Games Take on Violence Against Women

How is progress made?

2011-03-07T14:59:00.010-05:00

Newsweek has an article today about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's focus on the empowerment of women and girls worldwide. As a system thinker on a global scale, she can see the impact of violence against women on cultures...

“Because where women are disempowered and dehumanized, you are more likely to see not just antidemocratic forces, but extremism that leads to security challenges for us.”

...at the same time, because of her travel, she also has seen personally the very real human impact...

"One thing I would urge, if you do get a chance, is to visit a shelter, a site where trafficking victims have been rescued and are being rehabilitated,” she said to a room that had suddenly gone silent. “I recently was in Cambodia, and it is just so overwhelmingly heartbreaking and inspiring to see these young girls."

"One girl lost her eyes—to punish her, the owner of the brothel had stabbed her in the eye with a nail,” Clinton continued. “She was the most optimistic, cheerful young woman, just a tremendous spirit. What she wants to do when she grows up is help other victims of trafficking, so there is just an enormous amount of work to be done.”

Changing cultures.

When it comes to violence against women, I've found that too many of us look at it as a personal or cultural matter that we have no right to address. When we first began the project to create a game to address violence against women, I myself was conflicted. But then again I had been conditioned by such a situation - and narrowly escaped. I remember distinctly being told that it was my fault. The culture of abuse is a culture of control, of taking away women's rights through fear. No wonder perhaps that the innocent are most in danger. For example in 2002, 150 million GIRLS suffered from sexual abuse of some type.

When we first began the project, we traveled to South Africa to see through another cultural lens. There a South African writer, an educated artist, confronted us and asked,

"How dare you tell me how I can or cannot punish my partner."

I do not think I will ever forget that meeting - or the young girls we met. Today they must just be reaching puberty. I often think of them...and all our young women, who were much like myself, young and full of a desire to love and be loved.

The greatest gift we can bring to the word is peace. And what I know for sure, is until all girls and women are assured of equality and the right to be free from abuse, we will never be free from war and violence. The good news on BREAKAWAY is that it is appealing to a global culture. The platform on which it is delivered is open and free— http://www.breakawaygame.com . Our challenge is to get it into the hands of more boys and young men. Recent statistics on the website show, visitors from 161 countries:

Top 10 countries:
1. United States
2. Pakistan
3. Canada
4. Indonesia
5. India
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia
8. South Africa
9. Malaysia
10. France

And the game is being played in 121 countries:

Top 10 countries:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Canada
4. Albania & France (tied)
5. Algeria & Brazil (tied)
6. America Samoa
7. Japan
8. Australia & India (tied)

Focus for the next year is on getting it into more hands. To this end we will be concentrating on:

online marketing to reach youth directly
connecting to groups that work with youth worldwide
a facilitator's guide

Other areas that we are seeking funding or volunteers for are:

more translations - if you would like to donate translation services we can get it into more countries.
CD duplication and distribution to groups where the internet is weak
impact assessment
a mobile version to reach most broadly

The final chapter of BREAKAWAY, in English, Spanish and French, will be released this March. Its the month of my birthday and it feels like a gift—a gift to my much younger self, to all those girls around the world, and from us to world peace.

Senator Leahy Introduces BREAKAWAY Panel

2010-10-20T09:26:00.000-04:00

Senator Patrick Leahy introduces the BREAKAWAY panel at Vermont 3.0 Tech Jam on Friday, October 15. Following his speech, students from the Emergent Media Center discussed the development of the game, from research and pitching at UN headquarters to crunch, launch, and beyond.

A bit quiet but much good in the silence

2010-10-13T21:15:00.007-04:00

We’ve been a bit quiet on the home front but that is not due lack of energy and success with our game to address violence against women. It's more like we've been overwhelmingly busy! I'm sure many of you can relate.
We hosted a launch party this August and two chapters of an eventual 5 total have been released. As I’ve been updating the UN and others in the last few days on the successes of BREAKAWAY I realized that we needed to share with all of you as many of you have helped us reach the point we are at today!!! So first off THANK YOU!!!!

The team is full steam ahead on our third chapter release due in 13 days! Now over 90 Champlain students, the United Nations Population Fund, Population Media Center, numerous volunteers, and Champlain College faculty and staff have been putting forth amazing creative and productive efforts!

2 out of 5 chapters of BREAKAWAY have been released online since July. The remaining 3 chapters will be released monthly completing in December 2010.

Inter-Milan soccer star Samuel Eto’o is the spokesperson for and a character in the game. We interviewed and videotaped him this Spring. From this footage, corresponding video promos will be released on his thoughts about the nature of being a champion, being an advocate for others, and respect for women and girls.

Likewise, we've been busy getting the word out on the game to get it into the hands of young people. We have been helped immensely by press that has been drawn to the project. TV coverage by ChannelOne out of NYC aired on August 31 (see below) and scores of youth across the US became part of the game playing audience. It was cool to watch the US light up in Google Analytics in the ChannelOne broadcasting region!

To announce the game, we’ve been participating in summits and conferences. Sponsored by Liaison International , a student team, Lauren Nishikawa & myself just returned from presenting at "Images and Voice of Hope". We presented the project to an audience of media professional who are working to produce “media as an agent of world benefit”

This Friday, a panel of students will be presenting twice at Vermont 3.0 in Burlington . The panel title is:

From Zero to Hero: the process of game development,
10:30am – 11:15am and 1:00pm – 1:45pm.

And here is some very big news, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy will be giving the opening remarks for the 10:30 panel!

Other currently planned, upcoming presentations on BREAKAWAY include:

Bioneers, CA, Sunday: http://www.bioneers.org/conference/2010-conference-sessions-and-events/getting-in-the-game
The Montreal Game Summit (MIGS), Montreal, November 8: http://sijm.ca/2010/?page_id=81&language=en
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2010, NYC, November 23-25

Presently, we can analyze hard data from our database and website analytics:

Since launching June 22, 2010 during the FIFA World Cup, the game has over 1070 registered online users from 90 different countries around the world.BREAKAWAY website for links)
Statistics regarding age and gender tell us we are reaching the target audience of young men – twice as many males as females are playing the game and over 50% of the user base is age 18 or under and they are coming back to play multiple times, a key component of the Sabido methodology on which this game is based.
In addition, 92% of players are making positive choices as opposed to negative choices within the game.
Potential influence and awareness is evident in website statistics which boast over 3800 visits from 133 different countries.

As you can well imagine with final online release in December, we won’t be finished yet with trying to change attitudes and behaviors around violence against women and girls.

After working on this project for over two years, we sometimes think our project and this message is old news, but with 1 out of 3 women abused in her lifetime there is much work to be done. We've traveled to and connected with the townships of South Africa to the schools of the Caribbean to the youth of Vermont, we want to reach youth around the world so they can discover, play, and all can benefit from this ground-breaking project!

Our future plans include finding funding to support: a global PR & marketing outreach, creating a facilitator/educator syllabus to distribute to schools, youth groups and soccer-affiliated groups, CD/DVD’s distribution for internet-poor areas (for distribution under the UNiTE campaign’s Men Engage), and a cell phone version to reach the poorest communities.

So we're asking each of you, to remember that it has been the little things that have added up in BIG terms on this project. Let's break through the silence. You can help! Please consider volunteering on the project, spreading the word, and consider donating as little as $5.00 towards our future goals. You can do so by visiting our project web site http://www.emergentmediacenter.com/unvaw/involved.php

"There's more to the game than just playing soccer..."

2010-09-13T12:29:00.000-04:00

We are excited to share with you a news clip about BREAKAWAY, produced by Channel One News. Channel One is the leading television news network for teens nationwide. Their mission is to "inform, educate and inspire by making news relevant and engaging for young people and sparking discussion around the important issues impacting youth today."

Chapter 2 of BREAKAWAY is now live! Don't worry, if you haven't played Chapter 1 yet, you'll play that first so you don't miss any of the story. Head on over and see what all the buzz is about!

(This post also cross-posted at the Emergent Media Center blog.)

What is a Champion?

2010-05-14T16:28:00.017-04:00

The Breakaway game is counting down to release the game with the FIFA World Cup this June. In a circular world, everything seems to return round again. When we began researching the problem of violence against women, and attitudes and behaviors of youth, we began in Cape Town, South Africa. It was a world that had both 1st and 3rd world economies and an overwhelmingly negative statistics in regards to violence against women and girls. We had no idea then that the game would be a soccer/football game in time for the World Cup in South Africa or that it would be for 8-15 year old boys.

Likewise when we began the project we were a small group with a lot of doubters. How could a game prevent violence against women and why?

Many have a difficult time even speaking about the issue of violence against women. The issue gets caught up in thinking that sees it as a private family matter or a cultural issue that others should not interfere with. Even where we are today, in modern Italy, it is legal for a husband to lose his temper and murder his wife in a "crime of passion". And what of honor killings in which a man or his family burn the wife for reasons as anti-passionate as the size of a dowry, or lack of a male heir? Dare one speak out against that? What would the victim ask? Is death at the hands of another not a crime?

Others associate violence against women and girls as a "women's issue" bound up in anti-feminism rhetoric. What about the effects on the children of an abused partner or girls who are sold into sexual slavery at ages as young as 8 or 9, or the female babies and toddlers denied health care because of their sex at birth? Is that not a family issue—a human rights issue—a moral issue?

And how might a game address the problem? At first I even had to think long and hard before writing the first proposal to the United Nations. How would one utilize a medium accused of being violent and apply it towards anti-violence? By uniting game-play mechanics, reward systems, narrative, and fun in the right mix. Games can be powerful learning tools. They encourage reflective thinking and critical problem solving. If experienced at a crucial age, they can inspire new ways of seeing choices and consequences of decisions. I also firmly believe that if anyone can create a concept to engage boys, it is youth—our Champlain students who have academic experience in the medium, but who also enjoy, play and analyze it.

With progress towards our goals, believers...champions have come to our side from the most unlikely places. First Senator Patrick Leahy lent his support of the project and the team's ability to complete it. He stated that when he first started his career as State's Attorney he started prosecuting for domestic violence. When told "that isn't how we do things around here." He replied "well there's a new sheriff in town and now we do!".

Other supporters came to our aid when funding was in limbo last summer. Among them Laura Dagan and her employer Dwight Asset Management, our partner Population Media Center through their president Bill Ryerson, and many other individuals gifting as little as $1.00 or as much as $10,000. Without their generosity and pledges totaling $52,000 the project would have ended without reaching its goals.

