Global Kids' Digital Media Initiative

Well, we made it to week four!
Congrats Campers!

Today started out nice and relaxed (I wore pajamas!) We were introduced to the topic for the week, 'Child Labor'. This will be our topic for the Action Project that is taking place this week. Over the weekend we all recieved an email asking us to brainstorm for this topic, and we went over all our thoughts and ideas for the project. We started to come up with ideas on how to raise donations for children who need it.

After a whole bunch of ideas, Zach said we could look at images of other activists in SL. We saw some pictures on the whiteboard of other causes in RL that were brought into SL. We talked about the causes and effects for awhile and then moved onto our next activity. We were then split into groups and given our own topic.

We did a bit of research on that topic, and answered questions about it. Every group presented their topic in detail, and we then chose one main topic for the week. The winning topic turned out to be "Child Slavery in the Sex Industry."

-Thanks for three great weeks!
-Lucky Figs

Posted by Lucky - SL Intern at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This looks like my last post for Camp GK, as I’m going on holiday on very short notice. I’d like to say thanks to all the campers for working with me and making our camp a great one, especially Ryan M. Also, thanks to all of the Gkids, Lori, Rafi, Zach, Barry (you came and said hello :)) and the remote intern Mercury. My PSP is fully charged with wireless capabilities so if I’m lucky I may find an access point and be able to say hi! Can’t wait to see what you do with the action project, and I’ll see you all In world in a weeks time!

-Tecno

Posted by Tecno at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Picked up on this from a link right from the main Second Life homepage's listing of SL press articles. Yahoo's Finance section of their website has posted a Global Kids press release about the GK camp going on in Second Life.

To view the article, click here.

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

- Discussion on obligation

- Using the audio stream to listen to "the best guest speaker ever!!!" Gitta :)

- Darfur fact sheets

Posted by Tecno at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we presented the campers with the following question:
What does YOUTH ACTIVISM mean to you?
And, Ryan Dayton gave a great definition of what youth activism means to him:

Ryan Dayton: "Taking action for something you believe in with the desire to achive a goal. Getting togeather with other teens to work on your cause."

Posted by Mercury at 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In one of today's activities, we presented a couple scenarios and asked the campers which they thought was more moral and why. Here are the scenarios along with some of their responses:

Scenario 1:
In your mailbox, there’s something from UNICEF. After reading it through, you correctly believe that, unless you soon send in a check for $100, then, instead of each living many more years, over thirty more children will die soon. But, you throw the material in your trash basket, including the convenient return envelope provided. You send nothing, and, instead of living many years, over thirty more children soon die than would have had you sent in the requested $100.

Scenario 2:
Not truly rich, your one luxury in life is a vintage Mercedes sedan that, with much time, attention, and money, you’ve restored to mint condition. In particular, you’re pleased by the car’s fine leather seating.

One day, you stop at the intersection of two small country roads, both lightly traveled. Hearing a voice screaming for help, you get out and see a man who’s wounded and covered with a lot of his blood. Assuring you that his wound’s confined to one of his legs, the man also informs you that he was a medical student for two full years. And, despite his expulsion for cheating on his second year final exams, which explains his indigent status since, he’s knowledgeably tied his shirt near the wound to stop the flow of blood.

Because of the tourniquet, there’s no urgent danger of him losing his life, you’re informed, but there’s great danger of him losing the limb. This can be prevented, however, if you drive him to a rural hospital fifty miles away. “How did this wound occur?” you ask. He admits that, as an avid bird-watcher, he trespassed on a nearby field and, in carelessly leaving, cut himself on rusty barbed wire.

Now, if you’re to aid this trespasser, you must lay him across your fine back seat. But, then, your fine leather upholstery will be soaked through with blood, and restoring the car will cost over five thousand dollars. So, you drive away. Picked up the next day by another driver, he survives but loses the wounded leg.

Below are some of the camper's responses to the scenario's and thoughts they had on in which situation people acted more 'morally'. Thoughtful stuff!

Tin Bling: "I think number two was alot more self centered. Where one, more people than just you are going to donate"

Brooke Barmy: "It makes it look like the more moral one is the first partially because you are spending 100$ to save 30 innocent children, where as on number 2 you spend 5,000$ to save a cheater that broke the law"

Ryan Mauriac: "The Envelope has more people involved and they will die and the sedan, the guys a criminal so why would u want to pick him up anyways."

Posted by Mercury at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...even if they're virtual.

Since the inception of Camp Global Kids, our island has shifted. It has been added onto, tweaked, deleted, re-colored and re-visioned as the Camp has demanded different things of the space.

At the start, new structures were small, and not noticable. That was even the point of some of them. Below is a meeting space high in the sky that Mercury, our remote intern, built for the purposes of private meetings and peace and quiet.

At the start of camp, we thought it would be nice to establish a couple of meeting areas. We usually start each camp day in this stylish hut/yurt/gazebo. It was designed by one of our wonderful campers, Brooke, who would go on to make many more things for the island...

For our end of the day closings, Ryan D made us this campfire, marshmallows and all!

But as we went on, it became evident that certain activities would call for different structures. There was the Dance Party of the Oppressed, which Brooke made a sky club for.

For our 'Race to the Bottom' activity Ryan D and Brooke made this fantastic factory. Broken glass, conveyor belt and dilapidated exterior were all included!

Spunky provided the 'corporate' style suits for that activity as well.

And these are just a couple of examples of things that the teens built or brought to the table. There were bunches of others, and will no doubt be more as camp goes on.

But what's the point? Why all these structures? Why the clothes? The glasses? The conveyor belt? Is any of it really necessary?

The short answer is of course. Certain things were simply pragmatic. We needed a place to sit. We needed a place to talk. Certain 'functions' were necessary. That's the short answer.

The long answer is that these structures and accessories are far more than 'pragmatic', but equally important. In Global Kids' work outside of SL, we always need a place to sit, to talk, etc... And we make do with classrooms and desks. But in Second Life, why settle? If I need a place hold a workshop, why can't it be in a factory? Especially if the workshop involves capitalists building factories in developing countries. And why shouldn't the 'capitalists' wear suits, and kick their feet up on corporate tables?

