Avatar Action Center
The Avatar Action Center is an educational organization constructed in the virtual world Second Life to raise awareness around sustainability issues and encourage people to take action toward positive change in the real world.
As increasing numbers of people discover and begin to inhabit virtual world environments like Second Life, the Avatar Action Center (AAC) seeks to build bridges between virtual worlds and the real one by educating people in virtual life about real world sustainability issues with the goal of encouraging them to take action in both worlds.
Using interactive educational displays, working models, simulations, games, classes, streaming audio and video, and events, the AAC utilizes the unique immersive and social qualities of Second Life to engage avatars—the digital citizens of a virtual world—in learning about issues including global warming, recycling, renewable energy, and the effects of economic globalization, to name a few. Incorporated into the learning experiences are links to resources and suggestions about what actions to take in real life and encouragement to make choices toward a more conscientious relationship with the planet and each other. Surveys and quizzes will provide the AAC with metrics for assessing the usage of the material and for measuring the impact of the project on the real world.
Although the AAC is building community and educational toolkits in Second Life, the organization anticipates expanding into new virtual worlds as they are opened, including Multiverse and Metaverse later this year, and broadening the reach and impact of its educational activities beyond Second Life.
The AAC employs a wiki to 1) communicate outward about its virtual activities via blogs, forums, and newsletters, 2) house content used in its educational materials, and 3) provide a platform for collaboration between working AAC group members. This hybrid virtual world/web-based community model increases engagement in the project by opening a door to contributions from outside of the virtual world and provides a centralized repository of content and tool specifications that can be reused and deployed efficiently in future virtual spaces.
The Avatar Action Center is a volunteer-driven organization with programs for recruitment of content creators, virtual builders, programmers, fundraisers, and networkers. The AAC is seeking partnerships with organizations creating online content around sustainability issues, and is currently working with the in-world organization Clean Energy NOW to produce a day-long Earth Day event on April 22.
Through volunteer service and citizen engagement in AAC programs and events, donations to the Avatar Action Fund are solicited via a number of avenues, including donation kiosks distributed throughout the virtual world and direct fundraising to support the development of a virtual reality educational framework, virtual land rental fees, streaming media service fees, and the hiring of artists and programmers to create content.
Ultimately the Avatar Action Center plans to offer virtual educational space consultation services, course planning and material development, as well as class and event facilitation using a fee-for-service model.
The current potential obstacles for the AAC are reliance on the stability and extensibility of Second Life (the virtual platform), and the rolling nature of volunteer resources in the virtual space.
The AAC currently needs:
In the next 90 days, the AAC plans to:Â
- Complete the virtual Alternative Energy Center
- Complete a formal VR educational framework and toolset
- Be offering regular courses on a scheduled basis
- Engage 500+ people through educational programs, games, events, and discussion groups
- Recruit more builders, texturers, programmers, fundraisers, and networkers (90-day goal is to reach a group membership of 150 volunteers)
- Raise $2,500US (L$675,000)
- Host an all-day Earth Day event in Second Life on April 22, 2007
The Avatar Action Center (AAC) is a budding virtual world-based educational nonprofit organization created in Second Life. The AAC is dedicated to raising awareness of sustainability issues in the real world and strives to remind virtual world citizens that there are problems in the real world that need attention, and that they themselves can help make a difference.
Through interactive educational materials like games, simulations, presentations, and models, as well as classes, discussions, and live speaker events, the AAC engages virtual world citizens with experiences that raise awareness around the many facets of sustainability, including environmental, economic, health, and social aspects. The goal of this educational project is to get people to make choices and take actions in real life that support a sustainable future for the planet and its myriad communities.
I just read about AAC in a
I just read about AAC in a recent issue of Sustainable Industries. When I tried to look at your website, it took me to a teen porn website instead. Very disturbing. Did someone hijack your URL? It came up from the Google search. Is there a way to know that a site is diverted before clicking on it?
Environmental Awareness
As a Real Life Campaigner for Issues to do with the environment. I see this project as usefully unique. The idea of a virtual space to meet and Learn is a wonderful notion. As Technology looks forward, more people are going to be motivated by online places, games and learning, much like Consoles and PC games The Web and Technology seems here to stay.
Its intresting as Secondlife seems to be very recreational space i would imagine, Avatar Action would attract People with Real Life Hobbies, and to those of us who wish to find out more about self sustainabilty. Many people are still new to Climate Change, and think the idea of learning anonymously takes the pressure off an individual to ask what may seem stupid question in a public RL scenrio.
Learning at home and developing community in a Green Environment is Healthy for the Mind and motivates the body.
The Idea of LEarning Network is usefully appealing. The use of Wikki on the Web is also reaching out across the Net, so its good to see some healthy approaches to Gathering, collecting and Sharing Information. A+
John Edwards
This is a really interesting idea- I'm afraid I'm ignorant about Second Life. How would you plan to combat the vandalism that's plagued, say, the John Edwards campaign's Second Life installation?
Either way, it will be great to watch your progress.
Thanks,
Phil, Cauzoo
RE: JOHN EDWARDS
Hi Phil, I would venture to guess that the people who set up Edwards' campaign space in Second Life were unaware of the multiple ways to prevent unauthorized avatars from dropping objects on the land.
At the Avatar Action Center, for instance, we use group-based permissions that allow only authorized group members to place persistent objects. Unauthorized avatars can also place objects, but the land is set to "autoreturn" such objects to their creators after several minutes.
We could completely prevent unauthorized avatars from placing things, but using autoreturn is our way of trusting that people visiting this common space will not abuse it. It's much like a real-life public park in that respect...wow, imagine if trash could be automatically returned to people who dropped it in public spaces!
Thanks for your interest,
Erika
Great work
Erica,
I think you're doing great work here. The passion that you have for your project comes through. I really appreciate the conversation around the issues of trust in the online world. I like that your space addresses this in a respectful and effective way.
Congratulations on how far this has come.
-Sierra