Well this week we have new champions! And I must admit my mind is still reeling. Part of our team is in Milan, Italy videotaping for the game trailers, other PSA's, and a new character in our game. We are here because we brainstormed with game pros in Montreal, Canada and JDK in Burlington, Vermont. Then we took the concept and presented to the UN. Through them Aminata Toure, gender expert at the UNFPA, and Enzo di Taranto, director of the UNiTE to End Violence Against Women, campaign connected to the Spokesperson to the President of the General Assembly of the UN, Jean-Victor Nkolo.

He connected to his countryman, international soccer/football star Samuel Eto'o. This week Samuel Eto'o pledged to give his all to support the project and the cause. We just spent two days working with him. What an incredible role-model for boys, youth, men around the world.

Senator Patrick Leahy, Bill Ryerson, Laura Dagan, Aminata Toure, Enzo di Taranto, Jean-Victor Nkolo, and Samuel Eto'o are all successful people whom others look to as leaders in their fields. They are all champions working to end violence against women. If more spoke out like these there would be no need for our project. From a project that few believed possible to one with such support!

In less than a month we release the first chapter of Breakaway to coincide with the World Cup 2010. We will have 5 more chapters to release through until December 2010—for these we are seeking corporate sponsorship and appreciate individual and foundational gifts. You can be a champion as well—we are looking for volunteers to translate scripts for us into other languages, to test the game, find bugs, give feedback, and for help getting the word out. Our game site is at http://www.breakawaygame.com/ , Facebook Fan page at http://www.facebook.com/breakawaygame, and the project page for info and donations at ttp://emergentmediacenter.com/unvaw/index.html .

As one of our champions, you can be a part of enabling youth worldwide to be able to explore and discover for themselves how to truly be a champion.

Job Openings on Empowering Play Project

2010-04-07T15:29:00.000-04:00

Join our team! The Emergent Media Center is hiring for late Spring/Summer 2010 positions on the UNFPA/Empowering Play project. You MUST be a Champlain College student in order to apply.

Click HERE for a listing of open positions.

Hurry! Resume, cover letter, and deliverables (if required) are due by Friday, April 16th!

Out of the Storm and Into a New View of the World

2010-02-27T16:45:00.006-05:00

Airports are a mass of humanity. Most of them are stressed out. I’m in the Reagan International Airport. I am stuck here because my flight was OVERBOOKED!!!!! UGH!!!!!!! I have grown to dislike immensely airports and flying.

My flight into DC was stressful. I flew out in the middle of a snowstorm that had finally hit Vermont. Of course prior I had been wishing for the snow that seemed to be going elsewhere all winter. I love skiing (and would prefer to be doing so this weekend but like I said I am stuck in an airport).

On Wednesday when I flew out, it was a true blizzard with everything—roads, ground, horizon, air—pure white. As we climbed higher and higher after takeoff the plane tossed and turned more violently with every gain in altitude. And when it reached its worse—and my prayers and thoughts of loved ones most fervent—it broke. And what I viewed was what I had as a small child imagined heaven was: the sunset expansive over hundreds of miles of blue clouds!

Here I am again awaiting a flight into a storm, however reflecting on the light beyond the clouds, I recognize that this week has resulted in a fairly productive series of events; the potential formation of a SIG for the IEEE Computer Society for those with interest in games; on-the-ground international support for our ground-breaking game to end violence against women; and this article in the Chronicle for Higher Ed: http://chronicle.com/blogPost/In-Development-at-Champlain/21474/

Results. We are driven in this current society for short-term results. No waiting. Instant rewards. More, more, more. Let me have it NOW! Hence the stress, the rudeness, the inhumanity of an airport. But have you ever looked at the babies and small children? People smile when they see them, and as I heard one woman say this morning deep in the security line “I’ll hold her for you!” Children seem to bring us back to our humanity. They are long–term.

It is for those babies that I am here in this airport giving up yet another weekend with those I love deepest.

Our Champlain students and EMC faculty and staff, guided by experts in change, have discovered the means that can make the world a less violent, more economically stable place for our children and youth to grow into. Seems like an awfully BIG promise doesn’t it? Perhaps but its a promise backed up by a solid plan.

Our solution is grounded in proven behavior theory, designed to engage boys at a pivotal age, enable them to see beyond immediate culture conditioning. It allows them to practice key behaviors to discover the rewards of positive behavior and uncover the imprisonments of negative behavior. The project is being linked to on-the-ground structures that can support individual choice for change. And it is to be launched by an international star who provides an inspirational role model.

Yes, I can see a world achievable within my lifetime where the status quo is one of peace and prosperity. One where nine year old girls are not sold or abducted for trade as sex slaves as described in “Half the Sky” or their mothers are not violently “disciplined” by their fathers (as we learned in Africa); a world in which engaging babies can grow up to be equal partners working side-by-side towards a positive future for their babies and for us all. A world in balance.

However here we are again, awaiting launch with delays impeding takeoff. We have funding that will get us to the launch of the game but for full impact we need but two more months of funding.

Can you see the peace achievable beyond the storm? Would you like to help us get above the clouds? Become a part of this project that can turn the tides on a world-view that allows baby girls, pre-teens, their sisters and their mothers to become victims of sex trafficking, maternal mortality and violence against women. Become a game-changer.

One last post from Saint Lucia

2009-12-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Check out a collection of photos from our experience at the EMC blog: http://emergentmediacenter.blogspot.com/2009/12/looking-back-from-home.html

Poverty in Paradise

2009-12-20T15:30:00.009-05:00

We are in the airport in Saint Lucia. We've been here awhile. Our flight is delayed from New York. We are assuming it is on the US side as it is beautiful weather here - as it seems almost always to be. So families and friends you may expect that we might not be in tonight. They expect us not to leave for two hours after our scheduled departure. This means our layover in NYC is very tight.

We've just spent a luscious day and a half in beautiful Saint Lucia. We explored the beaches, the sun, the shopping! The students finalized their Christmas shopping, explored, and did some saltwater swimming at the beach in Rodney Bay. Wendi, Ray, Jim and I were able to explore the national park at Pigeon Island. All of us were able to see some of the weddings the island is known for.

Away from our work, we saw the island more the way a traditional tourist would. We explored the darker side of the touristic events with a street party at Gros Islet - where stray dogs begged and then fought over plates of street food and poorer residents tried over and over to sell us braided palm and beads for much too much money.

However we also saw the beauty of a very fine restaurant and hotel with a pool that seemed more at place in Disney World. We strolled lovely beaches and met other tourists from around the world. The salt water and sunny skies called us to pull up stakes and relocate to Saint Lucia. And we began to understand and appreciate the pace of life here as a T-shirt Jim found that stated "Live Slow, Saint Lucia".

The striking thing is the paradox of poverty in paradise: the beauty of the surroundings and the beaten up nature of the living conditions. One thing I do know for sure, the people here are confident, polite, friendly, complex, and in charge of their destinies.

To see more of the contrasting images please visit our Emergent Media Center Facebook page and look through our photo albums.

Heart of a Culture

2009-12-18T12:48:00.011-05:00

Part of the wonder of this project is being able to visit the heart of a culture – their children. It still amazes me how we've gotten to understand and know the children of this island within the context of their school lives. In a school one also sees how a community cares and teaches its children the knowledge it wishes to impart. Much like our visit to Africa, we are discovering the children here to be curious, affectionate, and open to us. In these communities, though also in poverty, there is an even greater knowledge of technology and how to use it. The schools however still do not seem to possess much. We find that the children may or may not know how to read.

Today we are compiling all our findings and I thought that it would be good to share some of my observations on the localities in which we ran the game tests.

Dennery: When we arrived in at the school in Dennery, we drove into a large empty parking lot to a series of low buildings that were had U shaped courtyards. Water faucets were outdoors (as we discovered they were at all the schools). There were two sports fields behind the buildings. One had a chain link fence surrounding it and a cricket match was in play. Despite 80 degree heat the players were in full uniform similar to old-fashioned baseball uniforms from around the turn of the century on the US. The field without the fence was the soccer/football field. Dogs and goats wandered freely in the parking lot and sat under the eves for shade.

The children were selected by the physical education teacher/coach. They all were football enthusiasts. As we were let into the classrooms the children were lined up outside the building sitting on a ledge. The classrooms were a bit ragged with open concrete grid work for ventilation.

The desks were an assemblage of wooden hand made child sized picnic tables or desks made of wood similar to the desks in our game but no metal legs. One classroom in particular was very gaily painted with primary colors and messages and objects upon the walls – it was their music room. Later we discovered that it was done by our PMC coordinator Alleyne’s wife.

Vieux Fort: After along drive through narrow twisting roads where cars passed –but just barely we arrived in Vieux Fort some children were waiting for us. Wendi logged the children in as rooms were opened up for us to test in. Each group of testers got a single classroom. The classrooms were like an arrow pointing to the highway (widest in Saint Lucia that we encountered) and were loud due to the proximately to the highway especially that classroom nearest the road (about 40 feet from the road).

Here horses walked freely along the roadside along with short versions of tractor-trailers and cars. The schoolyard was set up in a U shape with a high fence solid all around. The courtyard was paved with blacktop and exposed fully to the sun. Behind it was the technical school and playing fields. These classrooms seemed even poorer than those in Dennery with broken furniture, floor tiles, and water on the classroom seats from rain coming through the ceiling. Again it was open grid work ventilation. The desks were like those in our game for the most part. The chalkboards were dark green and light green some that could hardly take chalk anymore. Some signs were on the walls that contain motivational phrases, some information posters but not many.

Soufriere: Soufriere seemed to be geographically more remote. It is on the Caribbean coastline and to get to it, one drives a very rugged coastline through some very poor looking coastal towns. The town itself, though it is a tourist destination for the cruise ships is ramshackle and looks glued together. There is a coconut oil processing plant across from the school. It seems to be falling apart but has recently gotten a government grant to be updated. It used to employ about 300 workers and now has about 50.

When we arrived at Soufriere we drove into a school that had a classroom facilities and architecture much like those we had seen before but it was in one of the most spectacular settings with the Pitons rising above the school courtyard. The fenced in school and courtyard were off the road with large trees in the courtyard. It was colorful and looked inviting.