All of this helps to set the stage, add a bit more flavor, engage a youth who might otherwise tune out. More important, it creates an immersive environment, changes thought processes and alters the way a learner relates to a space, a situation or a person.

Aside from this though, is an even more important aspect to these structures and props. The above would certainly hold true if it was me, or another GK staff, or a team we contracted out that created these things. But it's not. It's our campers.

At the start of camp we expressed that we needed a place to meet, and left it at that. After that, Brooke asked himself: 'What kind of place do I want to meet in?' And then he built. I asked Spunky if she might have a corporate style suit, and then she went off on her own, used the resources she had, and contributed something to an activity she would ultimately participate in herself.

I say that these structures have power, mostly, because they are symbols of youth who are engaged in the world. They've become involved, and not only partcipate in something we hand to them, but create integral parts of the activities they later experience.

These structures may be virtual, but have no doubt in your mind: they're really powerful.

Posted by Rafi Santo at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

The last day of the weeks activities were put to a hold when Global Kids island, for the first time since the "hippo" incident, crashed. We we're all having a discussion at the time, then the "top right hand corner pop up" appears, saying the island was restarting and we had 45 seconds to leave the island. Lori got a little worried and told everyone to keep calm, then we all got forced to log off. Once we logged on again, everyone was sent to the TG mainland as the island wasn't yet open.

When I say everyone, this includes the GKids. Rafi had been teleported to a snowsim, Ranier, and was trying to navigate through the map to find the Global Kids island to teleport back to. Making no contact with any teens, he made it back to the island and all was well, but it shows that LL need to be more careful with how they set up features on Second Life. Lori advised us to take some snapshots for our week projects while we waited for the day’s activities to start up again.

Posted by Tecno at 3:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

For those that haven't seen these snapshots I've taken recently of Camp GK, here they are below! Also I'd like to apologize for not posting on the blog lately, it's been a cross between being tired, busy and lazy. More active posting from me next week :)

- Picture of our bids for an activity using crates

- The same as the top but with no crates :p

- Camp GKs very own human barometer in action!

- The good old GK hut where most of the days activitys are started

- It's so hot at the moment even the virtual ice-cream is melting!

Ok, so everyone else can see the board but I can't! :/

Lori, Mercury and Lucky siting in the executive chairs.

- We organize so well!

Zach, Mercury and Rafi in there business suits

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

Today we asked the campers a question to better understand their understanding of war. Here is the question followed by a few of the camper responses:

Question: When you make war in RL, how is it different from games or SL?

Nate Kongo: "War in RL affects most of the world because it's like a chain reaction, eg. Isreal is in war and the US is getting it's citizens out of the country. In a game, it's pretend, and only people in the game are actually playing it. You dont get killed."

Itokuzu Shimada: "War in RL effects everyone. Because at any moment a loved one could die for the war. In SL , it's just a game. You get up and go back and do it again."

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

Today we had the campers share their views and debate a couple hypothetical statements. Here are the statements, along with the campers' responses.

Statement 1: Protection of human rights justifies the use of military force.

Brooke Barmy: "If it comes to that where we have to hurt another country to protect our human rights, I think it is fair that we do use miltary force. Just so our people do not get hurt and we are not abused."

Tecno Tiger: "I agree with Brooke, human rights are for everyone, if there not given then people will have to use force to get human rights/ protect them, if everything else fails."

Itokuzu Shimada: "If something like genocide is occuring, if necessary, we should use military force."

Malarthi Behemoth: "Nothing justifies military force, right to peace is a human right, therefore you cannot violate a right to protect it. If you have to use force because there's no other option, use enough force to make sure the situation never occurs again."

Keleus Ferguson: "Not all human rights movements have to be with war force sometimes they can be solved by discussions and protest."

This was the next statement debated:

Statement 2: Military intervention is necessary to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Itokuzu Shimada: "To a point. We don't need to run in and kill everything in sight to stop WMD. But using the military can possibly scare them into not using the weapons and turning them over. (kinda confused)"

Spunky Pinkdot: "I think the military has to step in because no matter what the laws are, people always seem to do what they want and think they can get away with it. Like making and distributing weapons of mass destruction."

Ryan Dayton: "Assuming that war is the last resort, as it always is... I think that if you come to that point, war IS needed to stop the recreation/spread of WMDs. Of course we will investigate the case before we start sending in troops. In the time we take using the method of waiting, waiting, for proof, alot could have happened. So as you wait for proof of something, that proof could have already been moved to another country."

Brooke Barmy: "In the time we are waiting to find out the truth, the country with the WMD could be on the way to bomb another country. You can't just sit back and wait, you have to do something. I think it is necessary for us to have a war to stop a country from creating WMD's. We can't just ask a country to stop and then trust them, we must KNOW that they have gotten rid of them and that we are serious. Like Ryan said, you have to know, and assuming that they aren't just playing around, then if they said they have them, then they have them and we should do something about it before they get out of hand and bomb someone."

Malarthi Behemoth: "Ok so... What happens if we let people start using WMDs. It's a self defeating process. Plus... It gets pretty boring when only people who think the same as you are around."

Josan Akebono: "Yes, we have to stop WMD but it just can't be the Untied States, it has to be all the other countries that step in to. United States is looked as "bad guy", when it comes to stopping countires. To just tell them to bomb each other is not the solution."

Posted by Mercury at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After 6 days worth of activities completed on camp Gk, and our first project builds being unveiled, it was time for the 7th day of camp. A few residents, including my self, turned up a little early and took a seat in the Camp GK hut while waiting for the rest of the Camp GK participants, for the days activities, to arrive. Barry got teleported into the hut and said hi to everyone, he had been away from GK for a while on leave. After saying hi, and suggesting we all post/comment on this blog more, he left again to see to his recently born son.

This was the first session that Zach GKid was able to turn up to, and took a seat with everyone else in the hut. He decided to introduce himself saying;
"Zach GKid: I'm really happy to finally be here. I've been following along watching over Rafi or Lori's shoulder, but of course I prefer being able to interact with everyone directly. I joined the GK team at the beginning of the camp application process and have been getting to know GKs and SL quickly in the last month. I've been studying theory about virtual worlds but there's nothing like actually being embodied in one. I look forward to getting to know you all a bit better."

