This Friday, November 21st, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature Monique Richert (Chayenn in SL), who will present on Protect Yourself1’s engagement with HIV/AIDS education in support of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day brings together people from around the world to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and to demonstrate international solidarity in the face of the ongoing pandemic.
- More than 35 million people now live with HIV/AIDS, 3.3 million of them are under the age of 15.
- In 2012, an estimated 2.3 million people were newly infected with HIV – 260,000 were under the age of 15.
- Every day nearly 6,300 people contract HIV—nearly 262 every hour.
- In 2012, 1.6 million people died from AIDS. 210,000 of them were under the age of 15.
- Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 75 million people have contracted HIV and nearly 40 million have died of HIV-related causes.
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Monique Richert (Chayenn in SL), Protect Yourself1
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
Following the November 21st presentation, NonProfit Commons and PY1 are hosting a Virtual AIDS Walk on December 1, 2014 to commemorate the 26th World AIDS Day. Join us in Second Life at 7:00 PM PDT at the NonProfit Commons Plush Amphitheater SLurl @ 95, 126, 26, then at 8PM for a Networking Party at PY1’s virtual office SLurl @ 242, 174, 24Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Fall Festival Kickoff for the November 14th NonProfit Commons Meeting
Join us this Friday, November 14th, at TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life where we will kick off our Fall Festival weekend at our weekly meeting. We will have events all weekend with a harvest hunt and meet & greet of our NonProfit Commons offices and partners.
Following the meeting, we will then have a tour of our new community Memorial Garden.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, November 14th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am NonProfit Commons Fall Festival
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
- 10:00 am Tour of the NPC Memorial Garden
The Fall festival will culminate in a Tea Dance on November 16th, with the musician Avantgarde Frequency, at 4:00 pm PT / SLT, in the CommonGround parcel of Aloft NonProfit Commons region.
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Open Forum for the November 7th NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, November 7th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life we will have an open forum that will give us a chance to discuss upcoming events like the OpenSimulator Community Conference, along with our upcoming Nonprofit Commons Fall Festival. It will also be an opportunity to ask any burning tech or community questions you might have.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, November 7th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Open Forum
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Memes for Social Good for the October 31st NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, October 31st, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature a presentation on using memes for social good. Memes are elements of culture that often get passed on from person to person, and virally propagate around the internet. They can be images, videos, audio files and even sayings or bits of text.
To celebrate this week’s meeting falling on Halloween, feel free to dress your avatar in PG-friendly costumes.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, October 31st, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Memes for Social Good
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Storymakers2014 – The Power of Telling Stories for the October 24th NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, October 24th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature a discussion and recap of this year’s Storymakers digital storytelling competition, along with a viewing of some of this year’s winners, including submissions from some of our NPC community members.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, October 24th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation
- 9:30 am Open Mic / Announcements
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Storymakers 2014 Awards Gala
Are you a techie or do-gooder interested in digital storytelling, online community, emerging technologies, or all of the above? You definitely won’t want to miss TechSoup‘s 5th annual Storymakers Gala and Awards Party.
The event will feature a screening of top story submissions with an awards ceremony for the winners! Digital Storytelling videos came in from all around the world and even some from NPC community members.
Join us virtually at NonProfit Commons in Second Life, where we will get together for a mixed reality drive-in event, complete with our own red carpet and pixel popcorn!
- Aloft Nonprofit Commons Drive-in Theater
- http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Aloft%20Nonprofit%20Commons/88/54/25
- 7PM to 9PM PDT / SLT
Bring your favorite virtual vehicle or grab a seat in one of our’s, dress red-carpet snazzy and come ready to chat storytelling, have fun and network!
We will be streaming live the event from San Francisco and our virtual event and avatars will be up on the screen at the real event. And, If you will be in San Francisco, you can register to attend in person the SOMArts Cultural Center red carpet event at https://storymakers2014.eventbrite.com
You can also watch the awards ceremony live streamed online (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/techsoup) and follow the action on Twitter, hashtag: #tsdigs
Come Celebrate Community Storytelling!
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Twitter and Facebook and G+ – Oh My! A Forum on Social Media for the October 17th NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, October 17th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature a forum on using social media and other ways to get the word out about the great nonprofit and educational projects and work being done in virtual worlds. Come with questions, stories or best practices to share on blogging, social media, wikis and other tools.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, October 17th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation
- 9:30 am Open Mic / Announcements
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
The Community Cultural Teleportation Hub for the October 10th NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, October 10th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature Scott P. Anstadt (Ewan Bonham in SL), with a presentation on the Community Cultural Hub (CCH) located on the Whole Brain Health Fairgrounds in Second Life. The Hub is an info teleportation portal whose purpose is to make an easily accessible and growing sample of community sims across SL. He will also discuss an international IRB approved research study which uses the CCH as a platform for educational technology students studying curriculum design using the virtual world.
