posted by joyce at 12:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

eSchool.com published a piece describing the use of Second Life for educators, a story we've seen quite often since this past summer. This piece, however, includes the teen grid for the first time, as
well as the role of Global Kids. Connie Yowell and I did a great phone interview with the reporter who then informed us the next day to have lost all notes from the call. So please forgive some of the lameness of the quotes attributed to me that I had to recreate.

Read the article here.

Posted by joyce at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For Immediate Release:

Media Contacts: Jonah Kokodyniak, Global Kids, Inc.: 646-354-3657 jonah@globalkids.org

New York, NY, November 15, 2006 - Global Kids, Inc., the foremost nonprofit in New York City dedicated to educating urban youth about international affairs, and Gamelab, New York City's largest game development company, announce the release of the exciting online game, Ayiti: The Cost of Life (theCostofLife.org), which uses the location of Haiti to educate players about the obstacles to education faced by children in developing countries. When distributed and used within either a classroom or after school setting, the game will be a strong tool for building students' global awareness and civic literacy.

Youth from the program and Global Kids Executive Director Carole Artigiani and Online Leadership Program Director Barry Joseph will be present at Microsoft's World Wide School of the Future Summit happening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, November 15th. Mr. Joseph will be featured in a panel at 10:45 AM and the Ayiti: The Cost of Life game will also be distributed to Summit participants. The school is located at 4021 Parkside Avenue (corner of Parkside & Girard).

The concept of the game was developed by youth in Global Kids' Playing 4 Keeps (P4K) program and professionals from the award-winning game design studio Gamelab.

Supported by Microsoft's U.S. Partners in Learning Mid-Tier Grants Initiative, which seeks to find and support 'pockets of innovation' for increasing digital literacy and career readiness, the game will be free and also be published with lesson plans for educators through a UNICEF website Child Alert: Haiti (unicef.org/childalert/haiti/) and the educational network TakingITGlobal (takingitglobal.org).

"It can be difficult to teach critical global issues to youth who can sometimes feel that their everyday lives are far removed from things going on in remote places around the world," said Mary Cullinane, Director of Microsoft U.S. Partners in Learning. "Global Kids' Playing 4 Keeps has found a way to use technology to bring these global issues to life in a truly engaging way. We are proud to support this innovative use of technology to make these issues more real for these young citizens."

Playing 4 Keeps engages a cohort of twenty-four students from South Shore High School, a largely minority school of approximately 2,300 students located in Canarsie, Brooklyn, in working with professional game developers in the design, development and dissemination of professionally-produced online games about important social issues. During the school year, program participants conducted research about global issues and gained digital literacy, leadership, and career skills. Students participated in workshops on such global issues as Defining Human Rights, Racism, Health, Education, and Children's Rights, and then selected an issue on which to focus the game.

With professionals from Gamelab, they learned about a range of issues related to game design as a form of critical media literacy as well as the game industry and the game development process. The students also took numerous field trips and spoke about their work at prestigious conferences, including the Game Design Conference in San Jose, the Games 4 Change Conference in New York City, and the Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington.

This year, participants chose to focus their game on the general topic of poverty as an obstacle to education, based on their learning about the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and about obstacles to receiving an adequate education that youth face around the world. They then decided to use Haiti as a case study and setting for the game. The youth have documented the process of creating the game in a blog at (holymeatballs.org/playing_4_keeps) and are publicizing it through (myspace.com/thecostoflife).

In Ayiti: The Cost of Life, each player assumes the roles of family members living in rural Haiti. Over the course of the game, the player must choose among and balance various goals, such as achieving education, making money, staying healthy, and maintaining happiness while encountering unexpected events like disease and hurricanes. The player must make many decisions that contribute to or detract from achieving his or her chosen goals.

The game is designed as a serious learning tool that educators and youth workers can use in their classrooms. With its lesson plans, Ayiti: The Cost of Life, can educate players about poverty and its effects on education in general around the world, as well as about the effects of poverty on education in Haiti.

The educational effectiveness of the game is being evaluated by the Educational Development Corporation's Center for Children and Technology.