Zach decided to get things started for the second day of week two's camp by going over the guidelines with the GK Campers. Zach told us that today's "workshop" would involve interconnectedness, being mainly economic, and got Rafi to lead us all to "the factory" that had recently been built by Brooke. It was divided into different sections where campers had to go, Ghana, Turkey, Mexico, Haiti and China.

Myself, Brooke and Spunky all went into the Haiti section, and were dropped a note-card with useful information about the country we were in. Then Rafi told us all that we were about to play a game. He, Mercury and Zach were looking for a country to build a factory, which supposedly would bring a lot of good things to the chosen country. We were told to earn points, we need to create a proposal, including;
- Child Labour Laws
- Environmental Regulations
- Conditions for Worker Organizing
- Minimum Wage Laws
- % rate of taxes company must pay to the country

Crates were placed around the factory and each had with floating text representing choices Campers could make. Most groups decided to use IM to prevent people copying what they were saying. Everyone then placed there bids with crates.

Guess who won the first round?! You got it! Spunky, Brooke and I. :) On to the second round and Rafi explained that this time, the company was giving us a chance to create a better deal for the factory builders. 5 minutes were given for us to plan our bids, then Rafi looked at Turkey to start with, commenting on them having to many regulations, and the same with China. Rafi then said that Haiti had good taxes, but not good enough with everything else. Mexico got a lot of praise from Rafi as they didn't really care about their country, offering to charge no taxes on the factory for using there country. After the game had finished, with Mexico winning, we discussed whether it was right for country leaders to ruin there country so that they had a factory making money there.

Rafi then started the next activity, with Mercury rezing the whiteboard, and showing us a presentation. We then went out side to the human barometer and were given this statement to decided whether we Agree, Disagree or are Not Sure. "Globalization can only produce positive results when it is regulated by governments." We then went onto a second statement, "Ultimately, the interaction between cultures that is made possible by the advances in technology that come along with Globalization will be good for the world."

Once we finished discussing this, it was time for the end of camp. Rafi thanked us for sharing our views, and explained they had a small surprise. On went the audio streams, and we soon discovered it was Brooke’s birthday and the Gkids were singing happy birthday to him in perfect harmony. (Well almost :p )

Posted by Tecno at 4:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is Mercury again, Global Kids' remote intern checking in after our first week.

The first week of Camp GK was a blast! It turned out even better than I had expected. I've been working diligently with Lori and Rafi at my side during the week to pull everything together, and what an amazing team we are! Coordinating activities, facilitating discussions, creating content, and making sure everything ran smoothly were some of my primary tasks this past week; all of which kept me on my toes.

Never have I had the chance to take part in a project this intricately planned out in Second Life. So, it has been really exciting to see how the teen campers react to the daily activities we dish out. One of the things that surprised me most was how focused and mature our campers have been throughout the activities and workshops. We've definitely chosen some of the best in TSL to participate, and it has been apparent that they are dedicated and committed to what they do in the program.

Everyone seems to get along just great, and working in groups has proven very effective. Honestly, I am a bit surprised by the level of teamwork and overall seriousness within the group. Most events on the teen grid often get griefed and aren't very serious at all. I believe that the closed environment of our private island along with the attentive participants have been beneficial ingredients to the success of our plans so far.

As of now, I feel all of our campers have grasped the most important aspects of the workshops and further developed a better understanding of prejudice and poverty, the two big issues we covered throughout the week. It has really been interesting to hear responses to brainstorms that we’ve had this week. I’ve gathered that many of our campers are pretty well informed about issues that are bigger than just ‘us’.

The most rewarding part of this week's experience has been listening to the campers reflect on the activities each day and what they've learned from them. It goes to show you that your hard work really does pay off! I've grown a lot this past week, and I've seen others around me grow as well; the campers, Lori, Rafi, and myself. I really can't wait to see what this coming week has to offer.

Until next time, Mercury out.

Posted by Mercury at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today started out great! It was much more relaxed. Everyone met around the island, and didn't need to be asked to meet in the clubhouse. We simply all met up there--talked to each other a bit and got started on the day. We went over the guidelines once again; Safe-Space, Participation, No Hippos (they crash the sim), and One Mic. Rafi and Lori had a bit of trouble with the new Global Kids T-Shirts. But after a few minutes we finally got them.

Every camper was then asked to move to a cool dance party; that Tin and Brooke set up for us. But there was a glitch! We had a bouncer, and only a few people could get in. We had to be creative to try and figure out a way to get into the party! After a bit of fun and dancing everyone met up in the club. We even had balloons!

Lori then asked us to stop dancing, and to come and see her for a minute or two. We went over and spoke about what happened during the activity for a few minutes. We went over why different people were turned down; and what it felt like. We were then asked what we think everyone in the world should have access to (in our opinions).

Lori expressed that she wanted us to come up with a defination for 'Human Rights'. So we had many, many opinions.

We then got time to work on our group projects--we were given about a half hour. The presentations came next. They were awesome! Group Three did a nice presentation on Genocide, and Darfur. Group three included Ryan Dayton, Kaira, Tecno, and Josan. Group two was up next, they had a great presentation on poverty. This group included; Nate, Tin, Spunky, and Ryan Mauriac. Up next was Team six! It contained Malarthi, Theo, TheCoolLeader, and Keleus. Their build focused on conflict; and involved two super-sized target dummies.

We wrapped up the week with a nice speach from Lori. I am personally enjoying the camp very much, and can't wait to see what the weeks to come bring. I would like to make a small note that I will be going on a vacation; and I will TRY to attend as much camp as I can while I am gone; however my posts may not cover the entire session. I will make a note if I have missed anything. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Figtree,
Ouuuuuttt

Posted by Lucky - SL Intern at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A short audio introduction by Rafi invited Lori to go over what had happened so far at Camp GK, and a quick re-cap on the guidelines. The main guideline Lori was looking for someone to mention was "One mic", as this was involved in the first activity.

