Global Kids' Online Leadership Program

Just a reminder that tomorrow, July 1, fifteen New York public high school students will premiere their film Discovered. Discovered is a digital "machinima" film produced in Second Life that explores the powerful issue of child sex trafficking through the fictional story of one Mexican teenager. This is the final product of a year-long, intensive digital filmmaking program called the Virtual Video Project (VVP), an after-school program conducted by Global Kids, Inc in NYC. The students gathered regularly during the past year to learn about film production, human rights, and virtual worlds, culminating in a serious issue machinima film produced entirely by the youth filmmakers.

Come to the premiere of Discovered to meet the youth filmmakers and discover how digital film can be used for global issue awareness and civic engagement.

Event Details:
When: Wednesday, July 1st, 6pm-8pm
Where: Sony Wonder Technology Lab [550 Madison Avenue at 56th St.]
What: Meet & Greet Filmmakers, Premiere of Discovered, and Q & A with students

For more information, see http://www.DiscoveredMovie.com or please contact Shawna at 212-226-0130 x 143 or email: shawna@globalkids.org.

The full text of the News Release follows....

Contacts: Sofia Oviedo, Global Kids, 212-226-2116, sofia@globalkids.org

Arti Sheth, Global Kids, 212-226-0130, ext. 106, arti@globalkids.org

For Immediate Release:

Global Kids Youth Leaders Premiere Animated Film Discovered,
Exposing the Global Tragedy of Child Sex Trafficking

New York, NY, June 29, 2009 – On July 1, 2009, fifteen New York City public high school students will premiere their film Discovered (2009, discoveredmovie.com), a digital "machinima" film produced in Second Life that explores the powerful issue of child sex trafficking through the fictional story of one Mexican teenager.

Discovered is the final product of a year-long, intensive digital filmmaking program called the Virtual Video Project (VVP), an after-school program conducted by Global Kids, Inc. in New York City. The students gathered regularly during the past year to learn about film production, human rights, and virtual worlds, culminating in a serious issue machinima film produced entirely by the youth filmmakers.

The students, ages 15-18, represent a range of high schools from the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, including Hostos-Lincoln Academy, James Baldwin School, University Neighborhood High School, the Academy of American Studies, New York City Museum School, and Bryant High School.

Event Details:
When: Wednesday, July 1st, 6pm-8pm
Where: Sony Wonder Technology Lab [550 Madison Avenue at 56th St.]
What: Meet & Greet Filmmakers, Premiere of Discovered, and Q & A with students
GK Press Contact: Arti Sheth, 212-226-0130, ext 106, arti@globalkids.org


Hundreds of thousands of women and girls every year are forced into sexual slavery, a crime that happens in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, and in communities all around the United States. Discovered is a fictional account, but it is based upon research conducted by the VVP filmmakers with the feedback and input of experts on child sex trafficking from organizations such as ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), and individuals from Mexico.

While the problem is daunting, the Global Kids teen filmmakers wanted to put a human face on the issue, and to leave the viewer energized to do something to help end sex trafficking. The VVP youth led every single stage of film production, from costuming the “avatars,” writing the script, voice acting the various roles, filming the scenes, choosing background music and effects, and editing the footage together. Global Kids and the young filmmakers plan to stream the video in Second Life, disseminate it online, and submit it to numerous film festivals to further expose the work.

The Virtual Video Project is part of Global Kids’ Online Leadership Program (OLP) and made possible with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

About the Online Leadership Program

Global Kids’ Online Leadership Program (OLP), now in its ninth year, integrates the use of the Internet into GK’s programming. The OLP equips youth with the skills necessary to use the Internet as a tool for research and social change and develops online resources for educators and young people to promote civic engagement and global literacy. Discovered was created in the virtual world of Second Life, a “virtual world” that offers a three-dimensional environment where online participants are represented by avatars. Second Life has millions of users and a growing non-profit community. To access the OLP, please click here: olp.globalkids.org

About Global Kids, Inc.

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 ninety percent of the high school seniors who participate in Global Kids’ leadership program graduate from high school. To access the Global Kids website, please click here: www.globalkids.org

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Posted by Rik at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GK's own youth leader Nafiza was chosen to be part of Edutopia's online Youth Portraits series, in which they feature the digital worlds of various teens.

Digital Youth Portrait: Nafiza

Edutopia's portrait includes an interview of Nafiza along with short video pieces on her, her work in GK's OLP programs and what it is like to have digital media play a close relationship in her day to day life.

There are also sections, within Edutopia's feature on Nafiza, where other videos spotlight using digital media to learn world affairs and highlight the work Nafiza and other youth leaders put in within the VVP program to produce the 2007 and 2008 program short films "A Child's War" and "Race to Equality".

Learning World Affairs Through Digital Media

To visit Edutopia's full youth profile on Nafiza, click here.