However we were not to do the testing in the classrooms. Instead there was a long building that housed the teacher resource room. It was air-conditioned and full of many sorts of learning materials: posters, manipulatives, and even books! This meant again that we would share the testing space. Two groups were in one room with conference like furniture. The other three were in a classroom like setting more familiar to American eyes with tables and chairs sized to groups of children.

However there was confusion when we arrived due to miscommunication. The person who had arranged to host us was an official of the football association and a local coach. They thought an American Football Team was coming to play against their team! There was a large football stadium behind the school complex. It had the largest playing field in Saint Lucia until they recently build the stadium for it. The stadium had multiple tiers of seats, an announcer room and a roof. It was full of mothers and children who had expected the American team. There was a young boy with a crowd of other young boys around him avidly playing upon his Nintendo DS.

A football match was live in session between two towns in the field. These children were our test subjects.

The coach could not pull the young people form their match which had two more hours to go. So after much negotiation and flexible thinking we were able to round up a group first of ten – then twenty children! We only needed ten children for the best results. They fell nicely within the demographics for our game. We split the group into two under a large tree in front of the Teachers’ Resource building. Wendi and I took half of the group of eight ranging in age from nine to thirteen and sat outside asking the marketing questions. A big takeaway for me was that they accessed the web both on the computer and through mobile. Often this was through the use of relatives’ hardware. They all played games – especially anything to do with football/soccer. And many used Facebook and some played Farmville. Another ah ha was that they have a girl on their football team much like in our game concept. Luckily she was one of the children being tested in the building by our Champlain team. She was the football coach’s niece.

The lack of ability to read should not be surprising. Much like in Africa, in general the classrooms here do not contain much. There is a definite lack of reading materials available in the schools. No books and yet the children manage to access the web through mobile and computer. Truly if information could be delivered in an engaging way (what is more engaging to a child than play and games) through the internet, we could educate a world – and in doing so compound the human capital and end poverty and much more besides. So do I believe in educational games? This trip only reinforces my belief. Do I think the entertainment world will rise to the question? Not yet. Do I think we are working towards solutions and that this process will deliver on this? Sure do.

Close-up photo of young boy in red shirt by Mollie Coons during our tests.

Day Three in Saint Lucia

2009-12-17T08:43:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas from a classroom in Saint Lucia. The children are all on break but we've been fortunate. Alleyne the PMC representative in Saint Lucia has rounded up children and teachers/coaches across this island to participate in our testing of the game.

The internet at the Inn can be iffy. I’m not sure if it is because of the amount of techies that have descended on it or that’s just the way it is. Long and short it took about 3 hours to try to upload our photos to Facebook and only partially succeeded.

Luckily our first day of testing, Wednesday, was very successful. We went to two schools. One in Dennery and one in Vieux Fort. We were able to work with approximately 30 boys between the ages of 8-15, and one girl. The group was a good slice of the demographic we are creating the game for.

Mollie relates that it was interesting when the goats and the horses walked into the classrooms.
Other observations from the Champlain College students are in regards to the game. There were slight differences in how the boys viewed aspects of the game dependent on age. Most of the participants thought that the game characters were roughly the age we created them to be although Mary was thought to be slightly older than we targeted. As for where the game characters came from – it ran a range from Brazil to Georgia to England to eastern Caribbean to a hotel (this makes sense because of the influx of tourist on Saint Lucia and the corresponding ethnicity discrepancy).

As for the game play that varied. One aspect was how they used the keyboard. There was a range in how they used it – some proficient and quick, others used two hands in a unique way and even collaboratively shared the keyboard. We tested both the skill-based games and the narrative. We did have some technical problems but even that brought forth interesting information. For example with a test in which the audio did not play throughout, a small group of boys they would follow along with the dialogue with voice over and refer to each other to make selections. When the play switched to the skill building games they would play singularly.

What was rewarding was that the boys wanted to continue to play and even asked where they could get the game. The only thing that trumped their desire to play the games was an actual soccer/football game that began when almost all the testing was completed. In that game Alex and Ray even jumped in to play!

Testing in Saint Lucia the Week Before Christmas

2009-12-15T22:30:00.005-05:00

Twas the week before Christmas and all through Champlain,

the students were being tested except for a few...

And those few were the testing team from the Emergent Media Center and Population Media Center working on this project.

Until December 20th we are as far from snow and ice as a Vermont resident could get at this time of year. We are in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia population around 180,000. The residents are 80% Catholic and equally of African descent. However this little island holds many more as over 500,000 tourists visit it a year. The economy is largely based on tourism, in fact we heard it is one of the most popular destinations in the world for honeymoons. Previously, an economic mainstay was the banana crop until other nations were able to grow and harvest them for a much cheaper price. The worldwide economic downturn has effected this small island nation as well.

We departed from Burlington, Vermont yesterday at the early hour of 5:30AM and after a long day of flights and a drive of about an hour arrived in Rodney Bay in the Northern end of the island.

We drove through roads that twisted and turned up through volcanic mountainsides, through the rain forest and past banana plantations. The weather is very warm and the colors are vibrant. Those we have met here are confident and friendly with a good sense of laughter.

Today we have spent most of the day in a small conference room preparing for a week of tests. We will be testing aspects of Episode I of the game in four different schools - one from each quadrant of the island. Stay tuned.

It's CRUNCH time!

2009-12-04T16:07:00.006-05:00

In the game industry "crunch time" is the "critical period of time in which it is neccesary to work hard and fast" usually before a final milestone or shipping. Here's a link to a fun definition in Urban Dictionary, read the first one: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=crunch%20time

Here at the EMC it is the same on a number of fronts but particularily in regards to our game to end violence against women. We are promised to deliver Episode I, suitable for testing by the end of this month. At the same time, it is finals and the holiday season here. Everything is in high gear. The art team has planned a mass render of the poses and animations to be completed by early next week (did I mention they are still producing the poses and animations), the narrative team is realigning the storyline to encompasses a revised and powerful dynamic based on a conversation with UNFPA this week, the programmers will be incorporating the rendered art into the Episode and the UI and storyboard team are pushing to get those completed as well.

Then there's the rest of our team! We are planning the following for the next two weeks:

a presentation to Dwight Assets about the project and thanking them for their support.
a proposal to the UN for funding to get the project through to the World Cup,

multiple meetings and brainstorming sessions with advisors from EA, A2M and JDK,

producing the market plan and the mobile plan,

and conducting a field test of the game in St. Lucia from Dec. 14-20 with a team of 12,

a "mind meld" of other groups on and off campus to discuss the issue of violence against women!

So come join us for the “Mind-meld” Drop-In Discussion:
Violence Against Women ( http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=189541303349&ref=mf ) Wednesday, December 9th

4:00 – 5:30 pm.

Miller Information Commons, Vista Room, 3rd floor

Cookies and cider will be provided.

And stay tuned for updates from our tests in St. Lucia!

Come do a little thing that’s powering BIG change!

2009-11-03T11:27:00.002-05:00

Empowering Play: Helping End Violence Against Women

is holding a fundraising

R A F F L E

THIS WEEK! Wednesday – Friday, November 4-6

11 am – 2pm

IDX Atrium, outside the dining hall on Champlain College campus

Come do a little thing that’s powering BIG change!

(And get some holiday shopping done while you’re at it!)

YOU could win: Scott Sheela Skis, Prizes from the Flynn Center, Vermont Stage Company, Petra Cliffs, Discover Jazz Festival, Stowe Mountain Resort, epicPlanet, Lake Champlain International Fishing Derby, Green Mountain Coffee, Lake Champlain Chocolates, University Mall, Junior’s Italian, Coca Cola, American Flatbread, August First, Body Le Bronze, Shaws, and MUCH MORE!

Raffle ticket pricing:

Top-level prizes, tickets cost: $5 for 1 ticket or $20 for 5 tickets

Other prizes, tickets cost: $1 for 1 ticket or $5 for 10 tickets.

… And for $0.25, you can have a spin on our PRIZE WHEEL and win:

• Movie tickets

• Pizza Putt Passes for laser tag, mini golf, and pizza

• Jazzman’s gift certificates

• Free raffle tickets

For pictures of prizes and more information, please visit our Facebook event.

Empowering Play is a project of the Emergent Media Center, with collaboration from Population Media Center and the United Nations Population Fund. This innovative project is aimed at preventing violence against women and girls. Violence against women and girls is a pervasive global problem, often deeply rooted in cultural stereotypes. More information on the project and the Emergent Media Center can be found at http://www.emergentmediacenter.com/unvaw/

Also, check out our newest video (10 minutes) on the status of the project.

Project Update - Good News to Share

2009-10-09T13:32:00.007-04:00

Wow we have some very good news to share!

It's all due to all of you 've reached out and supported our this project through our thin summer and fall months! We have completed post-production and last week received news that the UNFPA is committed to funding the project through December 31, 2009. This is awesome news.

Your support has kept the project on track and our team working on this complex project through today. Any gifted funds are a vital cushion to be deployed when the project is between funding cycles (like this summer and anticipated again in January). Likewise they will help fund next year’s even larger effort! Without them, the project would end.

To build on this fund, November 4-6th, our marketing team with student Amanda Jones at the lead will be raffling great items such as the 162cm Scott Sheela women’s skis Bob Cartelli donated and gifts certificates to eateries such as Papa Franks. If you have something to contribute to the raffle, please contact me at demarle@champlain.edu Likewise do continue to share the word about our game to end violence against women and pass around our web site: http://www.emergentmediacenter.com/UNVAW/index.html
The new funding means is we are moving out of pre-production to build and test Episode I. Upon testing, this Episode will be able to be revised and finalized In Spring. This has the project on track to complete Episode I and other episodes for web launch during FIFA (June 11-July 11, 2010)!

A bit on our episodes. The game is to be deployed like a soap opera with episodes that we have organized into chapters. We have 6 chapters containing 2-3 episodes each. This is the key to success - balancing the fun of playing soccer with the narrative “ah ha” interwoven learning moments.

With the funding, this fall our team expands with 21 students and the expertise of Professor Josh Buck (to lead the 3D art & animation team), Professor Erik Esckilsen (to lead our narrative design team), and Dr. Elaine Young (to lead our new marketing effort to surround the game launch). Additionally we are looking to hire 3 positions: art/web development, cell phone/programming lead, and an assistant director to the EMC. So if you know anyone looking for a rewarding project to work on through until Dec. 31 leading to possible longer-term employment, please pass it on!