The first question that was asked on day 4 of Camp GK was along the lines of what is needed for you to be here today in Second Life. Most people talked about the technology that was needed, rather than social aspects. So instead Lori asked, who isn't in Second Life? After talking on this for a while, Lori decided to wrap it up, making sure she answered my question before we finished the activity, which I appreciated :).

Rafi then instructed us to go to the "platform in the sky", something that many GK campers had never noticed before, with some saying "I didn't know this was here?!" as soon as we arrived. Lori kindly took the time to teleport me there as I was having technical difficulties. The platform was cool, made by Mercury, surrounded with 6 different continents from around the world. See a snapshot below.

Then some blocks were rezzed on the platform. We started with 60 blocks, each representing 100 million people. Our goal was to get the correct amount of blocks to match the population of each of the 6 main continents from around the world. Once we had guessed, Mercury placed out the actual blocks, and Rafi let us know it was time for the hard part: we needed to do the same thing using blocks, but this time for wealth instead of population. We realized we all have different perspectives on things like wealth and population in the world, with some peoples perspectives more accurate then others. The board completed with polls is below.

Back to the audio stream, Rafi tried to impress us with his singing skills, taking requests like 'YMCA" to sing while he tested out the audio stream. Rafi then wrapped up, saying that our estimates were quite close on the whole, but we did worst on wealth. Rafi then told us that in our next activity we would be examining a section of the world as an example of wealth and population. Rafi then turned the audio stream off to begin the next activity of the day, which involved a game created by a team of kids including Theodore, an intern at GK and one of the campers. See a screenshot below.

After discussing the great game for a while, we were brought to the Camp GK fire for Rafi and Lori to wrap up. Audio streams were back online for the end of camp. Ideas today were focused on economy on the earth, and what it's like trying to get an education in the face of poverty. Rafi explained the camp is just not about seeing global issues in the world, but being able to take action. Then ended another great day of camp. Tomorrows camp should involve the reveal of our week one project build, so I'd better get working! Look for more posts by me in the future :)

Also, keep an eye on http://www.sluniverse.com/pics/Default.aspx?Name=Tecno+Tiger during camp GK times as i'm now posting snapshots of whats going on in the camp as it happens :)

Posted by Tecno at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After being given the opportunity to beta test the 'Ayiti' game, our campers reflected on the different hardships faced throughout game play. Here are some of their thoughts:

Ryan Dayton: "I thought it was kinda sad and they didnt have much to live for. Same thing over a few years."

Brooke Barmy: "Its hard because they have a hard decision of whether or not to send their children to work to make money or send them to school to be educated."

Spunky Pinkdot: "It's hard to find good jobs so its even harder to make money for them to afford schooling."

Malarthi Behemoth: "There was a definable idea that we were looking to explore more. And the game really hammered in the need for change."

Posted by Mercury at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's Camp was a discussion using Skype since Second Life was down for an update. 8 out of the 16 campers turned up for this optional meeting, most with our microphones. Mercury, Lori, Rafi and Zach where all there as well, mainly talking to us about the upcoming projects. Once Second Life came back online, I decided to set out to IM Tin Bling andTheCoolLeader Boyer to ask them some questions about Camp GK.
------

Tecno Tiger: So, camp GK has had two days worth of activities, from what you've experienced so far, what sticks out in your memory? What can you remember doing, or saying?
TheCoolLeader Boyer: hmm
TheCoolLeader Boyer: The snapshot game was fun
Tecno Tiger: If you where to of lead the frozen snapshot activity, is there anything you would of done differently?
TheCoolLeader Boyer: I might have given more time for the second part
Tecno Tiger: How do you feel about the audio stream that was used a little on the first day and the second?
TheCoolLeader Boyer: it was good just needs some work so everyone can hear
Tecno Tiger: The activities we've had so far have been great, do you think the GKids will be able to come up with even greater activities during the rest of the camp?
TheCoolLeader Boyer: yes
Tecno Tiger: If Rafi or Lori IMed you asking for suggestions for activities, what would you suggest?
TheCoolLeader Boyer: A global issues themed scavenger hunt around all of SL
Tecno Tiger: Well thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, lastly, which's your favorite Gkid? (Including Merc)
TheCoolLeader Boyer: dunno I like them all

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Tecno Tiger: So, camp GK has had two days worth of activities, from what you've experienced so far, what sticks out in your memory? What can you remember doing, or saying?
Tin Bling: The frozen snapshot if the first thing that comes to mind. This is because it was interactive, and fun, kinda like "Hands On".
Tecno Tiger: If you where to of lead the frozen snapshot activity, is there anything you would of done differently?
Tin Bling: Not really, I think it went really well. Possibly just a few more minutes to complete it.
Tecno Tiger: How do you feel about the audio stream that was used a little on the first day and the second?
Tin Bling: I personally loved it. Keeps thing moving, and easier to understand.
Tecno Tiger: The activities we've had so far have been great, do you think the GKids will be able to come up with even greater activities during the rest of the camp?
Tin Bling: I'm sure they can come up with even greater ideas with the teens helping/suggesting.
Tecno Tiger: If Rafi or Lori IMed you asking for suggestions for activities, what would you suggest?
Tin Bling: hmm.. Difficult to say right now, but over the next few weeks, I'm sure some ideas should come to mind.
Tin Bling: I think the things contributed to them by Brooke, Ryan, and the others are great.
Tecno Tiger: And what about the way the GKid staff conduct the activities and camp, any constructive criticism or anything you’d like to praise?
Tin Bling: I think it all went very smoothly
Tecno Tiger: Well thanks for taking the time to answer some questions, lastly, which's your favorite Gkid? (Including Merc)
Tin Bling: Umm, Lori at this time, she always seems to have a very positive attitude, and likes jokes hehe :P
Tecno Tiger: Great! I look forward to seeing you at the next day of Camp :)
Tin Bling: You too, I'm sad that I had to miss the skypecast :(
Tecno Tiger: I'm sure there will be another in the future :)
Tin Bling: Yay

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Notice how both said that the frozen snapshot game was the thing that stuck in there mind the most? Maybe this is something to think on GKids? Expect to see more interviews in the future!