Posted by joyce at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor focuses on video games that let you play with topics taken from the news around us. It spotlights Tempest In Crescent City as an example.

Another featured news game, “Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City,” developed by Global Kids and Gamepill, focuses on how residents and the government coped after the 2005 storm hit. Players walk through New Orleans after the hurricane, communicating with neighbors and reporters to find a family member.

Read the full article here.

Posted by joyce at 3:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There have been two really great reports released recently, one by The Joan Ganz Cooney Center and the other by the Asia Society. Both focus on implementing global and digital literacy into the educational strategies.

In the report released by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, Game Changer: Investing in digital play to advance children's learning and health, it discusses the impetus of using gaming to help develop educational skills. The report states, "digital games offer a promising and untapped opportunity to leverage children’s enthusiasm and to help transform learning in America." To follow this up, they give recommendations and examples of various games which accomplish this significant task. One example used is GK's Ayiti, which is given as an example of one of the various health and learning games that demonstrates ways to transform learning. Ayiti is described as "a strategy game that asks, “What is it like to live in poverty, struggling every day to stay healthy, keep out of debt, and get educated?” Set in rural Haiti, players must manage the lives of a family of five, struggling with minimal resources to achieve a stable, safe, and healthy environment. The game is very difficult but provides win states and suggests that no problem is unsolvable."

It was also recommended to develop models or games, that best tap into community resources. "A number of promising afterschool models are already helping children from underserved communities become “tech savvy” and are developing innovative approaches to parent training that includes digital content such as games that can be used across settings. These models include the Intel-sponsored Computer Clubhouses, the Boys & Girls Club of America’s Club Tech, and locally-based youth-leadership programs such as Global Kids, One Economy, and Computers for Youth. National efforts to bridge school, home, and community uses of game technologies should learn from, improve upon, and scale-up these models."

The report by the Asia Society, Expanding Horizons: Building Global Literacy in Afterschool Programs, also discusses the importance of teaching global literacy within educational settings, to make sure youth of today are ready for what comes when they enter the growing global workforce. The report looks at how to prepare the youth through four different aspects, one of them being "Transforming Learning". In this section, various examples of how to integrate digital media into the classroom setting are given. "For older youth, many international organizations are starting to provide educational events in Teen Second Life. For example, Global Kids implemented the "I Dig Tanzania" summer camp, a program where youth in Chicago and New York followed a palentology excavation in Tanzania led by a team from the Field Museum of Chicago. Participants followed what the real researchers were doing through streaming video, asked questions over satellite phones, and then dug virtual fossils and assembled them together into an exhibit in Teen Second life. "

On page 54, the report discusses how to help youth find active roles, and uses GK's afterschool program structure as a good example of this. The report also mentions the use of various programs Global Kids runs in our afterschool programs including: the Power of Citizenry program, the Annual Youth Conference, Undesirable Elements, which is a youth-led theater program and our Playing for Keeps program, which works to integrate game design into serious issues, creating a serious game such as Ayiti, as examples of how to transform learning within afterschool programs.

Both reports are very interesting and well worth the read, so check them out!

Posted by Krista at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recent entry from Arwyn Quandry on the blog Transmissions from TSL, focuses on TSL Relay for Life and mentions Global Kids donating the sim for this and all the wonderful organizational efforts by the teen Lucky Figtree who has been working with GK for the past few years.

The mastermind behind this whole event is the talented Lucky Figtree, a longtime GK helper and teen activist who has been running TG RFL events for the past three years. She also speaks at conferences both in-world and first life with Global Kids. On the Relay for Life, she said, “With Relay for Life on the Teen Grid, I hope to give teens all the opportunity in the world to make a difference. Too often the teen grid is regarded as a waste of time and space, and I want to change that and show the teens just how much good they can do when they come together. Our plan is to educate and train in hopes that when it’s time for these teens to transfer, they’ll take part in the main grid relay and continue to celebrate, remember and fight back.” Lucky will transfer on August 23rd, 2009.

To read the full article, click here.

Posted by joyce at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recent post by the Techbrarian gives an example of how this teacher is using Ayiti in their class room.

In Haiti only about half of the children receive an education and only two percent finish high school. Without a proper education, the poor stay poor in Haiti (and many countries like this.) While education is the key to rising out of poverty, many parents are not able to send their kids to school. Why not? Play the game below to find out.

Read the full post here.

Posted by joyce at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The (o.o) Festival: First Annual NYC Digital Youth Media & Technology Festival will be this Saturday, June 27, 2009, at The New School, NYC.

We are so thrilled that this event by an incredible coalition has come together to support youth through NYC in our various after school programs. Global Kids has youth showing their VVP year end videos, youth from the Media Masters program showing their digital transcripts, youth from HRAP at South Shore showing their documentary about their school phasing out, and youth from our Expressions program showing the variety of digital media they created about social and global issues.