About Global Kids, Inc. (www.globalkids.org)

Founded in 1989, Global Kids' mission is to transform urban youth into successful students and global and community leaders by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences. Through its leadership development and academic enrichment programs, Global Kids educates youth about critical international and domestic issues and promotes their engagement in civic life and the democratic process. Through professional development initiatives, Global Kids provides educators with strategies for integrating experiential learning methods and international issues into urban classrooms. Over 85% of the high school seniors who participate in GK's leadership program graduate and attend college.

About the Global Kids Online Leadership Program (OLP)

Global Kids, Inc. is a nationally recognized leader in using digital media to promote global awareness and youth civic engagement. Global Kids' Online Leadership Program (OLP) integrates a youth development approach and international and public policy issues into youth media programs that build digital literacy, foster substantive online dialogues, develop resources for educators, and promote civic participation. Currently, the OLP is accomplishing its goals through initiatives within three broader areas: the development of socially -conscious online games; youth-led online dialogues; and the Digital Media Initiative.

About Gamelab

Gamelab invents new ways for people to play. Founded in 2000 by Peter Lee and Eric Zimmerman, Gamelab is New York City's largest and longest-running game development
company. Gamelab creates innovative games for broad audiences on and off the computer, from multiplayer online games to card and board games to museum installations and social games played by thousands in the real world. Our work has won many awards and has been exhibited internationally. Recently, Gamelab received a first-of-its-kind MacArthur grant with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a 3-year research project on game design and media literacy.

Posted by joyce at 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Researcher is a weekly non-partisan journal that provides in-depth coverage on critical issues of current affairs. First published in 1923, it is associated with the daily Congressional Quarterly, whose readership includes 95 percent of the members of Congress.

The most recent issue of CQ Quarterly focuses on the question: "Video Games: Do They Have Educational Value?" This twenty-four page report offers an excellent overview of the issue. Global Kids is all over the report, so you'll have to download the lovely pdf and read it all for yourself. In general, the report cites our work in our Playing 4 Keeps program, in our Summer Camp in Second Life, and our leadership programs in that virtual world.

Posted by joyce at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would like to create a game that expresses myself. P4k is a great program. I like being part of it.
Vladimyr

Posted by p4kvladimyr at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Global Kids is great. It feels good to be here. I'm a great fan of games. I've been waiting to to get my own avatar in Second Life. I'm excited!
Garneau

Posted by p4kgarneau at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The games I like are sports games like NBA live 06 and Madden 07.
Jermain

Posted by p4kjermain at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Playing 4 Keeps I hope to learn how to play games online. I would also enjoy creating my own games. The reason I joined p4k is because I enjoy games online and offline.
Quintrell aka Quinny

Posted by p4kquinny at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

P4K is a good thing to do.
Oba

Posted by p4koba at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The global issue I am concerned about is global warming. I think this is a big issue in the world because it destroys the ozone layer. People should stop buying products that expand this global issue. Instead of buying the spray deodorant, use the roll-on ones, and lessen smoke from the exhaust pipes in cars.

THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF WE DON'T PUT A STOP TO GLOBAL WARNING!!!

Posted by p4kAhbiashon at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I hope to get to participate in the Playing 4 Keeps program to make games and be in different activities. I want to be involved in more things for fun. I also want to meet new people and get a better understanding.
Ian A.K.A sesame street nightmare

Posted by p4kian at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

People are destroying the earth. We commit wars, do acts of violence, and pollute the environment. Global Kids is making us aware of these facts.
Jonathan

Posted by p4kjonathan at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In P4K, I hope that I learn how the graphics in a work. I hope I can create a game of my own.
Giovanni

Posted by p4kgiovanni at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A global Issue I am concerned about is wildlife. Everyday people throw their trash on the ground and think it's not hurting any one. But it is. It effects animal and soon maybe our fellow man, as well as our oceans and sea's. When our trash is put in those places do we plan one day to clean them out? Miles upon miles of water are being filled with our trash, and millions of sea animals are dying because of it. Yet very little is done to stop it. Sometimes I wonder if people really care about the Earth they live on.
Amanda

Posted by p4kamanda at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The world as we know it is very very weird. There is currently a genocide happening in Darfur, Sudan. This is not a good thing no matter how a mind may put it. America is currently funneling billions of dollars (per year) into a war where its cause are unknown. This money could have been used in Darfur to create centers for people who are currently running from death itself. My opinion if I had the ability to direct it to our "commander in chief" it would be, "Do you think a drop of oil is worth a drop of blood?"

