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MacArthur Foundation supporting non-profit track at Second Life Convention

Posted on August 14, 2007 by

Jonathon Fanton addresses SL residents

MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton’s avatar in Second Life

The John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation just issued a press release on their support of the Second Life Community Convention coming up from August 24-26 in Chicago.  Although the press release states that MacArthur is supporting the "non-profit track" in truth they are responsible for organizing non-profit panels in each of the existing four tracks of SLCC:
business, education, social and machinima. Highlights of the non-profit "meta-track" include:

  • Connie Yowell of MacArthur speaking on virtual worlds and learning
  • a teen-led machinima panel
  • a panel on best practices for non-profits in SL
  • a panel of philanthropic institutions
  • a panel on education activities on the Teen Grid

As I previously blogged, I’ll be at SLCC covering the non-profit meta-track.  The text of the full press release follows…

From Macarthur Foundation Press Release

Virtual World Residents to Gather in Chicago; MacArthur Foundation to Fund First-Ever Nonprofit Track

CHICAGO, IL – The Second Life Community Convention,
which is expected to draw hundreds of virtual world “residents” from
around the globe to Chicago on August 24-26, will feature a series of
events examining the increasing presence of social justice
organizations in virtual worlds.  The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation, which recently announced a year-long exploration of virtual worlds, is supporting these events at the convention in order to spark discussion about the use of virtual worlds for the public good.

Second Life is one of several “virtual worlds” that offers a
three-dimensional environment where online participants from around the
globe are represented by avatars in social and workplace interactions
that mimic and reinvent the physical world.  Participation in virtual
worlds has been growing rapidly.  Second Life now has millions of users
and a growing nonprofit community.

“Virtual worlds are already a burgeoning frontier for business and
entertainment, but the public sector has been slow to get involved,”
said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton. “From MacArthur’s recent
experience, it is clear that residents of virtual worlds are hungry for
‘in-world’ opportunities to engage on serious social issues and to act
on their philanthropic impulses.”

MacArthur is making grants to Global Kids and Common Sense Media to
weave a non-profit thread into the four main tracks of the conference:
business, education, social and machinima (digital animation created in
gaming environments).  Each track will feature a panel focusing on how
non-profit organizations are utilizing virtual worlds to extend their
mission and reach.  These special panels include –

  • Education keynote speaker Connie Yowell, Director of Education at
    the MacArthur Foundation, will address the importance of virtual worlds
    for informal learning and non-profits.  (10:00 a.m., Saturday, August
    25)
  • A teen-led mini-machinima festival will feature teens from two
    non-profit programs showcasing their work using Second Life to make
    animated movies about social and global issues. (1:30 p.m., Saturday,
    August 25)
  • A panel will discuss best practices for bringing non-profits into
    Second Life, and will include such participants as the Alliance Library
    System, TechSoup.org and representatives from Linden Lab.  (10:00 a.m.,
    Sunday, August 26)
  • Philanthropy funders, including foundations, corporations, and
    government organizations that are supporting work in virtual worlds,
    such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Learn and Serve America,
    will discuss the role of philanthropy in virtual worlds. (2:30 p.m.,
    Sunday, August 26)
  • “An Educational Non-profit’s History of the Teen Grid: Global
    Kids’ Adventure in Best Practices” will explore educational activities
    in the Teen Grid of Second Life. (3:30 p.m., Saturday, August 25)

For those unable to attend in person, Global Kids will simulcast
portions of the convention live in Second Life, and will summarize
findings from the convention in two papers to be published this fall.
The papers will analyze the conference’s education and non-profit
tracks and recommend how new organizations can get involved.

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