In addition, youth from the three NY Public Library sites implementing our Playing 4 Keeps game design program will be competing for the best serious game design and we can't wait to see what the youth have created.

The full press release is after the jump.

Gaming for a Better World: Teens Advance Social Causes Using Digital Media

The (o.o) Festival: First Annual NYC Digital Youth Media & Technology Festival at The New School Saturday, June 27, 2009

A daylong festival will spotlight the growing movement among teenagers in New York and nationally to design video games, films and other digital tools to advance social causes in a youthful and technologically literate language.

About 100 teens will kick off The (o.o) Festival,* the first annual NYC Digital Youth Media & Technology Festival, a citywide dialogue about the role of new media and technology in their lives, and how they can use it to advance causes they care about. Teens from The New York Public Library will showcase their designs and conceptualizations for serious video games about subjects like celebrity drug use, media consolidation and genocide. Youth from the Global Kids Virtual Video Project will premiere their animated short film about child sex trafficking into the United States. Students from MOUSE will discuss their efforts to advance technology in New York City public schools by developing open source labs, advocating for the One Laptop Per Child campaign and other efforts. The daylong event is being held at Parsons The New School for Design. Attendance is by invitation.

“It’s one thing for youth to reach an audience of thousands through a site like YouTube,” said Barry Joseph, Global Kids’ online leadership director and festival co-founder. “But it’s another thing to watch with their own eyes how an audience of one’s peers respond to their work. It’s a transformative experience.”

A youth project fair will feature a wide variety of digital media, including digital comics, serious game designs, animated movies, assistive technology projects, and do-it-yourself tech support. A design charrette, sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, will explore how learning institutions can collaborate through digital media to serve young people. Other events include a game design competition and a college and career fair featuring 15 professionals from the fields of design, games and gaming, software, film and video, and more.

"Gaming is a great educational medium for teens to explore the issues that are happening around them and the world,” said H. Jack Martin, Assistant Director for Young Adult Programs at The New York Public Library. “The (o.o) Festival gives tech-curious teens an opportunity to come together and showcase their work and their ideas."

“The collaboration among these organizations marks an unprecedented commitment to the support of young people as leaders of the digital age,” said festival co-founder Marc Lesser, Education Director of MOUSE. “We hope that this festival is the first of many!”

The festival is sponsored by MOUSE, Global Kids, The New York Public Library, Parsons Academy and PetLab, with support from the New School University and the Social Science Research Council, with additional promotional support generously provided by the Nathan Cummings Foundation and Microsoft Corporations US Partners in Learning.

*(o.o) is the emoticon for “curious.”

About Global Kids
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 95% percent of the high school seniors who participate in GK’s leadership program graduate from high school.

About MOUSE
MOUSE empowers students to succeed in today’s information society. An innovative youth development program, MOUSE Squad prepares and supports students in establishing and managing leading edge technical support help desks in their schools. MOUSE Squad improves a school’s ability to use technology to enhance learning, while also providing a powerful, hands-on 21st century learning experience for students. The MOUSE Squad program extends learning beyond the help desk, providing technical certification, collaborative website and online case tracking. MOUSE offers two additional programs in support of its mission: MOUSE Corps, a career readiness program for high school students, providing professional internships, mentoring and skills building workshops, and MOUSE TechSource, which focuses on research, evaluation and continuous program improvement. Founded in 1997, MOUSE has a visible and positive impact in more than 200 locations in the United States, including New York City, Chicago, California, Texas and Connecticut. In partnership with Microsoft, the MOUSE Help Desk curriculum is accessible in more than 58 countries worldwide.

About The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. Its renowned research collections are located in the The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem; and the Science, Industry and Business Library at 34th Street and Madison Avenue. Eighty-seven branch libraries provide access to circulating collections and a wide range of other services in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English for speakers of other languages. The New York Public Library serves more than 17 million patrons who come through its doors annually; the Library’s website, www.nypl.org, receives 25 million visits annually from users in more than 200 countries.

About PETlab
PETlab is a joint project of Games for Change and Parsons The New School for Design in New York City. It is a place for testing prototyping methods and the process of collaborative design with organizations interested in using games as a form of public interest engagement. Through our work, we connect with scholars and designers in the field of digital media, practitioners working in the spheres of education and social issues, and people of all ages at play. In the first year, we are working on a number of gaming platforms including Flash, Xbox XNA, and mobile phones. We are also working with a wide range of partners such as MTV, Microsoft, Boys and Girls Clubs, and New York Public Library. Support for PETLab comes from the John D. Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's Digital Media and Learning initiative.

Contact: Heidi Singer 212.592.7311 or Heidi_Singer@nypl.org.