Troy

Posted by p4ktroy at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is my fist time in Global Kids and at this point in time, from what I have experienced so far I can expect anything to happen. However to narrow things down I'm expecting to have a lot of fun while building on my skills in graphic design. I expect from this program a lot of experience and a lot... I mean alot of fun.
Troy

Posted by p4ktroy at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

• From Highly Recommended Thing Of The Moment:

  That was disturbingly addictive... This just reinforces the fury I feel at funneling billions of dollars into bull**** earmarks and the war in Iraq when we could be educating the world. Why doesn't our government see that if we educated most of the third world that we'd not only create good will for the US in spades for years to come, but that we'd increase EVERYBODY'S productivity and the economy of the entire world would rise?

  I'm going to go look for a drink now. Just definitely not rum...

• From Stillhaventfound.org
• Another flattering post from Eliane Alhadeff:

  Global Kids achieves another breakthrough with this brand new social advocacy game.

• Game reviewer Patrick Dugan writes:

  I'm not sure which was more compelling, the later feelings of success as I worked that dominant strategy, or the early feelings of anguished sympathy as these people helplessly struggled with no way out.

• Another game reviewer, Click Nothing, admired not only the game but the context in which it was created:

  Also of note is the degree of collaboration that seems to have gone on to bring us this game. Gamelab, UNICEF, Global Kids and Microsoft all had a hand in making this game possible. It amazes me how many column inches in both the specialty gaming press and the mainstream press are devoted to covering how evil the game industry is, and how there is little to no coverage of a game like this...

• The Private Sector Development Blog sends people our way.
• Smarter T.M. who seemded to know a lot about Haiti, and was surprised to finda game about it, wrote:

  "It was fun to see the Creole words they work in here and there. This is obviously a simplified version of the ongoing dilemma, especially as having books at home isn't all that useful when no one in your family knows how to read anyway, but it does illustrate the problems in balancing health, money, and education to try to get ahead when you are starting with basically nothing. To be more realistic, probably all the family would start out with a health issue of some kind, and no starting cash at all, and the family farm would disappear if you didn't have someone tend to it.... but I guess that would make for a really depressing game."

• The folks at Little Black Book wrote an excellent description of the game, one of the best yet, and reflects that:

  "I know it's weird to self-reflect and think too deep into games, but whenever a family member in the game gets sick or depressed (depicted by crying), it certainly tugs the heart strings, especially when I am reminded of how these little cartoons represent real families in Haiti. I guess it's a powerful message there. Although we may bitch about our own lives, we should be aware of how fortunate we are and how others around the world are worse off and suffering, and go help them."

• Think Mojo, reflecting on the relationship between the poverty around him/her in England and the poverty encountered in Ayiti: The Cost of Life, says:

  "Sadly we are approaching a period where this kind of thing is no longer confined solely to developing countries."

• The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group writes:

  "agencies are catching on to the usefullness of Flash animation and games for getting folks to spend time learning about issues such as poverty and development. Check out this new game brought to you by Global Kids/UNICEF: Ayiti - Cost of life. The game starts with a bit more blah blah blah then necessary, but is still pretty good.

Reviewing these ten blogs, it's great to notice who is taking notice, mostly gaming sites and international development folks. These are certainly two adult audiences we have in mind. We'd love to see more, however, from the educational fields, as well as from youth bloggers as well.

Posted by joyce at 3:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Audeamus.com, which describes itself as a site "covering the world of social entrepreneurship, social enterprise, corporate responsibility, international development, global non-profit and philanthropy work" learned of Ayiti: The Cost of Life, finding it "pretty fascinating coming across the concept," the concept being the idea of games designed to educate about global issues.

The writer described the Playing 4 Keeps program, which developed the game, "amazing stuff," and goes on to speculate:

"One could foresee the possibility that games like these could be a way for nonprofits to both educate and create profits for their causes. How about a game about international development based on 'Civilization' or something like that, where you have to help a nation develop, deal with war, natural disaster, famine, poverty, etc., etc. It could be a very interesting and educational game. You could have options to use microfinance, support social enterprises, get government or private aid, and have a multitude of scenarios as a result of your decisions."

read more here.