Did anyone see Oprah last week? She had an incredible show that highlighted the cause of women around the globe. Her guests included Nicolas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn authors of “Half the Sky” which I reflected upon in the last post. Due to that post, our project was picked up and appeared most recently in School Library Journal .

The organizations highlighted on the Oprah show aid women to lift them from their circumstances. I heartily applaud and support their aims. Our project gets at the problem from a different angle. It has a long term goal of causing behavior change in the oppressors…changing the source of the violence. All methods are needed to end this problem. As the “Half the Sky” book description states:

"Half the Sky" lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses:
sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor
killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a
minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the
world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent –
and so does the opportunity.

Small actions do add up. Thank you once again for doing those things to end the violence.

Just to Share - Half the Sky

2009-09-14T20:55:00.003-04:00

This book I know I am going to need to read. Nicolas Kristof presented at Games4Change in New York City this summer. Ray and I were fortunate to hear his keynote and I was able to speak with him afterward. Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn have written a book entitled "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide". The title comes from an old Chinese proverb that says "women hold up half of the sky".

What I wish to share today is a link to a review in today's Huffington Post by Bill Gates Sr. But first to another book associated with the Gates' family.

This year I read the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. In this book Gladwell investigates what factors bring about extraordinary individuals; what separates them from others of similar intelligences or cultural standings. In Gladwell's book Bill Gates Jr. is one of those case studies. Interestingly enough, Gladwell points to the importance of Gates' mother at creating opportunities that led to Gates' latter success. In the "Half the Sky" review, Gates Sr. also states about his first wife, "Mary Maxwell Gates, was a force of nature."

In the Huffington Post review, Gates Sr.'s acknowledges the important role of women economically:

"What Nick and Sheryl have done is lay out a case for why empowering women in the developing world is both morally right and strategically imperative. Their essential message is that Lifting Women Lifts the World. I couldn't agree more."

Gates further states "when a man partners with a strong woman, everyone benefits".

All of which is essentially the message of the UNFPA and what we are conveying to young men in our Empowering Play game project to end violence against women.

Here is a bit more of Gates' review of "Half the Sky"and a link to it:

"I don't normally do book reviews. However, because I'm a recent book author, a colleague sent me an advance copy of the manuscript for Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's new book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity Worldwide and suggested that some of the themes might be of interest to me.
It was. In fact, the book is stunning. Not because it's a compelling read, which it is. Not because it immediately leapt on to the bestseller list (as an author, I pay more attention to such things now). The book belongs on the "must-read" list because it offers perspective, insight, and clear-eyed optimism for why and how each of us can and should meet one of the great moral and humanitarian challenges of our times."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-gates-senior/huffpost-review-ihalf-the_b_286227.html

Our Girls

2009-08-21T11:12:00.018-04:00

I have as my desktop a photo (below) of five little girls we met in the townships of South Africa while doing research for our project – I call them “Sarah’s girls” as they fell in love with Sarah when we were there. They were spunky and spirited and full of life. Likewise I think of the "tween" boys I met full of smiles. They are the daily reasons my heart keeps me on this project.
Through them I am reminded that in South Africa 1 in 4 females (all ages included) is raped and every 6 days a man kills his spouse. I am outraged by the news out of the Congo where rape is being used as a tool of warfare.

In my email box today was a link to the Economist about Afghanistan. Driving into work I had been listening to the results of yesterday’s election there. Though turnout was low hope was in the air. This email however was about the child brides of Afghanistan. It is a poignant collage with narration by the photo journalist who created the story. One particularly powerful image looks as if it is the young Virgin Mary in blue and white. Another is of 11-year old Ghulam Haider glancing apprehensively as she sees her middle-aged husband for the first time. Yes the girls have not even entered puberty when married to men much, much older – not the vision we think of when we imagine Disney’s version of Aladdin. As one can imagine many of these girls die in childbirth or from other atrocities.

These examples are from around the world, but I am also driven because I fear for our daughters and my students here at home...

This week a reminder came via my dentist’s office. The hygienist, about my age, and I got to talking – mom talk (yup photo above is my mom, daughter, and my new niece camping this summer)! Our daughters are both college students in New England. We are both very proud of them – mine studying Biology, hers studying Finance. Both of ours are dating wonderful young men. They face a bright future. Her daughter returned to Vermont for her final year. The reason being she was raped last year in her apartment by a boy whom she repeatedly refused to date.

At the Emergent Media Center our Champlain students and our partners PMC and the UNFPA are working hard to stop the problem at the root cause – misguided cultural stereotypes – and the men who believe them. Our game project is for young men and boys. It is a soccer (football) game. Through this game the player’s cultural beliefs are challenged through a storyline. Within the story disrespectful behavior for girls equates to lack of success on the soccer field. Though this may seem a stretch in real life, it really is not.

Boys who grow up to become abusive men do not lead full, productive lives. Likewise abuse is directly linked to economics. The UN as one of its Millennial Goals points to ending gender inequality, violence as its worst manifestation, as a key requirement to ending global poverty. The way I see it, it is a line of dominoes. When violence in the family ends then reason and knowledge rule instead and are passed on generation to generation. Only then does violence itself come into question and peace truly has a chance on a global scale.

These are the reasons our game has such potential to create real change. We are directly speaking to the cause of violence – both the boys and the culture. The strategy for the message delivery is based on the proven success of the Sabido Methodology. We are crafting an experience that stands on the shoulders of a globally hip and popular sport. It’s fun and the boys will love playing it – yes a spoonful of sugar with the medicine – only in this case a spoonful of medicine with A LOT of sugar. If done in time we can take advantage of the timing of the FIFA World Cup. Its web site is the most visited web site in the world!

We were successful in raising the amount of money needed to continue pre-production through the Summer. We are about to enter production this Fall to make that FIFA deadline but we need a bit more of a hand. Help us continue the great work of our student teams and partners! We still are seeking donations to keep our team working this Fall. So if you have pledged, please send in your gift, if you are considering a gift now is a very good time, and if you know of others that would be interested in our project pass the message forward.

This weekend the New York Times will devote its entire magazine to the issue of women and poverty around the world. There is a powerful and positive interactive slide show that gives a sneak preview by New York Times writer Nicholas Kristof. See it at:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/20/magazine/kristof-audioss/index.html

Speaking Out Strongly

2009-08-12T20:13:00.005-04:00

As reported by various news sources while touring Africa yesterday, Sec. Hillary Clinton spoke out strongly against the brutality against women and their families being used in the Congo as a tool of war.

Clinton told the Congolese President Joseph Kabila there would be "no impunity for sexual and gender-based violence" and later stated that "those who attack civilian populations using systematic rape are guilty of crimes against humanity."

As posted by CBS News in the article Hillary Clinton's Congo Trip Will Shed Light On Sexual Violence :

"The eastern Congo has one of the highest rates of sexual violence against women in the world, with both soldiers and rebel groups using rape as a tool of war.

Sexual violence as thought of in the West does not begin to describe what the Congolese women endure. Not only are they raped repeated and physically brutalized, they are forced to watch their infants slaughtered upon birth.
The women's inability to control their bowels and urine comes from repeated rapes. The medical term is fistula. The walls of their uterus and bladder have been broken from repeated gang rapes by rebel soldiers, objects shoved roughly inside them and even guns fired into their vagina.
Just by going there, Secretary Clinton will shine further light on the sexual predation, perversion and incalculable brutality taking place in Congo. The sooner it is brought to an end, the better."

A shocking and eye-opening discussion of the issue between Jim Lehrer and Zanaib Salbi of Women to Women International can be found at the PBS News Hour website: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/africa/july-dec09/congo2_08-11.html

Thank you!

2009-07-14T20:55:00.004-04:00

In the last week we've reached a third of our goal for funds to continue production this summer!!!!! We have now raised $30,000 thanks to individuals who've given in amounts from $10-$1000 and thanks to our partner Population Media Center who has gifted the project $20,000. Tomorrow we will present our work to date to the UNFPA. Following that we will share our progress with you! You will be able to see the video documenting where the project is via our web site Empowering Play at http://www.emergentmediacenter.com/unvaw/ do stay tuned!!!!!

Video is on YouTube

2009-07-09T10:55:00.004-04:00

Spreading the Word

2009-07-07T21:36:00.006-04:00

Thank you to all who have been sending in your support! Gifts ranging for $10.00 to $1000.00 have been coming in. In the past few days we've reached about $7000.00. But of equal impact are those continuing to spread the word. An example is John Abele's post last week on the potential impacts of the project in the Kingbridge Centre blog: http://www.kingbridgecentre.com/wordpress/?p=65

Every little bit helps us reach our goal—changing the game and causing a rethink of the appropriateness of violence against women. We are working to launch the game internationally during the FIFA World Cup. If we can make that goal, then I will feel that we've earned the thanks that Asanda offered us nine months ago when we left South Africa: http://emc-gamestakeonvaw.blogspot.com/2008/08/last-notes-from-40-winks-in-south.html

But back in the present, we will share our work to date with the UNFPA next week. This July PMC will be testing the game concepts in South Africa - back where we started. With your donations, the plan is to offer scholarships to our student teams to rapidly develop digital prototypes (week in development), test and refine the game episodes. With these prototypes in hand we will be reaching back to parties who were interested in testing on a larger scale this fall.

But what I'd like to share is some of the student voices from the project during different phases. To date 26 students have been working on the project—working with PMC, the EMC staff and faculty, and the UNFPA, researching the problem and solutions, designing the game play, writing the narrative, designing the art and the art pipeline, coding, testing, creating the marketing plan and web presence, recording all in video format and presenting to the UN, the Montreal International Game Summit, the press, and our Champlain trustees. It is good to hear their direct voices and the experiences and impact they are having on the world:

Heather Conover from the start of the project, reflections from the townships: http://theseethroughmirror.blogspot.com/2008/08/live-from-cape-town.html
and from a recent post on adding new team mates this summer: http://theseethroughmirror.blogspot.com/2009/05/today-was-fabulous-day-at-work-work.html
Lauren Nishikawa reflections on the S.Africa visit and the lack of taboo about violence against women: http://missnishi.blogspot.com/search/label/South%20Africa
Wes Knee on remembering Africa: http://wesknee.blogspot.com/2009/04/remembering-africa.html

It was a little thing...