Posted by joyce at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey everyone this is Kojo Acheampong and I am highly happy to go to Kenya during the summer time. I am so excited to engage myself in the future of our world by traveling overseas to learn about human rights and also get involved in civic youth engagement activities with my other friends and leaders. We can help make change in our world by empowering the youth with their freedom of education and a say in their government. As a young kid my life was dedicated to my grandmother more than anyone else because my grandmother never abused me. But now all that I see around me is abuse and use of violence against young individuals and I am looking forward to doing my part to change it.

Posted by Kojo HRAP at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Special RezEd Podcast Episode 35 - "Education across Virtual Worlds: A Case Study," A conversation with Audrey Aronowsky of the Field Museum of Chicago.

The thirty-fifth RezEd monthly podcast, produced by Global Kids.

This episode is a live recording from the first RezEd Conference in conjunction with the Games, Learning, and Society Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, June 10-12, 2009.

Download the episode here.

Subscribe Now!

Subscribe to RezEd.org Podcast Series

To subscribe directly through iTunes:

Add to iTunes

Posted by joyce at 8:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On July 1, 2009, 15 New York City public high school students will premiere their film Discovered --a digital "machinima" film produced in Second Life that explores the powerful issue of child sex trafficking through the fictional story of one Mexican teenager. Discovered is the final product of a year-long, intensive digital filmmaking program called the Virtual Video Project (VVP), an after-school program conducted by Global Kids, Inc in NYC. The students gathered regularly during the past year to learn about film production, human rights, and virtual worlds, culminating in a serious issue machinima film produced entirely by the youth filmmakers.

Come to the premiere of Discovered to meet the youth filmmakers and discover how digital film can be used for global issue awareness and civic engagement.

Event Details:
When: Wednesday, July 1st, 6pm-8pm
Where: Sony Wonder Technology Lab [550 Madison Avenue at 56th St.]
What: Meet & Greet Filmmakers, Premiere of Discovered, and Q & A with students

For more information, see http://www.DiscoveredMovie.com or please contact Shawna at 212-226-0130 x 143 or email: shawna@globalkids.org.

The full text of the News Release follows....

Contacts: Sofia Oviedo, Global Kids, 212-226-2116, sofia@globalkids.org

Arti Sheth, Global Kids, 212-226-0130, ext. 106, arti@globalkids.org

For Immediate Release:

Global Kids Youth Leaders Premiere Animated Film Discovered,
Exposing the Global Tragedy of Child Sex Trafficking

New York, NY, June 29, 2009 – On July 1, 2009, fifteen New York City public high school students will premiere their film Discovered (2009, discoveredmovie.com), a digital "machinima" film produced in Second Life that explores the powerful issue of child sex trafficking through the fictional story of one Mexican teenager.

Discovered is the final product of a year-long, intensive digital filmmaking program called the Virtual Video Project (VVP), an after-school program conducted by Global Kids, Inc. in New York City. The students gathered regularly during the past year to learn about film production, human rights, and virtual worlds, culminating in a serious issue machinima film produced entirely by the youth filmmakers.

The students, ages 15-18, represent a range of high schools from the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, including Hostos-Lincoln Academy, James Baldwin School, University Neighborhood High School, the Academy of American Studies, New York City Museum School, and Bryant High School.

Event Details:
When: Wednesday, July 1st, 6pm-8pm
Where: Sony Wonder Technology Lab [550 Madison Avenue at 56th St.]
What: Meet & Greet Filmmakers, Premiere of Discovered, and Q & A with students
GK Press Contact: Arti Sheth, 212-226-0130, ext 106, arti@globalkids.org


Hundreds of thousands of women and girls every year are forced into sexual slavery, a crime that happens in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, and in communities all around the United States. Discovered is a fictional account, but it is based upon research conducted by the VVP filmmakers with the feedback and input of experts on child sex trafficking from organizations such as ECPAT-USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), and individuals from Mexico.

While the problem is daunting, the Global Kids teen filmmakers wanted to put a human face on the issue, and to leave the viewer energized to do something to help end sex trafficking. The VVP youth led every single stage of film production, from costuming the “avatars,” writing the script, voice acting the various roles, filming the scenes, choosing background music and effects, and editing the footage together. Global Kids and the young filmmakers plan to stream the video in Second Life, disseminate it online, and submit it to numerous film festivals to further expose the work.

The Virtual Video Project is part of Global Kids’ Online Leadership Program (OLP) and made possible with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

About the Online Leadership Program

Global Kids’ Online Leadership Program (OLP), now in its ninth year, integrates the use of the Internet into GK’s programming. The OLP equips youth with the skills necessary to use the Internet as a tool for research and social change and develops online resources for educators and young people to promote civic engagement and global literacy. Discovered was created in the virtual world of Second Life, a “virtual world” that offers a three-dimensional environment where online participants are represented by avatars. Second Life has millions of users and a growing non-profit community. To access the OLP, please click here: olp.globalkids.org

About Global Kids, Inc.