Posted by Tecno at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today started off great! Everyone was able to hear the stream; we even got Rafi to sing...(He really needs to stick to his day job). Rafi went over what Global Kids does in New York, with the schools around the city. We had a question session; and a few of the campers had questions. We were then introduced to the new campers. A few minutes later we got in a circle and were asked 'What has made you realize that the world is much bigger then you' . Or something along those lines.

An hour into the day everyone moved over to the whiteboard. We brainstormed what a 'community' could mean. Then we were asked the same question, but what could a 'global community' mean. Everyone had great answers! We took a short break- and we got to hear Lori speak on the stream!

After that, we were all divided into groups and given a 'word'. We could not share this word with any of the other groups and we had to think of something that relates to that word. Then we had to use our word to pose in a way that related to the word we were given. (Picture of Brooke, Winston, and my mission below). After all the pictures were taken we gatherd back around the whiteboard and were shown each groups picture.

We had to try and guess what each groups secret word was just from the picture, it was pretty difficult. At the end, the game was tied 1-1-1. It was a very interesting activity, and I enjoyed it alot! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings =)

Until then,
-Lucky Figtree

Posted by Lucky - SL Intern at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Newsweek Magazine ran an online exclusive declaring that "activist games are starting to get some big-time attention" and they cite Global Kids' game on Haiti as being a prime example.

To read the full article, click here.

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

Technology consultant, Clark Boyd, reporting for Public Radio International's The World radio show, a co-production of BBC, PRI, and WGBH, covered the recent Games for Change conference in New York City.

Within his coverage, he spotlights the Playing 4 Keeps game:

"It was a really interesting exposition of some different games that are out there, some of these serious games, and they range from a group of school kids in New York City who went about creating a game that lets you play a Haitian family, living in Haiti, and trying to not fall into poverty...they also try to keep the games open ended enough that different outcomes can result"

Listen to the full broadcast here.

Posted by joyce at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today we asked the campers this question;
'What's one experience that made you realize that the world is a lot bigger than you?'
And these are some of their very insightful responses:

Lucky Figtree: "My father is a pilot, and he travels around the world; to many different countries. He shows me pictures of everywhere he visits; and every place is always so different. Some of the pictures I have seen have been very sad, while others are colorful and cheery. Seeing all the pictures of different countries and cultures shows me how big the world is."

Itokuzu Shimada: "I was in fourth grade when 9-11 happened, and for me too, it made me realize that horrible things happen, and that there are bad people in the world. I can't remember anything clearly from when I was little except for 9-11."

Spunky Pinkdot: "I suppose I realized the world was bigger than me when I was really young and watched tv all the time. I would see all these different people and places that I had never seen before. Thats when I realized the world was bigger than me."

Malarthi Behemoth: "On 9-11-2001, I realized that there are people in the world who want to hurt others, it doesn't have to be me they're targeting for me to be affected."

Posted by Mercury at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's activities started with another attempt at the audio stream, with all group participants excited and ready for the second day of Camp. After talking to Lori and Rafi a few hours before we started, I heard that it was going to be a great session with some excellent activities. As is suspected, they where right.

Rafi started by saying how great yesterday's camp was, inside the same hut that we had visited the day before. He said he's never been more proud of a camp of online teens. Thanks Rafi! He goes on to say what GK is all about, explaining that most of there work is done in real life, and it's great that he can bring GK work from New York to teens all around the world. After taking a few questions, Rafi used a vocal command to move us onto the roof of the hut. After a quick shout out to Camp GK participants that were joining us for the first time, and a quick re-cap on the guidelines for those who missed them, it was time for the first activity of the day!

Mercury started the activity off by asking a question, "`What's one experience that made you realize the world was a lot bigger than you? ". People talked about what they had seen and heard on the most part about countries other than there own. I talked about satellite images on programs like Google Earth showing me how large the world is, and also how developed. Mercury listened to what everyone had to say, and replied with a few lines showing he understood what we where talking about.

Mercury then handed over to Rafi who directed us to the same spot we were yesterday where we brainstormed some global issues. Once again we were brainstorming, but this time we were talking about the word "Community". Mercury owns a cool whiteboard from the MG that he used to post our ideas for all of the Campers to see, below is a snapshot of the white board in action!

After a few views on community we went on to talk about Global communities. Another audio talk began with Rafi talking about differences there may be between a Community and a Global Community, some technical difficulties meant this activity had to be summed up in text on chat, but Rafi put it so well that it didn't matter that were not listening to his voice. "Many people believe that it's possible to have global community with the same values." We were then treated to a 5 minute break, and told that we weren't allowed any hippos this time.

Just before we returned from the break, Lori took the mic and said hello to everyone, the reaction was amazing! "I feel very loved" she said as every camper takes the time to say hello to her. Lori then took charge to host the third activity of the day. She reminded us of her SL wand that allowed her to say keywords that would rez certain objects to appear. Lori then asked what we would except to appear if she said "hunger". Spunky said, "nothing would fall from the sky as hunger is empty". Moving on, Lori informed us that each of us had been assigned a group to be in that would be given a word. Our groups word was wealth, we were team five which included Itokuzu Shimada, Tecno Tiger and Mercury Metropolitan. Our first mission was to take a snapshot of our word. What we didn't know is that our second mission was to use inventory objects to be in the snapshot, but it was to late, we submitted our first with inventory objects. Life goes on however, and we were quick to think round this problem. See our first then second submitted entries bellow!

Every camper returned back to the white boards. Lori told us to take off any scripted objects, and the fact that we where about to play a game. The game was to guess what each other groups words were. I wasn't able to participate too well as SL wasn't texturing the snapshots very well for me, but I still had fun watching others trying to guess what words the snapshots represented. Right clicking the picture meant I was able to load the last one just before the end of the camp as Lori asked for 'One mic' so she could 'wrap up' the activity. She asked us to use our light-bulbs to explain what it's like having to depict a word using an image. One teen said that it was hard to do at first, but was easier if they tried to be a bit more vague. One member from my group explained how our word was wealth and we used objects like convertible cars and dollar bills to show this, and ironically using money to take the snapshot for the 'mission'.