2009-06-30T14:32:00.002-04:00

Dear family and friends,

It was a little thing, a one year old in a high chair who was playing with her food. But it made her father angry. And he became angry with her young mother. So he threw his glass in the mother’s face...over dinner.

That mother was myself twenty years ago...and I was stuck in a relationship with incidents like that and worse sprinkled throughout. But I was lucky - I had all of you, my family, my friends, my colleagues. And when I finally was able to realize it wasn't my fault – many of you all helped me get out. And others of you have inspired me to believe in myself and achieve what I never would have believed I could when I was in that relationship. Luckily I am now in the most incredible marriage to my husband Jim and can clearly see the difference that men who know how to love can bring to life!

I am turning to all of you once again.

As many of you may recognize, my life could be a poster for the UN 's understanding that violence against women is one of the major sources of poverty. Ending violence against women has become one of the UN Secretary General's Millennium Development Goals.

For the past year we at Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center have been working with the UNFPA and Population Media Center, under the UNite campaign (http://endviolence.un.org/), on an innovative global game to be played by young boys to change their attitudes about the appropriateness of using violence against women in their lives.

I’m not one to often ask for help but this is a project I deeply believe will have a global impact when completed. This project will be two more years in development but unfortunately in the this difficult financial year, funds have run dry for the 2009 project phase putting a stall on production. We have come to a funding gap this summer of $89,000. So I am asking each of you to help once again with a donation to our project. A project that we believe will help the young men we love grow to be men who can equally love back.

It is the little things that make a difference; a child and her food, an angry father, a call of support, or five dollars towards this project to create positive change. Please do this little thing - help spread the word to your friends, grow awareness, and offer your support by visiting the student created web site: http://www.emergentmediacenter.com/unvaw

Other information can be found at:

PMC: http://www.populationmedia.org/

UNFPA: http://www.unfpa.org/

United Nations’ Secretary General’s UNite Campaign: http://endviolence.un.org/

Thank you for being there,

Ann

like a brick

2009-06-24T10:25:00.004-04:00

The impact of this project hit me again today – square in the face. Maybe it’s because this phase of creation is coming to an end… and we don’t know when the next phase will begin. We’ve run out of funding and as of next week, this project will be shelved.

Maybe it’s because the photos on our walls of the trip to South Africa stuck me again suddenly. The photos have always been moving, but I suppose that seeing them every day, my eyes started to glaze over them and they became more of a background fixture. Not today. Today they stirred up my emotions all over again. Alone in the office early this morning, I got teary looking at all the faces of the people we met… some sad, some oppressed, but mostly hopeful and full of possibility. Looking at the young girls and young boys, knowing that they are the reason we are pouring so much energy into this project. My eyes were filled with tears, as a huge smile spread across my face.

Photos by Nichole Magoon, Raymond McCarthy Bergeron, Ann DeMarle

UN team interview on YouTube

2009-05-20T11:51:00.006-04:00

Quebec's Le Lien Multimedia ("The Multimedia Link") newsletter has uploaded a great video interview with EMC Director Ann Demarle, and team members Wes Knee, Heather Conover, Brian George, and Lauren Nishikawa. The interview was conducted in November 2008 at the Montreal International Game Summit, where our team presented our project by running a small group exercise that took the audience step-by-step through the challenges and opportunities of game development for social change in the developing world.

Check it out!

Le Lien Multimedia at MIGS: Ann Demarle

EMC on Vermont Public Radio!

2009-02-23T12:12:00.002-05:00

UNVAW team members Lauren Nishikawa and Wesley Knee, along with EMC Director Ann Demarle, are being interviewed on Vermont Public Radio today!
http://www.vpr.net/episode/45488/

To listen live:
http://www.vpr.net/audio_player/index.php

And if you're reading this before 1pm Eastern, call in and ask a question! 1 800 639 2211

Presenting to the UN Today!

2009-01-22T10:08:00.001-05:00

As I type this message, 6 students – Dan Bergeron, Amanda Jones, Heather Conover, Lauren Nishikawa, Brian George and Wesley Knee – as well as two EMC staff, Ann DeMarle and Heather Kelley, are taking the stage at the United Nation’s building in New York City, NY, USA. They will be presenting the game concept, and research behind it, that has the potential of changing lives globally. How often in one’s life does an opportunity like this happen?!

The work to reach this stage in the project has been a long, exhausting, emotional and worthwhile. The students sacrificed a lot of their time to get what needed to be done for the presentation today. They worked straight through for the past 2 weeks, weeknights and weekends, to prepare for this day. This sacrifice was well worth it in my opinion having seen what they will be presenting.

We are currently working on seeing if we can post the presentation online for everyone to view. The style of the presentation may not translate as well as reading a book, as it is intended to be mostly spoken, but we’ll also include the transcript to help elaborate on the visuals of each slide. There also is a video attached to the presentation that we may post on YouTube once the UNFPA approves of this as well.

I know they will do well, but for those reading this blog at this time, channeling your positive energies towards them would be greatly appreciated. :o)

Blog Action Day: Poverty and Gender-Based Violence

2008-10-15T20:39:00.006-04:00

Occasionally when asked about this game project, we’re confronted by the seemingly reasonable question “Why address violence against women, in a developing economy? Aren’t there more important issues to work on in such a place, like poverty, or health, or education?” It’s hard at first to understand why improving quality of life for just one portion of the population is getting attention and funding, when some people are struggling just to stay alive at all. In fact, one of the key motivations behind our project’s theme is the unexpected causality: gender-based violence, in all its forms, is hugely responsible for the world's continuing cycles of poverty.

Fortunately the reverse is true, as well. If you empower women in a community by improving their health, education, economic rights such as property ownership, access to reproductive services, and decision-making ability, then they can participate more fully in the economy, enabling the survival of their families and communities. Not only are economic development and fair treatment of women both crucial for human dignity, you cannot achieve one without also working for the other.

Image: Handicrafts in Khayelitsha - Photo: Ray McCarthy Bergeron

Tuesday, Sept. 30 - come hear!

2008-09-25T22:21:00.003-04:00

This is an invite to all our readers: next week, Aminata Toure, our UN sponsor will be speaking at Champlain College, Burlington, VT, in the Hauke Conference Room at 5pm.

Furthermore an exhibiton of photos we took while in South Africa is on display at the Emergent Media Center's new home in Winooski, VT—the Champlain Mill. Please stop in and visit during office hours. Below is the official news release.

BURLINGTON, Vt. (Sept. 26, 2008) – Aminate Toure, an internationally-known leader in human rights, will spend two days meeting with Champlain College students and faculty to work on a United Nations’ funded project aimed at reducing gender violence in developing nations.

The Emergent Media Center at Champlain College and Population Media Center were awarded a grant from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to carry out the project, which consists of creating an electronic game for young boys in developing nations aimed at preventing violence against women. The game will evolve into a global initiative, with an initial focus on South Africa.

Aminate Toure, chief of the Gender, Human Rights and Culture Branch of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will speak about international women’s health challenges in a community lecture on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 5 pm at Hauke Family Campus Center’s Conference Room at Champlain College. A question and answer session follow her talk. This event is free and open to the public.

With arms wide open...

2008-09-15T01:28:00.006-04:00

All expense paid trip to Cape Town, South Africa? How could I possibly turn down that offer? When I first learned about the project I saw it as a great opportunity, not only to become exposed to new types of work, but also to gain the credentials of putting the UN on my resume. An all expense paid trip to South Africa was an added bonus. As the days progressed closer and closer to the trip, all I could feel was excitement, for going to such a different place.

When we finally arrived in Cape Town, all that excitement was channeled into something else. When we first walked through Langa, I could not control the emotional stir that was occurring deep inside me. I didn’t know whether to feel sad, guilty, depressed, uneasy or fortunate. The first full day we were in Langa, and had the opportunity to watch some children perform a gumboot dance. After their performance we chatted and took photos with them. I could not believe how talented they were. After a few minutes of timid pondering, I finally asked the children if they could do the thunderstance pose for a picture. One child followed my lead, and the others followed him shortly thereafter. I was immediately overcome with a strong connective feeling of joy. To me the thunderstance is just a silly thing I started doing, but after that it meant so much more than that to me. It became a feeling of empowerment and cultural bonding. From this point forward I knew it was already going to be a life changing trip.

As the week flew by, I had the chance to meet with more children in townships and help tutor some kids after school. I had some great conversations with some very bright children. We taught each other about our cultures and shared different cultural practices. Another very moving experience for me was when the children of Langa came up to us and stated holding our hands, playing with us, and giving us hugs. This showed me how open and accepting they are. This gave me a whole new perspective on life. I now feel like I want to be more open and accepting of everyone. It reminds me of the expression, “live life with arms wide open.” There is such a strong sense of community and togetherness that it makes me envious of what they have, even though it is not big houses, lots of clothes, or trendy electronics. A common perception of many in South Africa is that we as Americans are rich, however, they greatly surpass us in being spiritually rich, with such a strong communal bond.

In the few days right before South Africa, I had a weird feeling overcome me, knowing that it would probably be a life changing experience. Now as I sit here, a few weeks after returning from South Africa, I realize how much of a life changing experience it really turned out to be. After seeing such extreme poverty, as well as such extreme happiness, I have a much strong appreciation for everything I have. I have also come to the realization that life is too precious to find fault with others. While I may never walk the streets of Langa again, with the hand of a child resting in mine, that picture will always be in my head. I will never forget my trip to South Africa, and all that it has helped show me who I am as a person.

It takes a village

2008-09-07T22:45:00.035-04:00

One week ago today, we were in the air, flying back to the states.

I never thought I’d miss being in South Africa. I never thought I’d be offered marriage while in Cape Town. I never expected, much less have seen, so much abject poverty. I never thought I’d feel so welcomed into a community in my entire life. I’ve never felt so humble…

All I wanted to do was to help. All I wanted to do was to cry. All I wanted to do was fix what was broken. Yet, I couldn’t…

I can’t.

What can I do?

Can I really do something…

I knew that being part of this project meant I would be in over my head. I never realized by how much…

How does one tackle the issue of poverty?