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 ninety percent of the high school seniors who participate in Global Kids’ leadership program graduate from high school. To access the Global Kids website, please click here: www.globalkids.org

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Posted by Rik at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My name is Vladimyr and since early April I've been interning with NYPL's teen central on Global Kids' Playing 4 Keeps program. When I first showed up at teen central, everyone was all over the place. But once everything had gotten settled and planned out, the sessions just went by. When we started talking about the game we wanted to create and what should go in it. The gamers(KIDS) just had fun with it, putting in their thoughts, and making it a great atmosphere for everybody. I don't call them kids, I call them gamers. Because they are truly fans of great games, they love great games, and I can truly say that I haven't been around this much gamers before in my life. I tweeted about the day we had to make our own mini game out of chosen objects. That day showed how much fun they have at teen central and the creativity they have, especially working together. I think the best session I've been to was when the guys from Large Animal gaming company stopped by. The kids had finish picking there topic for the game and actually drew pictures and made a storyline for it. A member of teen central named Dominique had to pitch it to the guys who stopped by because the other kids who helped wasn't there. He did a great job and the guys liked it. The gamers at teen central ended up picking Genocide as their game topic. Barry Joseph helped me get this internship because I had nothing to do after I had graduated high school. I would like to thank him and say that being at teen central was probably the best way I've could of spent my free time. I plan on being at the conference on the 27th, cheering teen central on. GOOD LUCK!.

GKID VLAD.

Posted by p4kvladimyr at 6:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a recent article, Gamasutra covers the Games For Change conference cofounded six years ago by Global Kids, as having finally come of age.

"When we started Games For Change, we were coming together based on personal experiences," G4C co-founder and president Suzanne Seggerman tells Gamasutra.

Seggerman and colleagues like GlobalKids' Barry Joseph and current MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning program director Ben Stokes "had all been convinced that games had this powerful potential," she says. "It was basically a huge collective hunch."

Read the full article here.

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

Hey everyone, this is Kevin, welcome to the official HRAP Kenya Blog. We are at T-Minus five weeks until we leave for Kenya. I am very excited and so are the five wonderful students and Catherine. This blog will be the space where the students share their experience with the world. We look forward to keeping everyone posted on our adventures in Kenya and our adventures in human rights, youth empowerment, and civic engagement on a global scale. Please check back frequently for student posts on their pre-departure preparation, their time in Kenya, and the work they conduct upon their return. HRAP International all day!!!

Posted by Kevin GK Staff at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Global Kids projects were the focus of two poster sessions at this weeks GLS, one about the D.I.D.I. initiative and Selen Turkay's awesome study about our Science Through Second Life class at our high school.

We think they were the best posters in the session, but perhaps we're biased. :-)

Images below - enjoy!

Posted by joyce at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our good friend Susan Tenby, Online Community Director of Tech Soup, who also runs the Non-profit Commons in Second Life, has a great article published in the Huffington Post on using virtual worlds such as Second Life to help connect, engage and educate between real world events and virtual spaces.

In her article, she also mentions Global Kids work as a great examples of this.

Large foundations are beginning to take notice and leaders like the MacArthur Foundation are not only providing grants to nonprofits to help grow their virtual presence, they are holding events on their own island. Other nonprofit communities like Global Kids teach digital media skills to young people and have successful funded programs in Second Life. More nonprofits are seeing virtual worlds, like Second Life, as one of a handful of social media tools that are essential in their Web and outreach strategies.

Thanks for the mention Susan! You can check out the full article here.

Posted by joyce at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's June 2009, and that means the program I've managed for three years is slowly coming to a close. I feel like I made this year a very special year for myself, and for the students, because it very well might be our last year running the Virtual Video Project. My heart is filled with laughter, vivid memories, and sorrow when I say that. I wanted everything this year to be done better, and right. Better than the two years before, and stronger than ever. I got to take the students on more trips and engage in more social outings than before, I pushed for a better story and for a stronger message that they wanted to share via their final film, and I demanded more from my co-facilitator, Shawna, who not only has to put up with my aggressiveness, but also keep me smiling. I think the life of the program ultimately lies in the level of commitment and dedication from both sides of the table. The students must explore the issues, albeit sensitive to some, and demonstrate full ownership and support for each other as a team. The facilitators must maintain an unambiguous sense of balance and high energy to carry the team. At the end of the day, I want the students to walk away knowing fully what they have learned each week with us, and be able to take away valuable lessons they can apply to their everyday life.

I've seen friendship among students that I never thought would find common ground, I've shared the same frustration when things are not going our way, and I equally rejoice, on every measure of success, when students rise up to the challenge and go beyond our expectations.

