NPSL: Nonprofits in Second Life

At this Friday's Nonprofit Commons meeting, come meet Ms. Ilene Morris , the founder and director of Kids4Horses, a nonprofit that uses virtual worlds to help ill and special needs children, while also assisting abandoned horses. (Ilene had to reschedule last week due to a personal emergency.) Come learn about their creative model to help multiple causes through virtual world technology.

Join us on Friday May 11 starting at 8:30am PT. See you at the Plush Nonprofit Commons amphitheater.

NONPROFIT COMMONS MEETING

May 11 , 8:30am PST

Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Plush%20Nonprofit%20Commons/88/126/26

AGENDA

• 8:30am Introductions
• 8:40am TechSoup Announcements
• 8:45am Mentors Central
• 8:55am Ilene Morris, Founder & Executive Director of Kids4Horses
• 9:30am OpenMic/ Announcements

We have created a short survey that we would request that all organizations that are in any way involved with the Nonprofit Commons to fill out.  This includes people who regularly attend our weekly meetup, volunteers, groups that come to give announcements, and of course our tenant nonprofits.  We need your input to make sure that we are continuing to serve your diverse needs.

Click here to complete this short survey today.

NONPROFIT COMMONS MEETING
April 27 , 8:30am PST

Plush Nonprofit Commons Amphitheater
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Plush%20Nonprofit%20Commons/88/126/26

AGENDA

• 8:30am Introductions
• 8:40am Elizabeth Dean on Virtual Worlds for Social Research
• 8:55am TechSoup Announcements
• 9:05am Mentors Central
• 9:30am OpenMic/ Announcements

INTRODUCTIONS

[08:30] Rik Panganiban (rik.riel): Hi all welcome. Let's get started as people are rezzing in.
[08:31] Zinnia Zauber: Good morning!

As you may have heard, last Sunday, April 22 was Earth Day. From Tokyo, Japan to New York City, New York, communities and environmental activists everywhere stood united in their collective efforts to restore the planet to a respectable shade of green. As part of many Earth Day celebrations, the Nonprofit Commons welcomed Namaara MacMoragh, owner of the Etopia Eco-Community in Second Life, to celebrate sustainable living, promote conservation, discuss energy alternatives, and other important ways to preserve our natural resources using Second Life.

Since 2007, Namaara has used Etopia as a way to not only showcase how we can live more sustainably through virtual worlds, but also as a place to contribute your own ideas about how to actualize a more sustainable planet and future. For example, "Etopia welcomes environmentalists, educators, nonprofits, and others," explained Namaara, "to share their message and engage in sustainable community building." Among those in the Etopia community are organizations like Options Senegal, an organization dedicated to the technical training, product supply, support, and customer service for Ecolign Economic Interest Groups in Senegal.

"Etopia is not only educational, but fun as well," noted Namaara. "We really are about community and showcasing the work our residents and friends are doing in the real world that impact not only the environment, but our work and our lives."

You can even get in on all of the eco-friendly fun yourself! "Ride the gondola. Catch the tram from your apartment at Bayview Co-Housing to your shop at Etopia Plaza. Join friends for coffee at Tsidel's. Bike our trails, sail our waterways or take a tai chi class on the beach. You'll find agriculture, recreation, and wild lands in addition to homes, shops, offices, and educational venues scattered throughout our community."

Visit Etopia in Second Life to experience eco-friendly alternatives to design, architecture, farming, and just great all-around eco-living.

Virtual Ability, Inc. announces the 2012 Virtual Ability Mental Health Symposium, to be held Saturday, April 28, in Second Life. This symposium offers a variety of perspectives for thinking positively about mental health. 

Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., noted, “A symposium is a formal meeting where individual presentations are followed by discussion. We intend these sessions to encourage audience participation with the presenters and especially with the content the presenters share. Mental health is too important a topic to ignore.”

The symposium’s keynote presenter is Dick Dillon of Innovaision, LLC. Dillon’s topic is “Why Virtual Counseling Should Be Viewed as Advanced Telemedicine.” He will explain why using virtual worlds for counseling allows better service than “real life” counseling.

Among the interesting topics at the symposium, MermaidSue Bailey, a counselor from the United Kingdom who conducts an active Second Life support group for people with disabilities, will lead a discussion of the importance of peer support for mental health. Roberto Salubrius, a former medical student misdiagnosed with agoraphobia, will use the story of his life to explain why mental health issues aren’t all mental. 

Presentations will take place at various locations in Second Life, including the Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island (teleport link).

The full schedule of confirmed presenters is posted inworld and online. For the most up-to-date information, please see the Virtual Ability blog.