[DIDI] Dream it. Do it. Initiative and Digital Network Group to Provide Opportunities for Washington D.C. Youth to Use Digital Media for Social Change
Digital Network Group will be partnering with the organizations Global Kids and Youth Venture to offer students in the Washington D.C. area the opportunity to participate in the Dream it. Do it. Initiative (D.I.D.I) beginning in June 2008 as part of their Kinetic Potential Scholars (KPS) Program. The KPS program is a development and mentoring program that improves life circumstances for disadvantaged youth by preparing them for their long-term career aspirations. The cornerstone of the program is the development and reinforcement of four core principles throughout a young person's life: Vision and Goal Setting, Perceptions and Attitude, Character and Behavior and Action and Perseverance.
The D.I.D.I. Initiative works with groups of teens in the virtual world of Teen Second Life to mentor them to become young changemakers. The groups of youth are provided with seed funding of up to $1,000 to implement sustainable projects that will bring positive change to their communities’ health.
The D.I.D.I. Initiative is supporting 40 teams of young people to launch their own ventures that benefit their communities, either within or outside of Teen Second Life. The D.I.D.I. Initiative Island in the teen grid of Second Life is a place for teen residents to learn about important social and health issues and to create and lead their own social ventures to address these issues. A venture can be a club, organization, business, or program that is ongoing and benefits the community. With the D.I.D.I. Initiative’s support over a series of weekly workshops, each team of teens develops an action plan to design and launch their own social entrepreneurial projects.
When the teams are ready to launch, the Initiative offers:
• Seed funding (up to $1,000 per team)
• Technical allies to provide additional advice and expertise
• Ongoing tools and support
The D.I.D.I. Initiative will begin its work with the Digital Network Group by conducting a Virtual Summer Camp for youth at McKinley Tech High School in Washington D.C.
The D.I.D.I. Initiative is made possible with generous support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
About Global Kids, Inc. (www.globalkids.org)
Launched in 1989 and independent since 1993, Global Kids' mission is to educate and inspire urban youth to become successful students and global and community leaders by engaging them in socially dynamic, content-rich learning experiences. Through its leadership development and academic enrichment programs, Global Kids educates youth about critical international and domestic issues and promotes their engagement in civic life and the democratic process. Through professional development initiatives, Global Kids provides educators with strategies for integrating experiential learning methods and international issues into urban classrooms. Over 85% of the high school seniors who participate in GK's leadership program graduate and attend college.
About the Global Kids Online Leadership Program (OLP)
Global Kids, Inc. is a nationally recognized leader in using digital media to promote global awareness and youth civic engagement. Global Kids’ Online Leadership Program (OLP) integrates a youth development approach and international and public policy issues into youth media programs that build digital literacy, foster substantive online dialogues, develop resources for educators, and promote civic participation. Currently, the OLP is accomplishing its goals through initiatives within four broader areas: the development of socially -conscious online games; youth-led online dialogues; Virtual Worlds; and the Digital Media Initiative.
About Youth Venture (www.genv.net)
Ashoka’s Youth Venture leads an international community of young people who are powerful now, changemakers now. Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to create and launch their own sustainable, community-benefiting Ventures and then connects them into a global movement of young changemakers who are together redefining the youth years as a time of leadership and positive social change. This is the foundation of an Everyone a Changemaker™ world - the key factor for success in every part of society.
About Digital Network Group (http://www.digitalnetworkgroup.net)
Digital Network Group is a diversified portfolio company that helps organizations, communities, and individuals harness the power of information technology to create both economic and social value through its affiliates--Digital Network Consulting and Digital Network Community Development Corporation (DN-CDC). Digital Network Consulting helps organizations apply information technology in innovative ways to create new product offerings, improve operational efficiency, increase scale and enhance customer relations. The DN-CDC administers two programs: Kinetic Potential Scholars, a service program that demonstrates how information technology and mentorship can improve outcomes for disadvantaged youth; and the Technical Capability Model: a research program to offer guidance to nonprofits in the use, application, and investment in information technology and to establish the return on investment for these capital expenditures. Digital Network Group partners with its clients to define their strategic goals and collaborates with them to chart a path that ignites innovation@work.