Posted by joyce at 2:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We believe this is the first venue recommending the use of Ayiti for educational use:

"This simulation [is] one that kids at a variety of grade levels could enjoy and learn from. As an instructional tool it has excellent potential for initiating discussion and thinking about a variety of issues including human rights, poverty, and population issues. Very cool stuff."

Read more here.

Posted by joyce at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

BusinessWeek Magazine ran an excellent overview of the recent announcement by the MacArthur Foundation of their "$50 million, five-year initiative to investigate how and why young people-who have been bathed in bits and bytes since birth-use the Web, computer games, cell phones, and other gadgets to learn, play, and communicate."

They did a nice job describing Global Kids role in the initiative:

Global Kids, a non-profit youth organization, received $170,000 in 2005 to organize an essay competition and develop several online discussion forums where kids explained how they use digital media. They also developed an island within the teen spin-off of the immersive world Second Life. Created by Linden Lab, the same company that created the adult version, the Teen Second Life is inhabited by approximately 45,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 17. Teens build educational areas and experiences to teach one another about world issues such as child sex-trafficking or the genocide in Darfur. Global Kids has received just over a million dollars to continue with this work.

Read the whole article here.

Posted by joyce at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wagner James Au, an "embedded journalist" who has chronicled Second Life for three and a half years on his blog, just covered the role of educators in Second Life in the George Lucas Foundation-funded magazine Edutopia. A few excerpts follow:

"One of them is sponsored by Global Kids, a New York-based nonprofit organization that teaches leadership, citizenship, and learning skills to urban youth. "While we have used the Internet before as a place to extend our work, for example through online discussions," Barry Joseph of Global Kids explains, "Teen Second Life has offered us the first place online where we can bring the entirety of our youth-development curriculum, without cutting corners, and then take it in new directions." One of those directions involved a virtual summer camp on a private island in TSL, where fifteen teens from three countries participated in an interactive, experiential workshop learning about global issues such as economic inequality and the genocide in Darfur. Joseph sees even more educational applications beyond this experience, derived from the existing culture of users. "Being in Second Life is inherently a leadership opportunity, as there is nothing to do there unless you create your own activities," he says. "Every week, teens stumble upon Global Kids Island and then propose elaborate plans for activities they can create all on their own, such as dance parties, word games, and holiday events. Imagine what can happen when these budding leaders are given more substantive missions, educational content, and adult mentoring." Still, Global Kids's Barry Joseph advises caution for educators interested in this space. "In 1996, not every company needed to be on the Web," he says. "Ten years later, not every educator needs to be in SL. Working with youth in TSL is on the cutting edges of progressive pedagogy, so you might want to wait before getting involved if you aren't willing to lose a little blood along the way."

The excellent work of Kids Connects is also discussed. For example, Josephine Dorado is quoted as saying, "Plan on building whatever you need once you get on the teen grid, since the Linden iron curtain between the teen grid and the adult grid doesn't allow for easy transfers of inventory."

Did you get that? "Linden iron curtain"! GK coined the term. Is it about to tip?

Read more here.

Posted by joyce at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A number of very clever Flash animation games provide post-Election Day fixes for withdrawing political junkies... In The Cost of Life, a game created by Global Kids and the Gamelab and hosted on the UNICEF site, you take responsibility for saving a Haitian family of five from poverty... This week, while our minds are focused on politics and policy, the games above might just function as a fun and informative chill-out room for post-Election day political junkies."

Read more here.

Posted by joyce at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The International Press Service News published a review of Ayiti: The Cost of Life, focusing on the role of the Global Kids youth leaders who took part in the process:

"Even in this pack of progressive educational tools, Ayiti stands out. It was actually designed by kids. And not only did student designers develop computer literacy in the process, they were forced to develop a deep understanding of the subject matter in order to build a game around it."

Read more here.

Posted by joyce at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Claudia Linden, the manager of Second Life Teen Grid Sub-estates (like Global Kids') wrote a glowing piece about our education work in their virtual world within their monthly newsletter.

Read it here.