The UN has outlined, through the Millennium Development Goals, with the aid of world leaders and organizations, 8 goals to end extreme poverty by 2015:

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

These are many, overwhelming ways to look at the issue of poverty, but not just any one topic will cure it all. As an example, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation believes fighting malaria will be their choice in helping people to get out of poverty. The Emergent Media Center, with the guidance of Population Media Center and the UNFPA, will be tackling the gender equality issue, more specifically, Violence against Women.

The UN, within the Millennium Development Goals, suggests that ending violence against women will help developing nations to end poverty. What defines violence? My personal take extends beyond just the physical aspects. Delving further, I guess I’m not the only one thinking this:

Gender Violence throughout a Woman's Life: Phases and Types of Violence

Prenatal: Sex-selective abortions, battering during pregnancy, coerced pregnancy (rape during war)
Infancy: Female infanticide, emotional and physical abuse, differential access to food and medical care
Childhood: Genital mutilation; incest and sexual abuse; differential access to food, medical care, and education; child prostitution
Adolescence: Dating and courtship violence, economically coerced sex, sexual abuse in the workplace, rape, sexual harassment, forced prostitution
Reproductive: Abuse of women by intimate partners, marital rape, dowry abuse and murders, partner homicide, psychological abuse, sexual abuse in the workplace, sexual harassment, rape, abuse of women with disabilities
Old Age: Abuse of widows, elder abuse (which affects mostly women)

It’s incredibly disturbing to know these forms of violence exist, but over time and with the proper direction, this issue will be resolved… right?

I again ask myself,

“What can I do to end poverty; how can I make lives better for others?”

Beyond just this project, I need to make a choice for myself. Do I take on the issue myself?

Can I?

No, I cannot…

…We can.

I am realizing that I need to be a part of something, be a part of some direction; I cannot take on the whole issue myself. I am not superhuman. I might not be able to resolve the issue of poverty myself, but I know with the help of others, as passionate as I am about helping out humanity, we can solve a piece of the issue.

South Africa taught me the meaning of hope and community.

We can be a part of ending poverty.

Welcome to Crossroads, Welcome to Hell: A Reflection on South Africa

2008-09-01T06:22:00.015-04:00

That is what a graffiti wall read in one of the townships and I couldn't help but think of what John Milton wrote in Paradise Lost, "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven." How very true.

The South African people we have met have been so welcoming, warm, and kind, opening up to us and not holding anything back. These people have such a strong sense of hope even in the most dire of circumstances. Walking to school everyday even in the pouring rain, hearing about family members who have been raped or domestically assaulted, watching friends get exhiled from social groups because they have contracted HIV, all of these things surround the people in townships of South Africa. They breath in these attrocities in daily, and exhale what little bit of hope they can.

It is still astounding to me how passionate these people are for life, perhaps because in ways they are the ones truly living. How often is it that we as Americans have to step outside of our comfortable, safe little bubble we call our life and be forced into confronting our emotions through such hardships. I would guarantee that these children at age 16 have experienced more emotionally, physically, and psychologically than those much older than them in the states.

But through all this tribulation these people have a vision of hope. Hope for equality, change, respect, and a mutual understanding of each other as human beings. And while these people in townships face these issues daily, the real issue that must be adressed is how and why these dreams have not and seemingly sometimes cannot be realized. That is a whole other blog post and perhaps the real goal to our project. How can these dreams be realized?

More importantly though, is truly understanding those who don't hold these hopes and dreams. While there is an overwhelming sense of hope there is also a festering sense of despondancy. When is it that people of the townships begin to think the odds are too highly stacked against them? When is it that children see no hope in an education? When is it that men make the decision for the first time to take out their agression on their significant other? When is it that a man decides the pain in his life caused by HIV is deserved by others? There are so many of these questions and the largest and most collective of them is WHY?

Felix Culpa, original sin, directly translated to "blessed fault" and "fortunate fall". What is so fortunate about this "fall"? So blessed about this "fault" in South African culture? Looking back at Milton's writing, which I so often tend to draw parallels to, Adam and Eve's fall from grace prompted the first time in which humanity was shown compassion, mercy, and grace by God. Humankind thereafter had to experience pain and death, but humans could then also experience the virtues of clemency, compassion, and sympathy in ways they would not have been able to had they not disobeyed. I am confident that South Africa's "blessed fault" may be the catalyst for hope, change, and growth as a nation.

And I can't wait to be a part of it.

"O felix culpa quae talem et tantum meruit habere redemptorem," "O happy fault that merited such and so great a Redeemer."

Respectfully Yours

2008-08-31T15:56:00.010-04:00

As we drove to the airport, we felt sad passing by the townships we had grown to know, full of the people we grew to love. A completely different experience than when we had driven past them in disbelief when we first arrived. Likewise it was sad to say goodbye to the staff of our bed and breakfast, to our tour guide Yasmin, and to the drivers such as Sabide.

It was a long flight and we lost a complete day returning home. However the green hills of Vermont, the warm, last days of summer, and our loved ones were a welcoming sight!

Of note, news of our project was published today in the Cape Town Sunday Times written by reporter Philani Nombembe pictured here. The article is titled "Kids help create a game of respect."

The faculty were discussing the title and we think that "respect" is a very good name for an important value that we hope can be created by the project. Respect is what South Africans hold for their elders. Respect is the word we now hold for those we met. Respect is what we believe men and women must hold for each other in order to create a better, more just, and economically thriving society.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=83332. One correction is that the rand amount is incorrect and is approximately R1.5 million or $219,000.

Last notes from 40 Winks in South Africa

2008-08-30T08:20:00.006-04:00

Just a quick note to let all know that we are on our way home! The last two days were spent meeting with South African academics, experts and passionate people on media and culture, technology integration in South Africa—specifically in developing nations, the South African animation industry and today rape and abuse of women, children and men.

The statistics are frightening. A child is abused every 8 minutes in South Africa. A child is raped every 24 minutes. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 5 boys under 16 years old have been sexually abused.

40% of young men 20-29 are infected with HIV/AIDS. One in four women are in an abusive relationship. Approximately 1 in 10 people are raped a year here. Every six days a woman is killed in South Africa by a partner.

The good news, cell phone technology is pervasive in even the poorest communities—so we have a vehicle to share our game upon. We have connected with the people of this city in a unique way that has allowed us to see many of the dimensions of the problem. We have the Sabido method, a proven method, to rely on. Likewise we have made many connections to people that can greatly aid our project. We have concepts, research and connections to make it happen. We are committed even more strongly than when we began.

And the words of one of the staff at our bed and breakfast will stay with me. Asanda, after explaining and then discussing our project with her, said to me,

"Thank you for coming to South Africa."

It is what we have been greeted with over and over by those who clearly and personally know the facts.

See you all tomorrow!

Strength & Courage

2008-08-28T19:56:00.009-04:00

(I’m exhausted and mentally, emotionally, and physically drained tonight… err, this morning by all of our amazing experiences this week. Here’s a snippet from my notebook writings on Wednesday. For confidentiality purposes, photos posted here range from many visits on our trip. )

Right now, I am sitting in a battered school room. Twenty-one beaten up wooden and metal desks cluster on a dirty tile floor with a pile of garbage swept up in one corner. Rickety yellow-painted metal and glass pane windows let in large amounts of sunlight, shining on mysterious chunks of black hair on the floor next to me. Half of our group is in the Philippi Township at Sinethemba School.

I am listening to the sweet melodic singing of a 16 year old South African girl. She is not performing for us, she is connecting us with her culture. Two sharp Champlain students (Nichole Magoon and Jaimie Olmstead) are each conducting interviews right now with two girls from this school. My role is of an observer... to capture some essences that could be lost in translation. After being asked a question about what games they play, one girl started with that sweet song which is part game - part dance. Her voice sounding strong and compassionate, filled with love and hope.

Now, music is playing over their cell phones and they're singing along. They're not shy. In the States many girls might do this, but many more would be embarrassed to do this in front of a stranger. These girls love to share their music and their stories. The look in their eyes is a look of utter strength, but inner struggle.

The Champlain students in this room are amazing right now. They're spot on. The mood is casual and comfortable. The conversation is flowing. Laughs are full. Soft spoken words of struggle are muttered. The tone of the room can go from full laughter (talking about siblings, music and friends) to quiet discern and avoidance of eye contact (talking about alcoholism, abuse and rape). What a whirlwind. I much imagine this is how these girls live... extreme highs and lows.

Despite all of this, every South African person I've seen and spoken with seems joyous, so full of life, so full of hope. They say things are improving... the townships are becoming safer, the education is getting better, the dreams are becoming bigger. Dreams are what the girls in this room are made of. Dreams and courage. I believe their dreams can come true. I only hope we can help them along in their journey.

We Can Learn from Each Other

2008-08-28T19:37:00.011-04:00

It is late tonight in Cape Town. We are all overwhelmed. It is the mid-week and I know from experience that in an intense experience like this it is always the hardest part of the journey. So upfront I need to apologize to those we may have seemed distant from, short or less respondent that usual.

We have been conducting focus groups and one on two interviews. We have also been getting to know personally the teachers, learners (students), drivers, and staff at the various schools such as Sinethemba. Our Champlain students have been masters of diplomacy and generosity of spirit.

We have been asking hard questions, have been asked hard questions, and have discovered truths uncomfortable to a Western frame of mind. What is wondrous is the openness with which the interviewees and those we meet talk about the issues of violence, abuse and issues surrounding sexuality. It is not a secret here.

It is quite evident that at this time in the culture of density that is the townships, discipline means reinforcing through physical punishment. It is also evident that "discipline " is routine from childhood on up through adulthood (this includes women). It is also evident that a man's duty is to produce heirs—this often means having many wives or partners. In the townships, teen pregnancy (age 14) is commonplace. Poverty also is overwhelming. Though we get to retreat from it in the evenings, we have been spending the last week within it and part of it. It puts another perspective upon it when that is what you see, and breathe, and eat.

This may sound to Westerners just plain wrong, but there are other things we have discovered that make us question the validity of our Western way of living.

A key value to this population is community. In our Western world we actively are trying to find or create community. Well we from Champlain have found it abundantly here in the townships of South Africa. They embrace each other—and the possibilities open to them limited though they may be. And they have embraced us!

Another key value is respect—particularly respect for elders. All men older are honored as "father", all women older honored as "mother". Grandmothers are especially important in the life of the children. Children are desired but a few per mother, many per father.