About our Featured Presenter:
Scott P. Anstadt, Ph.D, LCSW, IABMCP teaches in the Department of Social Work at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fl He has taught courses in advanced clinical practice, groups, social policy, mental health, chemical dependency, gerontology, spirituality , and research. Diversity and social justice issues inspired outreach work bringing intergenerational and multicultural competency to focus in community projects. His work has extended to the use of virtual worlds for worldwide social networking between disabled adults as well as those with mobility challenges. Student course assignments in Second Life help students experience community and cultures in an immersive setting.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, October 10th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Scott Anstadt
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
Following the meeting, we will tour the Community Cultural Teleportation Hub in Second Life, at: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Inspiration%20Island/136/131/22.
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
VIBE – Virtual Islands for Better Education for the October 3rd NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, October 3rd, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature Stephen Gasior (Stephen Xootfly in SL), Stephen will present a short history and overview of the Virtual Islands for Better Education (VIBE) project and provide some perspective on what features are advantageous for educators running their own OpenSim grid. Stephen will then present ways to run OpenSim grids featuring their prepackaged virtual machines developed by Wizardry and Steamworks. Finally a tour of one of their grids will commence after the meeting. The tour will also be livestreamed via Google Hangouts on Air.
About our Featured Presenter:
Stephen Gasior is by profession a biology instructor but with a passion for technology especially when it can be used to enhance student learning. After teaching college biology immersed in Second Life, he formed a collaborative in response to an OpenSimulator Land Grant progam. From first introduction he has seen the advantages of OpenSim for schools and colleges. Extending beyond the initial land grant, Virtual Islands for Better Education (VIBE) has built several independent grids with self-developed content and has been used to instruct over 200 students from 4th graders to postgraduates.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, October 3rd, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation – Stephen Gasior (Stephen Xootfly in SL)
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
Following the meeting, we will tour the VIBE OpenSimulator grid. To access the grid you can register for a VIBE grid account at: http://vibe.bio-se.info, or if you have a hypergrid enabled OpenSimulator account, go to http://vibe.bio-se.info:9000. For more help on accessing the VIBE grid: http://bit.ly/1yykZ0s
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir
Using Second Life to Present Virtual Professional Conferences for the September 26th NonProfit Commons Meeting
This Friday, September 26th, TechSoup’s NonProfit Commons in Second Life will feature iSkye Silverweb and Sister Abeyante, both of Virtual Ability. Leading up to this year’s IDRAC (International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference) on Oct. 3-4, they will share best practices, and take us on a behind the scenes look at the “how tos” behind organizing a successful multi national virtual conference.
iSkye Silverweb wears a few hats in the Virtual Ability community: Virtual Ability community events scheduler, Community calendar keeper, Virtual Ability Flickr maven, and a Virtual Ability Mentor. She helps plan the two annual conferences hosted by Virtual Ability: Mental Health Symposium and International Disability Rights Affirmation Conference, and is also a member of several mentor groups besides the Virtual Ability Mentors. She enjoys helping new residents get a good start in their Second Life experience. For fun, iSkye does grid hunts, explores art installations, goes shopping, and participates in activities with BURN2 and the Lamplighters.
Sister Abeyante is also active in the Virtual Ability community, including serving as the project manager for the organization’s healthcare research project, “Mrs. A. and Mr. B.”, which looks at healthcare equity in the US for persons with disabilities. She has helped now with two VAI in-world conferences and learns more each time she does it. She is an educator and nonprofit leader by professional background and bets that you’ll notice those skills in SL, even if you are simultaneously dodging her dangerous stunt-airplane flying, courageous motorcycle underwater driving, and/or her accidental lemming invasions.
Join us in Second Life!
Nonprofit Commons Weekly Meeting
Friday, September 26th, 8:30 AM PT / SLT
Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
AGENDA (all times below PT)
- 8:30 am Introductions
- 8:40 am TechSoup Announcements
- 8:45 am Mentors Central
- 9:00 am Featured Presentation – iSkye Silverweb and Sister Abeyante
- 9:45 am Open Mic / Announcements
The mission of the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life is to create a community for nonprofits to explore and learn about virtual worlds, foster connections, and discover the many ways in which nonprofits might utilize the unique environment of Second Life to achieve their missions.
Written by: Rhiannon Chatnoir