A few weeks ago, I led a small group of students after our session to see a baseball game at the Met's new stadium. All but one of the teens had never been to a baseball game. One student's family has lived her whole life near the old, and now new stadium, and the closest she's ever been is a neck-stretch view from her daily subway ride. I was moved to tears, when she shared with me about the opportunities she's been exposed to ever since she joined Global Kids, how much Global Kids has changed her life. I will never forget this, because I learned two things from our chat: one, I really have no idea what this student's life is like outside of Global Kids, and two, I am making a difference, not just sometimes, so I should not tell myself anymore that I'm not.

Talk to you next month!

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

Post-processing my experience being a "mentor" at the BAVC Producers Institute in San Francisco last week, I've been realizing some of the unique aspects of my own personal journey and how that has shaped me into the odd amalgamation of activist / technologist / educator/ dancer/ Quaker etc. This past week has helped me to appreciate my own unique perspective in a way that I never have before.

What I now see is that while I have fairly thin expertise in any given field, I have a broad enough understanding of very disparate subjects that I am able to see links between them in ways that are less obvious to others. And I'm fairly articulate at communicating those linkages.  As my lifecoach says, I'm a "Connector."

To briefly recap, the BAVC Producers Institute is one of these cool multi-disciplinary events that brings together people from different fields, let's them discuss how their areas intersect, and come up with concrete ways of mashing up these different approaches to create something new and innovative.  Several of the Producers Institute participants remarked about how valuable my input was into their own projects, even people I have fairly brief interactions with.  I found this surprising given the significant expertise of the other participants that I found so impressive. What did I bring to the table that could compare with a veteran documentarian, an award winning machinimatographer, or a renowned game designer?

What I realized was that my input was valuable not because of the depth of my knowledge in a given subject, but the range of knowledge I had across fields, my ability to see the linkages between them, and apply that to a particular project in a useful way.  I.e. I can connect how human rights activists work in the field with how viral media propogates, how educators work with young people, and how citizens pressure their representatives to effect public policy.  And I can see how all of that might be relevant for a specific project to develop a website on sustainable agriculture.

In effect, my whole life has prepared me for this.

For most of my career, I have lamented the fact that I somehow lack the discipline to develop deep expertise in the field I am working in, whether that is international law, web development, or telecom policy.  My mind constantly spins, craves exposure to a whole lot of diverse inputs.  My body wants to be in several places at once.  I'm a wanderer.

What this has meant is that I have had a very strange mix of jobs and experiences over the years.  Just a few of the weirder ones:

• Head of NGO communications at the International Criminal Court treaty conference
• 911 police dispatcher in LA
• Co-organizer of the first major anti-war protest in Second Life
• Host of the longest running podcast on lindy hop and swing dance
• Manager of a $100K grants program for media scholars and activists
• Membership director for a 50-year old peace organization
• Database programmer for a refugee asylum center in El Paso
• Producer for an award-winning machinima team

Individually, none of these stand out as major accomplishments.  But cumulatively, they have molded me into someone with a somewhat ridiculous range of influences and perspectives on the world.  In my 40 years on this planet, I've done a lot of stuff, seen a lot of things.  And I think a lot about how those various areas speak to each other.  

All this together makes me someone who is useful to have at the table when you need to be connecting a wide range of fields all at once.

Posted by Rik at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Chronicle of Philanthropy's podcast series latest episode spotlights Philanthropy in Virtual Worlds and features a discussion between host Allison Fine and MacArthur Foundation's Connie Yowell and our own Barry Joseph.

Episode 7: Philanthropy in Virtual Worlds

Connie Yowell, director of education at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Barry Joseph, director of the online leadership program for Global Kids, discuss how nonprofit groups are working in virtual spaces like Second Life. Allison Fine, the host, also offers ideas on how virtual worlds can help organizations raise money and promote their causes. (Running time: 12:36)

Check out the episode on their site, listen to it below or download it.

Posted by joyce at 5:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the past two summers, I've worked with Global Kids and various approved adults to bring the Relay for Life Second Life to the teen grid. We've been pretty successful in the past, but I'm bringing it back to Global Kids Island this year and it's better then ever.

With very much help from Fayandria Foley on the Main Grid through email and IM; and Nuala Maracas (also known as Nuala Maven on the Teen Grid) we're taking the grid by storm. It's only been about two weeks and we've already raised over L$45,000 (that's about $160 USD). The teens have totally blown our mind and done way more than we could have ever imagined.

On June 1st, the main grid Relay had an event to "Paint SL Purple". Even though it was a Monday and many of the teens were in the middle of finals, we decided to hold an event on Global Kids. We had a party and a wonderful purple-filled turnout! With my somewhat new found estate manager powers on the islands, I was able to take some terrain textures and make them purple and I turned the entire island Purple. I must say, it looked very rad.

Posted by Lucky - SL Intern at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RezEd Podcast Episode 34 - Raph Koster, Founder and President of Metaplace and an In Dialogue Session with Quest Atlantis Practitioners

The thirty-fourth RezEd monthly podcast, produced by MediaSnackers with Global Kids.