Ryan Dayton said "I've always liked to create scenes in SL. I've even found ways to do art in SL that i include in my homework for school. I like being able to describe things this way using SL tools."

Lori asked if it was easier to create the scenes for these snapshots using objects, more or less everyone agreed. We where then directed over to the camp fire, where we where told about our Week One Build Project. Lori explained how we all had a chance to get in on a project that would concluded on friday. Our task was to make a floating sculpture garden in teams. Mercury gave out a note-card to everyone who was there explaining what needed to be done.

The second day of Camp GK was great fun for me and everyone who participated! Alot of progress on the audio feed, more active use of the whiteboard and getting to know other camp members made today's camp a great one. It left me anticipating tomorrow's activities, making me think of what the GK staff can come up with next. Keep up the good work Rafi, Lori, Merc and anyone else behind the camp that has made it such a great place to be!

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

A crowded bonfire marks the end of the first day of activities at Camp GK. I've heard that Lucky has written a great article on todays events, so i'll go over it in a broad view. It started off with us listening to Rafi's distorted voice streaming into Second Life. Technical difficulties meant that people, including me, had trouble hearing what he was saying. Rafi flicked some switches for the first 5 - 10 minutes and then sounded crystal clear, unfortunately Lucky's computer was playing up, and the stream still wasn't 100% so we left it for another day. There was also someone who did not speak fluent English and had trouble understanding what was being said. We went into a hut following Rafi's vocal command just before he decided to turn the stream off, and there the GK staff went over some useful information whilst taking some questions. I asked if there where more people to come to the camp, and he said that there were several people missing and would be joining us for tomorrow's activities, and also answered another question from me saying that chat logs will be posted.

We then went onto the roof of the hut and established the guidelines in a fun and exciting way, the main ones are no PvPing, no junk objects everywhere and respecting other peoples opinions, all things that people need to abide with in RL anyway. They also asked everyone to write a few sentences about themselves (see Lucky's post). We moved to another section of the island to discuss some global issues that we believe in. The illegal invasion of Tibet, poverty, human trafficking and bird flu are just a few to mention. Lori decided we should play a game, every one was excited, she used her magic wand to rez a hippo, and guess what happened? Yes, Lori crashed the sim with a hippo :D.

We then gathered around the camp fire, ( see picture bellow), and all said a line or two about what we had learned. I went with "Don't touch the white board and control + alt + shift + h = hippos!." Make sure you check this blog everyday for more posts about GK and the goings on in the camp.

- The GK Camp participants around the fire at closing stages of first day.

Posted by Tecno at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today marked the official start of camp Global Kids. We had a few problems with the stream; seeing as a few people were not able to hear it (me included) and one of the campers was having trouble with her internet connection. However, Rafi did a very good job keeping everyone sane. It was a nice, and calm day of camp. Seeing how some of the other Global Kids activities have gone pretty haywire; it was very nice. We started off all sitting around in nice chairs while Rafi told us what was going to happen with the camp. Everyone was informed about a new contest; Designing a Camp GK T-Shirt! We have one week to submit our designs to either Lori or Rafi.

After about an hour of getting to know what we were supposed to do at camp we all moved up to the roof of the Global Kids Serious Play Zone. We were asked to stand in a circle; then state our name, age, location, and interests...Then play a 'common gesture'. However, to each person a common gesture meant something different which made it fun! (Check below for information on each camper!)

We then played a game where we were asked questions and got to answer them in different styles. There was popcorn style where everyone just blurted out their answers. We also recieved lightbulbs that lit up when you clicked them; which was a indication that you had an idea. We also got to see Lori and Rafi put on a play about peanut butter...Just Kidding! It was really a way to teach us that they use the guideline "respect others, and treat others the way you want to be treated" (Thanks Kaira!) However, it did include Lori and Rafi talking about peanut butter.

To end our first camp day; we spoke about how and why we should try and make a difference in the world. I was blown away by what some of the campers had to say--they really amazed me. We then got to use the whiteboard for a 'Global Kids Brainstorm'. Lori and Rafi asked us what concerned us in the world; and we all had many ideas. We used our lightbulbs and waited until we were called on; then we listed world problems that interested us. Everybody had so many ideas; I was really intrested in what everyone was saying.

At the very end all the campers gathered around the campfire; and Mercury gave us all marshmellows. Lori took the mic and gave us a nice review of the day. We were able to establish guidelines; that we hope everyone will follow. We also were able come up with many reasons of why we should care about whats going on in our world. We then said a bit about what we each learned today; I am so happy I got to get to know each of the campers a bit better. I have the feeling we will be working together alot, and I couldn't wish for a better group!

You can read on to meet all the campers!

Meet the Campers:

Rafi GKid: I'm Rafi. I'm 23 and live in NYC/ I love photography, music, and long walks on the beach.

Tin Bling: Im Tin Bling, I'm 16, Im from Wisconsin, I like hanging out with friends, and like long walks on the beach with Rafi :P

Mercury Metropolitan: I'm Mercury - I'm 16 from Ft. Lauderdale Florida, mostly into online gaming and currently a 'land baron' here on the TG. I'm also the remote Intern for Global Kids. :)

Lori GKid: I'm Lori, I live in New York City, and I work at Global Kids, and I have not mastered gestures yet.

Nate Kongo: Im Nate Kongo, Im 14, Im from Chicago. I Love the White Sox, Rock and Roll, and SL

Tecno Tiger: Hi, i'm Tecno Tiger from England and i'm a reporter for Holy Meatballs. I like to hang out with my friends and build in SL (I am 15)

Ryan Mauriac: I'm Ryan Mauriac, i'm 14, and i enjoy being around friends and most of all water xD

Lucky Figtree: My name is Lucky Figtree, I am fourteen years old and I live in New Jersey. I love Writing for Global Kids--I am a reporter for Holy Meatballs

Theodore GKid: my name is theodore gkid i am 16 yrs old and i love to dance and i am a intern at Global Kids.

Itokuzu Shimada: I'm Itokuzu, I'm 13, I Love Anime and Mangas, I plan to go to Culinary School, and I don't know how to do gestures :P Ohh, and I have thought I was a pirate since the age of 5! ^.^'

TheCoolLeader Boyer: I'm TheCoolLeader Boyer, I'm 13 I live in Canada and I like SL

Winston Tweak: Hi there! I'm Winston Tweak, I'm 14, I'm from Canada. I love to dance, play SL and do silly goofy things!