Hope for a new future and belief in the possibilities is strong unlike the fear that seems to drive the U.S. Though when we look, it is easier to see the odds against success, when compared to the rich opportunity available in America—especially when looking at the differences our educational structures offer. Here the odds against becoming well educated are high.

For instance today, Champlain's IT guru, Ray McCarthy-Bergeron fixed the server of a school. The school is considered to have the best equipment in the townships. The equipment was 3 generations behind what is available in our schools. The server held 1 Gig and the electricity kept failing. The there is the teacher/learner ration. Teachers have 50 to a classroom and little to no text books of supplies—forget the internet as a valid teaching option. They teach 5-7 sessions a day with one small break.

But why should it matter to us you may ask? We shall soon return home. The thing is we've fallen in love with our friends in the townships: the learners, the teachers, the children. We want to keep up our ties, to invite them into our communities, to aid them in their reach for their dreams. We want to be their true friends—today and tomorrow. We want to see them succeed! We are the ones who need a dose of their hope.

Moved Once Again

2008-08-27T11:52:00.004-04:00

I cannot possibly describe the experience I had today, but I will do my best. It was similar to yesterday, when we got to chat for a while with some older teenagers. Today, though, I got the incredible chance to sit down and talk to three girls ages 17 and 18 for TWO WHOLE HOURS at a township school in Phillipi. I asked them about everything: their relationships, their families, race, sex, drugs, violence. I didn't hold back, and neither did they. They opened up their lives to me, and I felt so welcomed once again. It was so hard for me to look into their eyes and listen to their stories knowing that each day they risk their lives by walking on the street. At one point during the interview, I told them how moving it was for me to talk to them and listen to the gang and gender violence they endure. I almost started to cry when I told them, and they responded with happy words: "We are so happy you told us that." For their privacy, I cannot disclose any of the specifics of my interviews with them, but just know that there is no way we can possibly conceive what they go through every day. Take my word for it.

I am excited about going back to this township tomorrow, and I hope that it warms (and breaks) my heart just as much. This trip has made me more globally aware than I have ever been, and the creative flow is flooding with ideas. I have so much hope; lets make this worth it.

Ikamva

2008-08-26T18:28:00.017-04:00

Rob and Bryan have already posted about today but it was such a powerful day that I have to add my voice. We went to the township of Khayelitsha. A few facts, it has a population larger than the state of Vermont, over 1,000,000 people compared to Vermont's 700,000—with 1000 more moving in each month. The area Khayelitsha comprises would be equal to South Burlington or Bristol, Vermont.Unlike Langa, the oldest of the townships which we visited on Monday, many of the people come from the Eastern Cape of South Africa—and even from other nations in Africa. Lately this has caused conflict within the townships. They are looking for work and stability. The photos above are of the township. It is their homes.We met two incredibly inspiring people today, Joy Olivier (Co-Founder) and Luyanda Kota (Director) who create Ikamva Youth http://www.ikamvayouth.org/. It means the "future is in your hands". It is an after school program and more, working with truly motivated teen learners. It is built upon mentorship....much like we hope our project to do. Unfortunately they can only support about 93 students due to lack of funding, spacial constraints, and the need to maintain community. This is a quote from Luyanda on why he does what he does:

"IkamvaYouth makes a difference in the community....I can see the difference and I want to be a part of the difference."

We were invited to make a difference today. We worked with the young learners—tutoring in subjects we had long ago been fluent in. We helped with problem solving, knowledge, shared our experiences and listened to theirs. Today we were graciously invited to become part of that community. Thank you Luyanda, thank you Joy, and thank you all the eager learners who taught us today what learning is all about!

Enough said, more pictures so you can join us too.

One Heck of Ride

2008-08-26T17:22:00.002-04:00

Life is like a roller coaster and you're never sure when the next high point or low point is. This trip has definitely been a high point for all of us. I find it very reminiscent of my time spent as a Student Ambassador with People to People. But in comparison this trip is so much more powerful and thought provoking than those trips ever were.

Maybe it’s because I’m now working on a project related to the trip rather than going on the trip just to try and understand the culture. I think the fact that we’re a lot more focused in our task lends itself to a much greater learning environment. Not to disrespect People to People because I think what they do is great.

Over the past couple of days we’ve visited Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mendela was incarcerated. We were given a tour by a former inmate and he shared his experiences with us, it was quite powerful. We’ve also visited a couple townships with a couple more in the future.

The trips to the townships are very enlightening. The first one we went to we gathered a group of children around us and I couldn’t help but feel like Indiana Jones at the end of Temple of Doom when all the kids are running around his feet. There was this one girl named Janet that I carried around on my shoulders for a while. It was a very moving experience.

The second one we did just today and we didn’t go on a tour of the township but instead visited a local library and tutoring center. I’m probably describing it wrong but that’s the best description I have for it in my head at the moment. We broke up into small groups with the kids and tried our hand at being tutors and doing what we could to help teach them while at the same time get to know them and their customs.

We have also visited UCT, the University of Cape Town, and we tried our hand at mingling with some of the students there. I spoke with one and as we talked and I told her about our schedule and what we’ve been doing she was surprised that we were going to the townships. So were some local technology experts we’ve spoken to. This is because the white South Africans don’t go and it’s strange to see white people go.

But these trips into the townships are definitely what are making this visit to South Africa all the better. We’re really getting into our research and really getting to know our target market. If we weren’t visiting the townships this trip would have been more for show than for us really doing what we were hired for.

Hello! Day Three and running.

2008-08-26T14:31:00.002-04:00

So day Three, and we are running strong. Today we spent a better part of the day at an after school organization in the townships call Ikamvo Youth. This is an organization dedicated to getting a group of kids every year to finish 12th grade and get into college (tertiary school). First we met with the directors of the program and listened to what they had to say about the problems with the townships, education, what their program provides. They are angels in townships, working for kids so that kids can have a better life and future. I have read so many times that education can enable people to overcome almost any problem. Seeing the kids today I believe that even more.

And being with the kids today I learned so much about them. They are very intelligent, and are so nice and accepting. Today I talked with 5 girls while I tried to help them with their math homework. I was less affective helping with their homework but I learned so much about them, and while I have trouble expressing what I learned, they impressed me. It felt like they all accepted us into their group. After spending time trying to tutor, we spent some time watching a movie made by someone trying to raise money for the center. Before the movie the director worked to try to raise money for a girl who couldn't afford to travel to school, we all students and us left money for her.

So after that we came back and here we are for the night. I will hopefully be able to blog tomorrow :D.

Bryan

Men, Women and Children

2008-08-26T02:55:00.006-04:00

A thought from yesterday's meetings with Tino and Raymond. Independently they both stated the following on Champlain students and this project entering into the South African townships:

“You'll have more contact than most South African academic researchers ever have.”

The UNFPA has stated that Violence Against Women is the number one cause of global poverty. I can understand that here. Africa is predominately children. Europe and America have significantly older populations. Men in South Africa are considered heads of the household and are "free" to discipline their wives as they see fit. Women, we've been told, are second class citizens with rights equal to those of the family pet in the western world.

Though generalizing, men here see children as their right. They determine whether birth control is used and see children as a symbol of their place in the world. Men may have many partners and many children. Mothers stay with the children, fathers travel for work. All this with little to no income.

Parents often die early due to AIDS, TB and malaria. Sisters often become the head of households at young ages—bringing up their siblings AND their own children at ages as early as the onset of puberty.

How can this not equal a circle of poverty?

Economies, life spans and technology usage

2008-08-25T17:37:00.013-04:00

A very business like day today, except it was in South Africa around dining room tables at a bed and breakfast. We invited two experts living in South Africa to speak with us about demographics and media habits in South Africa. This morning we heard from Raymond De Villieres from WisdomGames. His current venture is a game company that's expertise is on games for corporations interested in culling the wisdom of their experienced employees and leaders and using the game environment to teach less experienced personnel.

Raymond spoke with us on race, gender and economy. Most interesting was the knowledge that there are two economies in South Africa: 1st and 2nd. In the second economy, primarily found in the black population living primarily in the townships, there is roughly 56% unemployment and one is well off if monthly income equals 1000 rand a month—currently equivalent to $560.25 American. In this economy, internet usage is secondary to mobile communications—more available and cheaper. Brian George stated that the cost of a cell phone to teens in South African townships is equal to the cost of computing technology to US teens.

Our afternoon meeting was with Tino Kreutzer, a consultant on new media in developing countries to include the UN. He currently is a master student at the University of Cape Town studying qualitative and quantitative mobile patterns among South African township use. Surprisingly, though young people in the townships do not use computers for communication or information, their cellphone technology surpasses that of the United States even including they often have hand-me down devices.
Tino stated they may be hand me downs from older siblings and relatives. Parents are less common in their culture because the average life span is around 40 years old (unlike in the 1st economy where the average life span extends into he late 70's. Early death rates are due to three factors: AIDS, tuberculous, and malaria.) That means a 20 year old has completed half of their life! Raymond earlier pointed out that often the phones come from employers handing down the phones to household staff.

The young people use the cell phones much like young people in American culture use computers. They communicate, play games, conduct business and have work arounds to avoid payments such as calling but not picking up in sequences like Morse code.

Today's discussion are preparing us for the remainder of the week. At the end of the day Scott Connolly and Megan Frenzen led the group in techniques for conducting focus group interviews. We will be practicing techniques before doing interviews in two schools on Thursday. Tomorrow we will be visiting with students at the University of Cape Town and at an after school program in a different township.

Welcome to Africa

2008-08-25T11:12:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe I’m in Africa. We’ve only been here a couple days and it’s already been an amazing experience.

On our first full day here, Sunday, we were finally exposed to the townships we have read so much about. As we drove though the streets of Langa I saw hundreds or even thousands of makeshift houses built with tin, cardboard, cinder blocks, plywood and everything else imaginable. After a short drive we arrived at Guga Sthebe a cultural center where we met with an artist who talked about making ceramic goods and the meanings of some of the colors. Following the brief talk with the artist we watched a group of children perform the gumboot dance. In unison the children stomped and slapped their rubber boots as if they had been performing their whole life. It was a moving experience.