Featuring Raph Koster, founder and president of Metaplace plus an 'In Dialogue' session with Donna Stevens, Director of Implementation, for Quest Atlantis at Indiana University and Steven Caldwell, Coordinator of Online Learning, MLC school, Sydney.

Show Notes:

• 0.00—0.24 intro


• 0.25—1.58 RezEd news with Amira and Krista at Global Kids (any news or events can be submitted here)


• 1.59—2.10 intros with Raph Koster


• 2.11—3.20 background to Metaplace


• 3.21—4.18 differentiators


• 4.19—5.16 examples of use


• 5.17—7.00 educational use(s)


• 7.01—7.44 future


• 7.45—7.51 thanks/outro


• In Dialogue:


• 7.52—9.17 intros from Rik with Donna Stephens and Steven Caldwell


• 9.18—11.15 background to Quest Atlantis (DS)


• 11.16—14.02 advantages of using this as an educational tool (DS & SC)


• 14.03—15.59 reflective practices and its impact (DS)


• 16.00—18.02 narrative concepts and values (SC)


• 18.03—19.33 positioning of assistance and role of the teacher (DS)


• 19.34—22.29 advice for educators (SC & DS)


• 22.30—22.48 thanks / outro


• 22.49—24.30 Amira and Krista detailing the upcoming events for the RezEd community (any news or events can be submitted here)


• 24.31—24.38 outro

Download the episode here.

Subscribe Now!

Subscribe to RezEd.org Podcast Series

To subscribe directly through iTunes:

Add to iTunes

Posted by joyce at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've finally finished filming and editing the film! It took us several months to make it, but we're officially done! I think we've done a good job. The film is loaded with facts and research. We'll be screening it officially next month, and I can't wait to show the world our hard work! :D

Posted by VVP Megan at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow... who knew that the word I used in a brainstorm would turn out to be the title of our whole video project! I'm really excited to get some publicity and I'm really proud of all the work we all got done.

WarriorGal

Posted by vvp JessyJo at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

hi ^_^
Guess what!!! We're done with the movie; after all of the hard work we have done we finally finished. Everything is put together and looks great, we have music in some scenes which put those scenes together very nicely. The music being used is very catchy and the story is easy to follow, which makes me think that people are going to like the movie. OUR HARD WORK IS FINALLY GONNA BE SEEN!!! =]

Posted by Linette B. at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I liked the movie a lot...I hope this movie can go on the BIG screen.I want the food to be amazing too. I feel like we can reach a lot of people with our movie.

Posted by VVP Chris H. at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Up to now we have been furiously working on the finishing touches on the video, reviewing it every session, we are making our way to the perfection we seek. Getting ever closer to the premiere of the movie at the Sony Center. I am very excited to see the showing, and I cannot wait to see how the audience will react to it.

Posted by VVP Yuzo at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can't believe how far we've gotten. All this time we've spent on this movie. I just can't wait to show the world. I really hope it puts a strong message on sex trafficking. I'm really glad to have entered the program and for all of these times are great =]. I can't wait to see the expressions on everyone's face.

Posted by VVP Evin at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finishing the movie was a great experience. It has been even better than before and believe the movie will be the best one yet. Every time coming to GK has been great and meeting people from different schools, working together for the finale result has proven that teens can work together with technology without getting distracted by things like music, videos and games.

Posted by VVP Christopher at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I want the movie at Sony to be real fun. I want for my friends to enjoy it and have a good time. I'm looking forward to the next movie and I want the whole world to see the movie.

Posted by VVP Luis at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we watched the movie again :) The edits made the movie look more wonderful. Next Thursday we don't have school but I have to come to the office to go to a rally. Racing rally? I cant run to save myself XD I hope it's some contest instead... like a drawing contest! *_*
july 1st is the day when the movie is being shown in the cinemas. :) Very exciting.

Posted by VVP Helen at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So VVP is done with the movie. We still need to edit some minor things but for the most part we're done!! The screening will be July 1st. I think the movie overall is pretty great. I think the experience was great. I can't believe it's June 2. I wish I could do another movie with VVP next year!

Posted by VVP Kimberly at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

YAY! We're finally done with the movie.
I'm pleased that even though we rushed, the message of the movie was not disrupted.
I was kind of worried that in a large group, we might not get as much done, but I was wrong.
I really think that this movie, while it is not too serious, document-like, it still sends a clear message to the viewers.
Hopefully, in the next four sessions that we have left (T.T), the footage will become clearer.
So all of you should watch our movie, "Discovered". It's about child-sex trafficking victim, Thalia, and her journey and unfortunate experience in the child-sex trafficking industry that is worldwide.

Posted by VVP Christine at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The April/May staff reflections are now up!