Kaira Vasilopita: Im kaira im 14 and ill be living in russia soon-- i like to twist my body around and draw, i speak russian too <3

Josan Akebono: Hi,Im Josan..Im 15.. I do lots of things

Spunky Pinkdot: Hi, I'm Spunky i'm 16 and I play this game a lot ! I like to draw too

Ryan Dayton: Hey, im Ryan. I'm 15 in RL and going into the 10th grade. I love music and i play guitar and piano. I live in southern california. In my free time i like to play SL and hang out with my friends irl.

Keleus Ferguson: Hello Im Keleus Ferguson And I like to run buiseness that create things that are used by all.

-Until tomorrow,
Lucky Figtree

Posted by Lucky - SL Intern at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The answer, obviously, is yes.

Allow me to introduce our two 'embodied reporters' for Camp Global Kids, Lucky and Tecno. Both of these teens have posted to the blog before in one form or another. They've done write-ups of activities we've held at the island, written articles for the MetaVerse Messenger (a newsletter dedicated to SL), and they're officially reporting on the full goings-on of Camp GK in Second Life this summer.

By going through this process, we're giving these teens the chance to reflect on their experience in a public way, something that is often missing from youth-oriented activities. There's no question that as teens they're the ones who know if the the things we're doing are 'working' or not, and engaging them in the process of writing here will keep them reflecting on the many aspects of their experience both with each other, with Global Kids and with the medium of Second Life itself.

Looking forward to all your posts!

Posted by Rafi Santo at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My SL avatar name is Tecno Tiger, and i have also been chosen as a camp GK reporter. With less than 2 hours until the camp begins, I, like many others, am really excited and "psyched"( As Rafi says :) ) for the Camp to begin. Rafi teleported me into the island earlier as he needed to grab my calling card, luckily I got to have a sneak peak at a small part of the island. I was in and out within a minute and the only thing I saw was a bonfire with Lori, Mercury and Rafi around it. I can't wait to see what they've got planned. This is my first official post on this blog, (I was behind the Second Opinion post), and there will be many more to come! Do some brain exercises and get ready for some fun as Camp GK is about to begin!

- Tecno Tiger with a great new group title.

Posted by Tecno at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by joyce at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey Everyone!
My name is Lucky, (Lucky Figtree) and I was chosen as one of the Camp GK Reporters. I am very excited to see what the Global Kids have come up with, activity wise. They seem to have been working on them for awhile and I doubt that we will not be let down =). It is getting very exciting as Camp GK draws nearer. I was fortunate enough to be able to see and meet the Global Kids leaders in New York City a few weeks ago; and I hope to see them online throughout the duration of the camp. I wish I could write more for my first post...but it is getting late and I am falling asleep at the keyboard. I hope to see you at Camp GK!
-Lucky

P.S. Barry loved this picture, so I decided to edit it a bit and upload it.

Posted by Lucky - SL Intern at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Adam Phillips, writing for ‘Voice of America - Our World’, reported on the upcoming Global Kids, Playing 4 Keeps game focusing on Haiti, at the Games for Change conference that took place New York City.

An excerpt from his article is below.

The Games 4 Change conference also highlighted ways young people are being empowered to design their own game. At Global Kid's Playing 4 Keeps, an after school program in one New York City high school, students work with professional game designers to create a game based on a global issue of their choice.

Student designers in the afterschool Playing for Keeps program tackled the problems of life for Haiti's poor people in their video game.

In this project, students created a game set in Haiti that explored the relationship of poverty and education to human rights. It is based on five virtual family members who make a series of choices regarding work, education, health and other factors over the course of four virtual years. The group then studies the possible outcomes.


Global Kids Online leadership program director Barry Joseph said that creating games like that requires an understanding not just of the games but also of the complex global issues they portray.

"When you start developing a game you have to create a simulation or a model of the thing you are trying to demonstrate," he said, "[such as] how to look at a system and understand it as a system. What are the constituent parts? What are the elements? How do they relate to each other? What do you need to do within that context to push the system in one direction or another? Whether you're talking about poverty in Haiti or you are talking about genocide in Darfur, that is the kind of education you need to survive in a globalized workplace, games offer that kind of learning."

While it can be hard to measure objectively what impact these new games are having on the real world, Joseph said they are having a subtle but significant impact on the players themselves. He believes the games offer young people an important, positive way to express themselves and their desire to work for a better world. And by playing the games with their friends - and raising public awareness in the process, Joseph said young people can experience for the first time what it feels like to work for positive change.

Read the full article here.

powered by ODEO.

Listen to the audio or download it here

Posted by joyce at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I bet you know that old phrase: If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear, did it make a sound.

I was thinking about that earlier today in relation not just to sound, but the nature of reality versus virtual reality. Whether or not you think that fallen tree made a sound, most (but not all) can agree that at least the tree was still there. But what if the tree was on Global Kids Island? And, to make it a little more SLesque, what if we are talking about our volcano.

In other words, if there is no one on Global Kids Island, does it still exist?

What does it even mean to exist in Second Life? Does our volcano only exist if someone else experiences it? When they leave does it disappear? It seems to me the argument can be made that unless a resident experiences GK Island (which means, in essense, they use a computer program to generate a visual and auditory representation of it on their computer) then it doesn't exist. It's not like our volcano is just waiting around to be viewied - it literally does not become processed into a visual image of a volcano until someone actually looks at it. So from this perspective, non-human controlled objects in SL only exist in a purely subjective manner, when someone else experiences it. This is the opposite of the real world.

Now, a strong counter argument to this is that, actually, the thing which creates the Global Kids volcano is not its representation on a visitor's computer but, rather, the underlying code which determines how it will appear. Whether or not a visitor accesses and processes that code, the code always exists. In this case, the volcano does NOT need to be viewed to exist. In fact, no one need ever view it and yet it would always exist, in the form of the underlying code (or rules) that determine how it would appear SHOULD a resident view it.