Posted by joyce at 7:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A great site, Casual Gameplay, posted a fascinating review of Ayiti: The Cost of Life, from a gamers perspectice:

"Cost of Life is one of the best political web games released this year... The beauty of the play's resonance, of the messages only games can imply, comes in the gap between these constraints [of the game design], and orthogonally, from the gap between the game's representations and its simulated mechanics of economy and randomized interdiction. In that quiet space, you are not a pawn in an agenda, but a family, and holy flavin, thats art."

But better yet, after only two days live, the post generated dozens of gamers discussing and debating the best ways to succeed in the game. Learning how players tackled the various approaches to the game is quite fascinating. You can read them all here.

One posted, pinoyguy posted this screen-grab of an amazing play:

Posted by joyce at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello this is the last blog post event I'll be doing for the Global Kids Halloween Event 2006. I have had some good fun doing the event with the Teen Second Life Residents and I hope to do some more in the future. Well the final event went well on Friday but we only got one entry on Monday :( It didn't seem like many people wanted to take part in the final event. If I ever do an event like this again I'll make sure it's well advertised and get a lot of teens to take part and hopefully get a good result. If you have nay feedback please feel free to IM Storm Basiat or Rafi Gkid.

Thanks Storm

Posted by Storm Basiat at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello, on Thursday several teens from Second Life wrote a Spooky Story as part of the Halloween Events at Global Kids. I'm sure they all enjoyed doing them and here are two of the stories which can you download.

The Night The Computers Took Over.

Tap-a-Tap-Tap...

Thanks Storm

Posted by Storm Basiat at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kate Raynes-Goldie addressed the issue of Ayiti: The Cost of life and civic engagement in her recent blog post:

the first time i played, my whole family died of various tropical illnesses. it was upsetting. i did better the second time. the designers purposely made it so the game was hard, but not impossible. it gave me a better idea of the kinds of challenges people in developing countries face. you can "know" intellectually, but i think playing actually gave me a better sense, because it gave me the chance to understand through experience.

and then i started thinking, does this game count as civic engagement? the hardcore civic engagement people would say no, and probably more 'progressive' people would agree. it doesn't actually get me to act, but i think getting a better sense and having more empathy is something.

Read more at here.

Posted by joyce at 1:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello, this is my first blog post of the week, about what happened in Monday's Event at Global Kids. Everyone came to the Global Kids Island and all took a seat at the stage and then received to Treasure Hunt HUD. They began to search the island for all the keys once everyone got the keys they got a land mark to the Prize Box and they received their prizes. Everyone I hope did have some fun finding the keys. Thanks to Bob Baily who helped me fix the script for the prize box hehe. After we finished the treasure hunt we had a few games of Word Spill which went very well. And well that’s about it for now. I have attached some screen shots below.

Screen Shots:
Coming Soon

Thanks Storm

Posted by Storm Basiat at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

=== Global Kids Newsletter ===
November, 2006

This month, learn about:

*UPCOMING EVENTS
*GROUPS TO JOIN
*RECENT EVENTS
*ANNOUCEMENTS

=====

UPCOMING EVENTS

GK hosts the GK ICC Spotlight Scavenger Hunt Event

For one week, visitors to the GK Island can participate in the GK International Criminal Court (ICC) Spotlight Scavenger Hunt, happening from November 10th - 18th, 2006. Look for the cauldron outside the volcano and win prizes! If you have any questions, please IM Andrew Montagne.

==

A World Fit For Children Festival, featuring a build contest

From November 13 - December 22, 2006, Alpha Zaius will be working with Tabitha GKid to launch the A World Fit For Children Festival. Amongst other things, it will include a build contest, offering a $200US grand prize. For more information, IM Alpha Zaius or Tabitha GKid.

==

MIT's Futures of Entertainment Conference

On November 17 - 18, 2006, if the technical issues can be worked out, GK Island will host a live stream from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Futures of Entertainment Conference. The conference will consider developments such as user-generated content, transmedia storytelling, the rise of mobile media and the emergence of social networking. More info at: http://convergenceculture.org/futuresofentertainment/

=====

GROUPS TO JOIN

The following are some new groups you can join if you are interested:

JOIN GK GAMES - If you want to help run games on GK Island, led by Storm Basiat.

JOIN GK UNICEF BUILD - If you want to work on the upcoming UNICEF A World Fit For Children Festival, led by Alpha Zaius.

