The New York Daily News has a sweet article about five New York teens who beat the odds by graduating. The story features Global Kids teen leader Sabienne Brutus! In 2005, the High School for Global Citizenship student and her siblings moved to Crown Heights from Haiti to escape the country’s political instability and to…
Category: Education
Draxtor interviews Chelo Alvarez-Stehle about “SOS-Slaves” game on sex trafficking
This is the second in a series of interviews conducted by citizen journalist / machinimatographer Draxtor Despres with participants in the BAVC Producers Institute. In this interview, Draxtor talks with Chelo Alvarez-Stehle about her project on sex-trafficking, called "Sands Of Silence." I was one of the mentors on this project at the Producers Institute. Looking…
Appreciating my role as a “Connector”
Post-processing my experience being a "mentor" at the BAVC Producers Institute in San Francisco last week, I've been realizing some of the unique aspects of my own personal journey and how that has shaped me into the odd amalgamation of activist / technologist / educator/ dancer/ Quaker etc. This past week has helped me to…
“SOS Slaves” digital game challenges youth to help end sex trafficking
One of the other amazing projects I am helping with at the BAVC Producers Institute is "SOS Slaves," a web-based game that will educate and activate young people on the issue of sex trafficking around the world. Building upon "Sands of Silence" a powerful documentary about sex trafficking by filmmaker Chelo Alvarez-Stehle, "SOS Slaves" will…
Shooting machinima at the BAVC Producer’s Institute
Today we started shooting machinima for the presentation for the "Virtual Mine" project, being pitched at the conclusion of the BAVC Producer's Institute on Friday. Yes, it was a lot of work for the team to create the assets, write the shooting script, and arrange the sets for the machinima shoot. But it was also…
HASTAC Digital Media & Learning Showcase: a laptop orchestra, OLPCs in Chiapas, vloggers in Mumbai, and more…
Here's a neat little clip of Connie Yowell of the MacArthur Foundation welcoming the 2008 and 2009 winners of the HASTAC Digital Media and Learning competition, including myself and Amira from Global Kids. Connie always does such a great job synthesizing the broader historic trends, the cumulative impact of the various digital learning projects supported…
Whyville & Field Museum create virtual coral reef to educate about biodiversity
I'm excited to share the news that my friends at the Field Museum of Chicago have teamed up with the tween virtual world Whyville to launch Whyreef: a virtual educational experience for young people to teach them about biodiversity and ecosystems. In Whyreef, you are challenged to observe different coral reefs and carefully record the…
Guided tours of Kristallnacht exhibit in Second Life April 21-23
In observance of the annual Days of Remembrance, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum is offering guided tours of the Second Life exhibit "Witnessing History: Kristallnacht, the November 1938 Pogroms." If you haven't been, it's a great example of how virtual worlds can combine various forms of media into a powerful, immersive, emotional experience for the…
Launch tomorrow of “CONSENT!”: youth-produced Second Life game about medical testing in US prisons
Global Kids is proud to announce the public release of "CONSENT!" — a youth-produced digital game about medical experimentation in US prisons on African-Americans. Built in Teen Second Life, Global Kids has arranged for it to be brought over to the Main Grid of Second Life, hosted by the nice folks at Clemson University. Starting…
Fundraiser for Global Kids trip to Kenya on May 6 in NYC
On May 6 , 2009, Global Kids is planning a happy-hour fundraiser for a trip to Kenya for several deserving Global Kids teen leaders this summer. The fundraiser will take place from 7-10 pm on Wednesday May 6, at Sidebar, near Union Square. There will be free food, a silent auction and awesome goody bags….