Volunteer Program in a Virtual Society Already Exists
Submitted by Karin on Wed, 11/21/2007 - 09:20.
At the civic summit during the second session in the volunteerism track I spoke of creating a volunteer center in the virtual society called "Second Life". Much to my surprise, after researching the site I discovered that there is a volunteer program running in the virtual society already.
Here's my concern: The volunteer program is for those avatars (virtual people) that want to volunteer to help others in the virtual world. I saw the creation of a volunteer center in the second life as a bridge to the real world with plenty of virtual volunteering opportunities that would help real world nonprofits. What are your thoughts?
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Civic Engagement and Second Life
Great discussion. I've been participating in a project that uses Second Life to increase civic engagement, and have just written a blog post about my experience with the project. Check it out here: http://socialcapitalinc.org/node/364
-Mike Sances
Virtual Volunteering
Hi Mike,
My last post was referring to questions I had after reading your blog on the Second Life project to increase civic engagement. I look forward to your feedback...and any feedback from your colleagues from class!
Karin
Civic Engagement and Second Life
Good Morning,
I've read your blog post about your experiences with SL. I'd like to hear more. What key concepts did others in the class project learn? Did any of the SL collaborative experiences cross over to real world outcomes? What concrete ideas for engaging citizens in their community have you taken from this process?
Your input is truly appreciated. This is the beginning of a new era in communication and it is critical that those of us trying to build community listen and learn from each other!
Happy Holidays,
Karin
Thanks for your feedback. I
Thanks for your feedback. I can really only speak for myself, but it seemed there were a few lessons that everyone took away from the course. For example, I think the experience of having to learn a brand new technology (and for 99% of the class SL was brand new) on top of the computer skills we already had learned before the course was a pretty eye-opening experience. One thing I always try to keep in mind with civic engagement and technology is that people are busy, they don't have time to go through multiple steps on a website meant to increase civic engagement, and they don't have time to learn new technology. So civic engagement technology needs to be designed to be as user-friendly as possible, probably more so than commercial software. As I explained in my original post, SL has a lot of issues with accessibility.
Yet in a way the difficulty of using SL put us all on a level playing field, since all of us, and even the instructors to an extent, were learning how to use the software for the first time. This forced us to work together as a team. As for real-world impact and where the project is going in the future--that's to be determined, and actually beyond the scope of the course. The class was the first stage of this project, known as Hub2, and I don't believe any of the night class participants are going to be involved in the next stage. I believe the idea will be to use SL (or some other virtual world technology if it becomes available) to involve community members in development projects going on in their neighborhoods; e.g. the Rose Kennedy Greenway, or Harvard's construction in Allston.
I have to admit I'm still fairly skeptical of what real-world consequences can come from this project. At the same time, having taken the course I realize how much potential is there. I guess we'll have to wait and see where it goes--I've heard the City is very interested in moving it forward.
Hope this is helpful info for you.
Virtual Volunteering
At the Knowledge Exchange Center (KEC) we have found that virtual volunteering is also a great opportunity for people who want to contribute to their community, but may not otherwise be able to due to limitations such as those who are experiencing physical, mental, invisable, or environmental disabilites.
Over this year KEC has had many virtual volunteers, a few examples...
-A 17 year old Haitian youth who had to be home each day after school to babysit for his six siblings so mom could work but wanted to volunteer, to build his resume as he prepared for college.
-A 26 year old college student who was on a wait list for a new liver, who was sometimes able to take the bus and come in to help, but who often was too sick and tired to leave home, so he worked from bed with his laptop.
-A 32 year old male and a 40 year old women who both had sufferred from mental illness and were homebound for so long that they used virtual volunteering as a way to get reconnected to the world, then they gradually came in the office to volunteer and then six months later gained enough confidence to return to school and enter the workforce.
-A 25 year old who just got out of prison and wanted to keep busy until he found paid work.
These people have offered a great service to our agency and have also gain a lot through this valuable experience.
Virtual volunteering allows those formally exclused to contribute, I highly recommend
finding opportunities to expand offerings.
Milinda
Virtual Volunteering
I can't agree with you more. Virtual volunteeing is an untapped resource that could help many nonprofits as well as those that would otherwise not have the ability to volunteer due to disabilities, lack of time in a conventional work day, etc.
The point I was driving at is that the volunteers in "second life" are not volunteering for entities in the real world. They are volunteering in their virtual world for virtual world entities. If they are volunteering for "make believe" causes they are able to volunteer for real causes but this leads to the question, How do we make these people aware of the virtual volunteering opportunities that will help real world people and organizations?
If people's avator (make believe personna) volunteer in the virtual society and they feel good about themselves does this feeling carry over into the real world? Will these people feel they have done their part and fail to realize that their volunteering was for make believe cause not a real world cause that will help real world people environments, and communities?
Below is the description of the second life volunteer program:
Community: Volunteer
The Official Second Life Volunteer Program
The Second Life Volunteer Program consists of a team of experienced Residents who have a strong desire to help other Residents in Second Life and wish to contribute to the development of the volunteer program. Second Life is a vast world, and learning how to explore it and develop the skills needed to have a positive experience as soon as possible can be a challenge to both new and seasoned Residents alike. Want to help make a difference?
Our Vision
Our program's vision is to lay the best foundation for volunteerism in Second Life by offering knowledge, assistance, and encouragement to residents in need. We believe volunteering in any world has the potential to enhance our character while reaching out to those who need us. Our mission is to reach that potential through our individual triumphs as well as team cooperation.
Volunteering With Style
Volunteers often choose to help Residents at a variety of locations such as Help Island, the mainland Welcome Areas, sandboxes, InfoHubs, and a variety of public places to answer questions, give advice, and otherwise provide guidance. This friendly face-to-face assistance is what we are known for!
However, volunteering is also free form and open to many ways of promoting progress. Hosting events to educate fellow volunteers or residents, contributions to the volunteer wiki, and development of SL Volunteer Island are some examples of ways volunteers are helping the progress of Second Life volunteerism.
As volunteers represent Linden Lab in their efforts, it is important to emphasize that volunteers must have a strong desire for team cooperation, goodwill for all, participation, and FUN!!! In other words, volunteer with style!
Expectations and Volunteer Support
Volunteers are expected to participate in the program and contribute to its progress, cooperate respectfully with one another, and learn more about how we work as a team. To help outline the program's intended virtues and aims, volunteers are also expected to meet with other volunteers and a Linden Lab representative for one volunteer orientation session.
Orientation sessions are run by a team of Linden Liaisons known as "VTeam" which pools its efforts into the progress of the volunteer program. VTeam acts as the bridge between Linden Lab and its volunteer community and offers support to the volunteers through office hours, team meetings, and other gatherings/festivities.
We expect all Volunteers to be professional and courteous. We expect them to have the patience of Buddha, the wisdom of Solomon, and the skin of a Rhinoceros. We expect them to be actively helping Residents whenever they can while being a member of the Volunteer Program. And we expect them to have a love of Second Life that is boundless, volunteering their time and effort to make it a better place for everyone. Do you have what it takes to make a difference?
Ready To Apply?!
In order to be accepted into our Volunteer Program, you must be an active Second Life Resident and meet the following minimum requirements:
I look forward to more feedback!
Karin
second life volunteering
Hi Karen- I was there when you had this suggestion and I agree with all the benefits. But, I too see your concern. This is taking second life to a whole new level and removing it even further from real life. The volunteer outline for their program matches the profile of alot of our agencies it's like it's real. Have you approached the Second Life "peeps" to see if they would entertain your idea?
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