Global Kids' Digital Media Initiative

At the launch of the Global Kids' International Justice Center in Second Life last Thursday, the lead prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the following question to the Second Life community:

"How do you believe we can use this [Second Life] system to improve understanding of this idea and mobilize people and resources in the world to protect those who have nothing... This could be a very interesting tool. You have ideas how we can use this new tool?"

In response to this challenge, activists, educators, non-profit organizers and the interested public are invited to a couple of Community Open Forums we are holding this Wednesday, March 26, at the International Justice Center to discuss how to effectively and strategically use this new tool for public education and action on global human rights concerns. The Community Forums will take place at 8AM and 1PM SLT /PDT in the Amphitheater of the Justice Center (click here to teleport).

We at Global Kids have some tentative plans for the Center in the near future including the following:

• Live Video from the ICC: As the first major trial at the ICC moves forward, we have the potential to host at the Center live viewings of trials and hearings over the next months. These might be supplemented by commentators and experts explaining why a particular procedure or hearing is important.
  
• Online Chats with People in Countries of Concern to the ICC: We are developing a tool that connects SMS text messaging to Second Life that can enable people in low-bandwidth environments to connect with people in virtual worlds via text chat. Some possibilities include holding online discussions with people in Uganda and the Congo to talk about the role of the ICC in their countries.
  
• Trainings of Lawyers, Journalists, Activists: The Center could host workshops, lectures and classes on ICC-related subject matter, which would be conducted by experts from legal associations, non-profits and academia. This might enable activists, journalists, lawyers and others to get in-depth knowledge of what is going on at the ICC without having to leave their offices.

This are just our initial ideas for how to use the Center. We would love to discuss with you your own thoughts and suggestions for how we might use the IJC to promote global justice and human rights, taking into account both the strengths and limitations of Second Life. Please come to one of our community forums this Wednesday at 8AM and 1PM SLT / PDT in the Amphitheater of the Justice Center.

If you can not attend either of these times, please submit your comments and suggestions in this blog post, or email us at rik@globalkids.org.

You can read more about the Center in our flyer available at this link.

[Image by David/Kronos, used with permission.]