We left Guga Sthebe and set off for a walking tour around Langa. We stopped at a church and sat in on part of the church service. Even on our approach I could tell the people inside were more spiritual than anyone I had ever met. As we entered the community center where the service was being held it echoed with song and prayer. At one point everyone was passionately praying aloud. During this time I noticed one woman a few rows in front of me knelt over her folding metal chair. She had tears pouring from her eyes. The expression on her face said it all. Though I could not understand a word she was saying I could see the pain in her eyes and the feeling of hope on her face. Her emotion was so strong I felt tears begin to well in my eyes. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. As we stood quietly in the back women from the church came up to us one by one shook our hands, hugged us and thanked us for being there. Rather than being upset that we had interrupted their church service they were just glad that we were there.

After spending a few minutes at the church service we walked down one of the main streets toward a village of shacks. On our way we passed several churches, one with a huge mural of Nelson Mandela on the side. We also passed several liquor stores with groups of men drinking out front. As we approached a group of children began running towards us pausing every few feet to pose. After reaching the road the reached their hands out to members of our group and we all walked hand in hand with township children into a village of shacks. As tourists do, I took photos of everything, laundry hanging on the clothesline, the rooftop of a house with bicycles and furniture on the top, pay phones and children playing jump rope with a shoelace. Though it was only days ago it seems like a blur now. Seeing the community water situation, the trash in the muddy streets and bars on every window and door made me so thankful for what I have in the United States. I will never forget what I saw and will be eternally thankful for the card in life that I have been dealt.

Following our township tour in Langa we ate lunch by the waterfront then hopped on the ferry for a tour of Robben Island. Guided by a former prisoner we saw the inside of the prison. In one of the communal cells he discussed the efforts of authorities to separate races by the diet they were fed. During the tour he talked about prison life and apartheid. We also had an opportunity to see Mandela’s cell and go on a bus tour of the rest of the island. It was a long day overall but a great start to our stay here in Africa.

Today has been another long day. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to talk about it sometime later on the trip. I’m so excited and nervous for the next few days. I just hope they don’t pass too quickly and that we get everything out of them that we need to.

-Amanda

The Children of Langa

2008-08-25T09:38:00.005-04:00

Our first full day yesterday was nothing short of amazing. We visited the Langa Township for half of the day and it was time well, well spent. Langa is the oldest township in Cape Town and was designated for black Africans before the apartheid.

Having these visuals and experiences at the beginning of this trip was highly valuable… giving context for what we’re in store for. As Ann and Bryan have noted, the children of Langa were instantly attached to us… literally.

We welcomed them with open hands, open arms and open minds. Looking into the eyes of these little children I could only think of what lays ahead for their future. What will they become? Will they follow the paths of their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers? Will they suffer? Will they succeed? Will they know the difference? The odds are against them. Over 50% of people in South Africa are unemployed. 20% are infected with HIV/AIDS and in townships it’s 1 in 2. Staggering.

At 10 am on a Sunday, the men were found sitting in groups on crates, drinking beer. The women were doing the wash in basins and hanging the clothes to dry.

The young children were playing… riding bikes, playing basketball, jumping rope, wrestling, and running around with marbles in their mouth.

Soon they started to play with us… our hair, our fingers, our faces, and our cameras. The picture of these two boys was taken by another boy.

They were fascinated and I was happy to share. The older boys were hanging out like their fathers and the older girls were watching their younger sisters and carrying their own babies. We also attended an informal church service in Langa. This was a very emotional experience. Seeing these people who have so little, worshipping so devoutly, praying so deeply, filled with such hope, yet such despair, was incredibly moving.

That’s all I have time for right now… lots more to come.

(P.S. – Hi Jay! Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Love and hugs from over 8,000 miles away!)

Live from Cape Town

2008-08-25T03:15:00.003-04:00

At this very moment I am watching and listening to Raymond deVilliers from Wisdom Games in Cape Town, South Africa. For the last few hours, information has poured from his brain into my own as I scrambled to translate sounds into words and into coherent thoughts on paper. After 24 hours of travel, a meager 8 hours of sleep still hasn't curbed the foggy haze in my brain, and despite spending a few nights here, I'm not quite sure my body has acclimated yet. Every experience I have had since arriving is hard for me to translate into words. Our very first moment we visited a township called Langa and were all blown away by its impact on us. We took in its pottery, dance, language, poverty, children and architecture; its community, interactions, and open arms. At a "less conservative church" (according to our tour guide), we watched the churchgoers dance and sing, shout and pray aloud. I will never forget the woman at that church who knelt on the ground and cried her eyes out as she prayed aloud to God. Hugs followed this long moment of loud prayers, and we all felt like we were welcome here. It was the best way to start our trip.

We have done much more since then, but it is impossible for me to write all about it at this time. I have so many pictures that will be online at some point, and I'll be sure to share and explain each one. By the end of this trip, I know that I will have changed in some way.

First full day on the Ground

2008-08-25T03:15:00.002-04:00

Hey!

So today was more than I can probably talk about in a lifetime. I feel like I have seen so much, and its only the first day.

The first thing we did today is wake up and go to a Township outside of Cape Town. Let me say that Township sounds rather nice compared what we saw. The first thing that we visited in the township was a youth Center. There we heard the story of a Ceramics Studio there. Apparently they train 24 students a year to make ceramics and start a new business with that skill.
They also. After that we watched kids about 15-7 do a gum-boot dance. The dance involves them dancing slapping their boots and making noise while they dance. It was such an awesome dance and really reminded me of the time I spent doing theater, and dance in high school. The kids were also very very good.

After that we visited the rest of the Township. Most of the houses looked very different most of them seemed to be cement or aluminum with an aluminum roof. They were all very small looking houses and seemed very makeshift but it was what these people called home. The ground was covered in trash and glass, and before I left I saw at least one kid playing without shoes. From the youth Center we went to a church. This was an amazing experience that is best described by Nicole. "In America you see huge decorated Cathedrals or churches that are religious and people just visit, here they take a hall and some plastic chairs and they bring their religion with them." While we were there it seemed like they accepted us and were incredibly welcoming.

After that we went through the town, slowly gathering an army of kids who we proceeded to cary and play with as they follow us around. Basically this was the strangest thing here because in America if I went to go play with someone else kid I would get a dirty look and a scared parent. We really got to see the living conditions of the people there. Most of them were spending time with each other outside, and it looked like a giant family reunion. The ground was covered in trash and so much broken glass, once during the day I saw a kid wandering around with no shoes and I cringed. The living conditions are so sad but the people seem were very resilient.

After that we went an visited the Island where Nelson Mandella was imprisoned. This was enlightening because we were given the tour by a former inmate. We learned more about apartheid than I would have imagined I ever would. It was sad hearing about all the people looking for change and the parallel between america and the struggle for civil rights.

I want to write about it more when I can think more about it.

Bryan

Magnanimity

2008-08-24T17:08:00.016-04:00

How to report on such a gracious people? The day left us both laughing and crying. We began at a township where we were ever so warmly welcomed—first by a dance performance by children 5 to 9 years of age. Then in a church service full of joy, worship and warm hugs where the young gave their seats up to the elders, and all to the visitors.

Then we were followed through the sand covered streets like pied pipers from Vermont. Young children clung to us two or three to a person—eating marbles, kicking soccer balls, playing with our hair. Children were all over the place—like bees in a garden. Mothers were as young as 14 by the looks of it. The women were bent over basins doing laundry by hand in the street while others, mainly men sat drinking beer and inviting us to join them early in the morning.

This was followed by a tour of Robben's Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in a single cell, doing hard labor, for 17 years. Our tour guide was a former prisoner of 7 years who referred to us all as "comrades". He told us of his worse moments in detention for 6 months with only his captors, his torturers, to speak to. His female comrades, he said, faired far worse, tortured in ways he called unspeakable. Many of them never healing from their imprisonment.

All our guides explained the current attitude of "reconciliation" basically an "all is forgiven" attitude that they attribute to Mandela himself. We were left wondering about the magnanimity of such a people.

But enough of words, I leave you pictures.

We are here!

2008-08-24T03:02:00.004-04:00

Long 24 hours of flights. Jet lag hasn't had a chance to hit yet. BUT we are here. Internet is spotty, weather is early spring - cold, damp. 40 Winks is a bed and breakfast establishment we are staying at. Yogurt and muesli for breakfast.

Now we are off to the township. 40% of the Cape Town residents live in these. We saw them through our airport transportation. Little tin "rooms" with electricity strung high. That was brought in 8 years ago. Cape Town looks to be a city of diversity in many ways.

Sinethemba—We Have Hope

2008-08-20T20:35:00.009-04:00

This is the start of a story. And we come in at the middle. Till now its been a story of belief, persistence and hope.

It began 5 years ago when Bill Ryerson of Population Media Center first spoke to me of collaborating to create a game that might be a powerful change agent. At the start the challenge seemed mountainous...but worth climbing towards. Three and a half years later, working with Greg Morgan, the proposal was first sent out to create a game to educate boys on the issues of gender inequality and violence against women. Jeff Rutenbeck and others worked towards its acceptance.

Now in the middle. It's been 6 weeks since the proposal was accepted by far-sighted Aminata Toure of the UNFPA. 5 weeks since intensive planning began with the Population Media Center staff—Bill, Kris Barker, and Scott Connelly. After three weeks of interviews, the Champlain College team was selected in Vermont: students Dan Bergeron, Heather Conover, Brian George, Bryan Hare , Casey Hopkins, Amanda Jones, Wesley Knee, Nichole Magoon, Lauren Nishikawa, Jaimie Olmstead, Alex Schwartz, Keith Tatarczuk, Robert Witbeck, Bill Wixon and Ashley Bessette; faculty advisors Megan Frenzen and Elaine Young; EMC staff Ray McCarthy-Bergeron and Sarah Jerger. Two weeks ago, Heather Kelley, a game designer from Montreal, moved to Vermont to join us as creative director. All have been hard at work posing intensive questions and research only to find more questions as answers.

In 2 days, we fly to South Africa, a beach head for a global discussion. Thank heavens for the work of Miguel Sabido upon which we will base our designs. Thank heavens also for the idea of collaboration, co-design, co-opetition, and of learning through creation.

Tonight in our story. We have been invited to visit a school in South Africa, Sinethemba, which translates to "We have hope." There we will work with the students and learn about their attitudes about games, technology, violence, and gender equality. What a wonderful welcome, what a wonderful omen. We have hope.

Follow our journey because the story created by games is old and the story about male-female relationships is older still. As we unearth the stories, to my voice in this blog, will be added all of our team.