JOIN GK ICC Spotlight - If you want to help bring attention to the International Criminal Court and their current focus on child soliders, led by Andrew Montagne.

JOIN DISIBILITY IN TEEN SECOND LIFE - If you want to work with others to create a space where the disable can share stories, talk with others, and be themselves, led by Lucky Figtree.

JOIN GK MACHINIMA - If you want to help support Global Kids new in-person after school machinima program, led by Tabitha Gkid.

JOIN GK P4K - If you want to help support Global Kids in-person after school gaming program in which teens in Brooklyn will make games in TSL, led by Barry Gkid.

=====

RECENT EVENTS

Halloween Building Contest Week

Congratulations to the winners of the Halloween Building Contest: Jonett Gremlin, Joe Sun, Disco Bayliss and SupaNeo Nori! The week of October 30th, over 20 teens participated in decorating the Global Kids Island for Halloween. The event was run by Storm Basiat. Throughout the week, the participants had fun sharing ideas and built items such as Halloween decorations, fireworks, glitter sticks, crawling spiders, and also a cave!!! The teens invited a group to see fireworks and share positive feedback on each other's creations. At the end of the event everyone gathered on stage and prizes were awarded to the best Halloween builds. If you would like to see some snapshots from the event, please go to HolyMeatballs.org.

==

Read (and post a comment to) a recent feature on Lucky Figtree at a new website by the MacArthur Foundation: http://tinyurl.com/y83env

=====

ANNOUCEMENTS

Global Kids is excited to announce that very soon we won't be alone offering activities to TSL residents. Coming soon: Eye4You Alliance: where you get to create and contribute. This island in Teen Second Life is looking for teens to help in a variety of ways. Eye4You Alliance is a partnership between two real life public libraries; the Alliance Library system in Illinois and the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. Go to: http://eye4youalliance.youthtech.info for more information and a (short!) application if you're interested in helping. They have ideas for programs and services they'd like to see on the island including interactive exhibits on topics like censorship or intellectual freedom, creating machinima, having parties for new books, music, and video games coming out, homework help, and more, but ultimately they say they'd like the decisions to come from the teens involved, as you will be the ones using the island.

=====

To keep up-to-date on Global Kids, join our group, for free, "Global Kids". You can also learn more at our blog, or IM Tabitha Gkid.

Posted by tabitha at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday NY1 aired their 2 minute piece on Global Kids' Playing 4 Keeps program at South Shore High School.

You can watch the video here.

Transcript of piece follows.

Students Make Video Games, Learn Life Lessons October 31, 2006

Students at a Brooklyn high school are making their own video games and their parents approve. NY1 Tech reporter Adam Balkin filed the following report.

While their peers, after school, may play football or a musical instrument, students from South Shore High School, with help from the non-profit Global Kids, create video games with meanings, and lessons. The first one, just unveiled online is called “Ayiti: The Cost of Life,” and it puts a family of five poor Haitians in gamers hands.

“For the last year we met for one week after school in the computer lab to teach the young people not only how to think critically about game design but also learn about world issues,” said Barry Joseph of Global Kids. “And together we came up with both a game concept and an issue they were passionate about and we worked with game developers to put the two together. For any young person who plays the game, it's a really challenging strategy game where you have to manage a family of five over four years and keep them alive, get them healthy, keep them educated and make sure they don't fall into debt and die. For an educator using it, it's an amazing opportunity to teach young people about how poverty is an obstacle to education in Haiti and at the same time go outside the game and teach kids about other issues they can take action in.”

And while students who helped develop the game say it is designed to help teach anyone who plays it, a lot of them feel they, themselves, have learned the most and not just about what it takes to create a video game.

“My father works hard but I take it for granted,” said Sanji Johnson, a student who worked on the game. “But when I play the game and I hear about Haiti I realize I'm the one wasting time, and in Haiti they need help. They're working hard to get an education and I'm taking it for granted.”

“It'd be great to create games with more action and things that people like,” added another student, Dewayne Baker. “But, at the same time, getting in the good parts in what actually are things they don't understand or don't know what's going on.”

The content for the first game, which can be found at www.costoflife.org, was thought up by two dozen high school students. The actual game was coded and built by local game developers at Gamelab. However, this time around, students will take a bigger role in the technical development as well.

-Adam Balkin

Posted by joyce at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)