Thank you!

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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

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Spreading the Word

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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...

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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

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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

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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!

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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