So is our real world tree and our SL volcano the same? Well, the volcano is determined by some code, which is really to say that a specific pattern of appearance and properties which we call the Global Kids volcano is defined in some code. The volcano when viewed by a resident is full of color, and animation, and sound. But at the level of code, it is just a set of patterns, which can be reproduced in a variety of ways (the SL viewer is just one way; another might be a machine which makes us a hard copy, etc.).

Is a tree a tree or a set of patterns? Well, the tree is actully composed of cells, which are composed of molecules, which are composed of atoms, and these atoms and cells are constantly dying and being replaced. Our body is the same - every few years nearly every cell and all atoms are replaced as old ones die. Yet both the tree and our bodies appear the same (outside aging and environmental factors). Why? Because the arrangement of our parts are determined by our own organic code. In the case of humans, DNA. (I'm not sure how a tree is created). These organic codes determine the shape and form of our own patterns. So yes, a tree is a tree, but it is also just a pattern OF that tree.

So if no one sees a volcano spit lava, did it happen? If there is no one on Global Kids Island, does it still exist? In both cases, yes - in the form of unprocessed patterns.

So what is the difference between reality and Second Life, the difference between a real tree and Global Kids Volcano? While both always exist in the realm of patterns, outside any subjective observation, the tree doesn't need a viewer to exist in a fully realized state. The tree is always there, observed or not.The volcano, however, needs a viewer to make it fully real.

In other words, each time a TSL resident experiences Global Kids Island, their very experience transforms it from a potential (code as pattern) to something full actualized (the pattern processed). No one just visits Global Kids Island - they create it moment by moment.

Posted by Barry at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My name is Mercury Metropolitan. For those of who haven't heard, I have been chosen to fill the position of Remote Intern for Camp Global Kids. I am honored to be the very first Remote Intern hired by Global Kids, and as such I have a lot weighing on my shoulders. My performance may determine if there will ever be another Remote Intern, so I've been working hard to fulfill high expectations.

So far, I think it's going pretty well! During the first week of my internship, I assisted in setting up for a video podcast premiere launch party on the island. This meant rearranging the entire island and creating a stage for the viewing. Lori and I spent hours on the island revamp, and after a few frustrating SL bugs that we had no control over; we managed to accomplish our goal. All in all, it was a success, and many people showed up at the event.

Every week up until now, I've been working hard to spread the word about the Camp Global Kids summer program and persuading teens to sign up. I created a poster for our advertising campaign, which has been used on signs around the island and various locations around the grid. I've also held a few Word Spill events to promote the program. Reaching out to people in my close social network has been proven effective. Getting people to sign up, however, has been no easy feat.

Many teens have some common misconceptions about Global Kids in SL, and I've been trying my best to clear some of these up. Some teens seem to think that Global Kids in SL is like school, or some kind of brainwashing scheme to forcefully make them think differently about certain things. Those teens that have come to this conclusion are terribly misinformed. I always have to explain to them that Global Kids is nothing like school; if it were, we wouldn't be doing it.

Those who feel it is like some brainwashing scheme don't realize that the mission of Global Kids in SL is the total opposite. We do not force our opinions/views about certain issues on anyone. What we want to do is provide an atmosphere where teens can safely express their opinions about global issues important to them, and effectively strive for positive change within a virtual space.

I think that some teens may view adults on their grid as predatory and threatening to them, as I once did before getting involved with Global Kids. It is understandable to think this way, but once you begin to understand the relevance of why they're here and what they're doing here, you retract your defensive barrier.

So, even though I’ve been faced with the difficult task of advertising the program and addressing some misconceptions people have, we’ve received some awesome applications. I really look forward to meeting the participants of the program once they’re chosen. Since the teen grid is such a tightly knit community, I’m sure I will know most of them. I’m also looking forward to help plan and coordinate the different activities for Camp GK! I continue to learn from these positive experiences day by day, and will continue to blog about these experiences. Until next time... :)

Posted by Mercury at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Since Global Kids uses a youth development educational model, this means our workshops try to be experiential. What does that mean exactly? It means that rather than announce we are doing a workshop on discrimination, the fun, interactive activity has no explicit content at first but then creates an experience that, through processing, can be connected to the larger issue of discrimination.

The processing takes a fairly standard path. First, ask what the experience of the workshop was like (the personal and the immediate). Then, ask where they see this happening in their community (the experiened social). Finally, ask where they see this going on around the world (the global, and throughout history). As a model, when designed and processed correctly, it works fairly well to establish a strong connection between the personal and the global.

But Second Life poses a challenge. What is the true nature of that middle level, of the community? Is it the residents' seperate communities offline or their shared one within Second Life? Were Second Life a giant fantasy world, with players running around as dwarfs and giants slaying dragons, Second Life would be the community they agree to pretend is of paramount importance. Were Second Life a simple communication tool, to allow corporate employees around the world to discuss business strategies, then the opposite would be true and the offline would be paramount.

Second Life, however, is neither. Or both. Or a shifting combination of the two depending on the setting in Second Life or each individual resident. So what does this mean for a Global Kids workshop?

When we move from the personal to the communal, or from the communal to the global, which communal do we refer to: the community in which the resident is accessing Second Life or the community they find once they arrive? In more practical terms, when discussing discrimination, do we direct them to talk about racial discrimination in their hometown or do we ask them questions about TSL discrimination of animal avatars (furries)?

I hope this summer program helps shed light on this challenge, as we learn which "local" holds more relevance for the teens in Camp GK. These insights I predict will play a key role in shaping how a youth development model can be applied in a virtual world.

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

A recent Business Week article mentioned our Playing 4 Keeps game in development, using its earlier title:Four Years in Haiti.

"A tiny handful of activist games are currently sponsored by corporations who recognize that an activist game can be a powerful marketing tool, at a time when social entrepreneurship and corporate philanthropy are making headlines... Microsoft (MSFT) funded another recent activist game, Four Years in Haiti, about poverty-stricken children in the Caribbean country and their struggles to find the resources to go to school. All of these big-brand sponsors benefit from associating themselves with a good cause."

To read the article in full click here.

Posted by joyce at 7:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)