As Wired Blog and several new sources have reported, the US Army is starting a Second Life presence as a new form of recruitment. (Note how the Wired Blog uses an uncredited picture of my avatar.) This virtual presence is only the latest in the US military's incursion into the metaverse, joining the US Navy Naval Underwater Warfare Center (click here to teleport) and the US Airforce MyBase sim (click here to teleport).
As a recruitment strategy, I'm not sure Second Life really hits the military's demographic as squarely as say Halo or Call of Duty. Second Life is (1) almost equally gender balanced, (2) generally an older demographic than the MMO crowd, and (3) very international, with more Europeans than Americans in SL at this point.
What I really want to know is, where is the Peace Corps, and their domestic equivalent Americorps?
It seems to me that Second Life might be an ideal venue to recruit people of all ages interested in putting their talents and skills to work on behalf of others. I could easily imagine an organization like the Peace Corps setting up a sim that described their mission, explained how their application process, and let people experience some of what it might be like to serve a year or two abroad with them.
Suppose they had a recreation of a village in Southeast Asia where your avatar could innoculate kids in a medical center. Or a Latin American city where you could help a local job center get set up. Or an African village where you could distribute malarial bed nets to villagers.
You could organize regular meet-and-greets with Peace Corps veterans to talk with interested people about their experiences and their recommendations. And even host video from actual sites showing what current volunteers are doing on the ground.
For lots of the young people that we work with at Global Kids, the military seems like the best option for them to get money for college or pursue their vocation. For us, it's important for our youth to know that there are other possibilities out there for them to gain valuable experience, travel, and earn money for college that don't involve becoming a soldier. Virtual worlds can open up their horizons beyond what they already know and help them make more informed life choices.
Over the years, I have talked with so many people of all ages who hate their jobs and
are looking for ways to do something good with their lives. They just
don't know how to get started. Second Life could help people
to figure out what steps they would need to be a "full-time volunteer"
or a nonprofit professional. Once you can envision yourself doing the
job, you can get motivated to take the actions needed to get there.
Why not use Second Life to give people a second career in public service?
I am the son of a WWII Army AirCorp Veteran, a United States Air Force (USAF) Veteran myself and the proud parent of two active duty USAF sons. I am glad to see them exploring the use of virtual worlds as a public relations & recruiting tool.
The U.S. Military Veteran’s Group in SL, to which I belong and the U.S. Military Veterans Center ( http://slurl.com/secondlife/Asha/25/45/40/ ) has proved to be popular with Veterans. Many of its members are using SL to help them deal with P.T.S.D., the loss of limbs and renew/forge friendships that help them better integrate their military and civilian lives.
I agree with Rik, that it would be great to see other organizations, like the Peace Corps, Americorps, etc. also have a presence in the Metaverse. For years, I have been an advocate of young adults being required to engage in 2 years of mandatory national service (military, Peace Corps, etc.) in exchange for 2 years of higher education, directly out of high school. If they give 4 years, they would receive 4 years of “free” tuition.
My only significant concern regarding the US Army’s new presence in SL is the potential for protest. It is no secret that many people in SL have strong “anti-war/military” sentiments. It would be unfortunate if these individuals lost sight of the fact that everyone who is not engaged in illegal activities (non subjective definition) has a right to be in SL. Protesting the Army’s presence in a disruptive way is just as unacceptable as someone disrupting a Furry, BDSM, Gay, Lesbian-oriented sim, the Gitmo Project, etc.
It is my hope that everyone interested in the new US Army presence in Second Life, be it pro or con, will use this project to learn more about peaceful coexistence and positive social networking. For those who have a passion for non-military service, I encourage you to take up Rik’s suggestion and put your time and energy into developing some alternatives!
BTW For US Military Members and Veterans who may be reading this, please take a minute to visit Frontlines Of Freedom ( http://www.frontlinesoffreedom.com ).
I’m not sure there is a general “anti-war” sentiment in SL. There are certainly a larger number of warlike RPG groups, from WWII recreators to massive space battles.
Thanks so much for your perspective.
A lot of young people can not get the valueable experience of working with the Peace Corps or the Army. Veterans and soldiers should do work with people who have hemophilia and the hemophilliac’s doctors. They can do what they can to help doctors and nurses stop harassing the hemoplilia patients. My son has hemophilia and he is in more of a battle (than the Army is) with the hemetologists and the hemophilia doctors. It is a fight to get him the treatment and medicine he needs in Illinois. Isn’t it enough that the country has to fight? Do the doctors have to fight and be so agitated also? They are so edgy and irritable. My son might as well be in the Army because he has to fight with the doctors to live. Mabye the hemophilia doctors and nurses will lay off the patients and get a hobby or work with the Peace Corps or something in Illinois. Let my son and other patients have a break and enjoy life.