A quick overview of what OLP thought about for these past two months: Rafi raves about his past conference experience and discovers a new course on creative, thought-provoking technology at NYU, Barry walks through his tweets and discusses six trends around education and virtual worlds, Rik talks about his experience in Chicago at the HASTAC meeting and looks at ways of conversing with non-techie audiences about digital media as a learning tool, Amira discusses the divide within learning and non-learning institutions using digital media, Krista looks at the uses of machinima and Tabitha reflects on her time with the Virtual Video Project.

Read the reflections below for a more in-depth description:

• In “Learning in a Participatory Culture”, Rafi reflects on the conference that culminated the yearlong partnership that Global Kids has had with MIT's Project New Media Literacies. (Bonus: Get to see his presentation too!)
• Barry creates a digital comic in “My Life on Twitter”, to demonstrate how he used Twitter at work during April.
• In “HASTAC Digital Media & Learning Showcase: a laptop orchestra, OLPCs in Chiapas, vloggers in Mumbai, and more”, Rik talks about his inspiring second time participating in the HASTAC digital media showcase, which featured amazing educational projects from around the world.
• Amira reviews the role of learning using digital media within non-institutions in “Important Conversations on Digital Media and Non-Institutional Learning Spaces.”
• In “Machinimania,” Krista reflects on how differently people view the uses of machinima, whether for educational or entertainment purposes.
• Tabitha shares a brief reflection on the Virtual Video Project program coming to an end, in "Towards the End for this Year's VVP."
• Rafi documents NYU's Interactive Telecommunication Program's Fall Show in his “Growing innovation, from the playful to the serious, at NYU's ITP”.
• In “Helping "digital immigrants" see Web 2.0 as an asset for youth,” Rik considers the challenges of talking about digital media and virtual worlds to a non-techie audience.
• Barry reflects on six trends in virtual worlds around learning and philanthropy in his “Virtual Worlds: Emerging Trends for 2009”.

Posted by Krista at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"There are many different ways to use machinima as learning and entertainment tools".

This is something my friend said to me the other day when I started to tell him about a program OLP runs, the Virtual Video Project [VVP]. Over the last few months, I have been helping out with VVP, helping with the editing process of the child sex trafficking machinima they are currently working on. Since this, though I myself have not delved deeper into how machinima can be used educationally than I already have learned here at GK, I have found many people have a lot to say about it over some hamburgers. Apparently, pro sports channels use machinima to show replays of various goals, baskets, et cetera, made that are considered "spectacular", which my friend vehemently stressed, helps other athletes learn different techniques.

As I keep going back to in my staff reflections, it is interesting to me seeing how people view technology that I [again, pre-GK] did not know existed, in this case machinima - some see it as educational, others as solely entertainment and still others as both. I have found that those that see machinima as solely entertainment, have not actually heard of it being used as described above, by pro sports teams, or creating films about serious issues as VVP does, or even as recreating a walk-through of a Roman civilization to give context to a history course. This could be due to those who use it for entertainment do not actually see it as being also educational, or perhaps they find one "game" and stick with it. Either way, machinima is a neat invention, that I currently am enjoying taking part in, and definitely see the benefits for using it educationally, as well as entertainment-wise.

Posted by Krista at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the last couple months, Rik and I have had the opportunity to present our work in the context of different informal learning programs and populations. First in showcasing RezEd.org, at the HASTAC Digital Media and Learning Competition in April in Chicago and then at the HUD Neighborhood Networks Technical Assistance Workshop in Dallas, Texas.

A few themes resonated as we presented our work and met with others who were in very similar ways, or at times, very differently considering the same challenges and opportunities that we consider in our work at GK.

First, while it is becoming increasingly apparent to people involved in fields of digital media and learning that education is an institutionally-based term and learning is something that happens anywhere and everyone, the majority of many technology centers across the country are still encountering digital media as almost an obstacle or distraction to the more pressing skills, like learning Microsoft Office. Not that knowing how to navigate Microsoft Office isn’t an important skill to have, it very much is, but there was a big part of the picture that was missing. Important conversations about why tech centers and schools were blocking YouTube and gaming sites became some of the more powerful moments in the conferences.

The reality of our society of learners today is that school or after-school programs are just one of the many, many spaces that young people learn in a vast network. We must understand the entire network that young people are a part of in order to really reach them. And yet the majority of society doesn’t see the type of dramatic growth and impact that many non-institutional learning spaces allow for. How do we demonstrate that impact? Participatory learning, the ability to establish collaborative knowledge, is an extraordinary phenomenon that is becoming more prevalent in the 21st century. We must ask what we want the 21st century to look like, and what role our institutions play in forging that vision.

Global Kids’ OLP is across the map at conferences these coming months. I look forward to the opportunities to continue to connect with people and think about ways that meaningful programming and capacity-building can serve the public.

Posted by Amira at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)