We’re sure that those of you with an interest in the work of nonprofits and charitable organisations in Second Life, will be interested to learn of the opening of Nonprofit Commons 2/ALOFT, which is a second island (sim) hosting charities and non-profits.
The launch is on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 10:00 AM SLT. A host of events is planned, and there will be a chance to look at 44 different charities and nonprofits from around the world who have offices on Nonprofit Commons Aloft.
Nonprofit Commons have two islands that have been donated by organisations. They offer office space rent-free to charities and nonprofits who wish to have a Second Life presence, as well as practical support and a stable community of like-minded groups. In return, groups joining promise to have the offices occupied (i.e. with material about their work) and staffed for a few hours each week (so that there is a community presence for visitors). There are some lovely builds on Nonprofit Commons Aloft, and some fascinating projects housed there.
From the organisation:
Highlights:
· Grand opening May 28 of the Nonprofit Commons 2/ALOFT, our second sim housing a large community of nonprofit organizations
· Mixed-reality event, to include a live presentation, a demonstration of the new Second Life Nonprofit Commons island to attendees at the NetSquared Conference in San Jose, and events within Second Life
* Live peformances all day within Second Life, with over 8 hours of music from musicians around the world
* Media is invited to attend in-world event as well as to San Jose, and phone interviews are available upon request
This second of two Nonprofit Commons nonprofit sims was generously donated by TakingITGlobal. Like the first Nonprofit Commons sim on Plush, a virtual space for nonprofits, managed by TechSoup, Nonprofit Commons 2 creates and houses a community of social benefit organizations in the online virtual world of Second Life. This community of practice is entirely volunteer-run and hosts organizations from across the globe. To date, they have created a community blog, Google Group and a resource-rich wiki, and have held
mixed-reality events, workshops, and regular weekly town hall meetings. This international community is a hub for charities to share best practices, work together on innovative ways to benefit their causes, and network with organizations from across the globe.
The Gala event will be a mixed-reality launch party, complete with networking, a panel of speakers, and tours of the Nonprofit Commons. This live event will take place in the real-world of San Jose, California as part of the NetSquared Conference, and within the virtual world of Second Life. These events will occur simultaneously and will also feature interactivity between the two worlds. Following the mixed-reality event, we will have an afternoon and evening full of live entertainment in Second Life. Audience members in the Second Life portion of the event will include Nonprofit Commons residents, their invited guests, and media representatives. Don’t miss this interactive collaboration, connecting the virtual world with real-world issues.
Event details:
* The mixed-reality event takes place Wed.May 28th in Second Life, broadcast live from the NetSquared conference in San Jose, 10:00 am- 12PM PST (SLT), online in Second Life, and is hosted by TechSoup, Nonprofit Commons and NetSquared.
* Second Life entertainment will continue throughout the day, into the evening at the Nonprofit Commons 2.
Event activities:
10am- 11:30am PST/SLT (Second Life Time): Nonprofit Panel and Q & A session
11:30- noon: Tours of the Nonprofit Commons offices in Second Life
Noon–>: Activities continue in Second Life throughout the afternoon and night with major concerts, poetry readings, tours, dancing, and games.
Information and Inquiries: More information about the real-world NetSquared conference can be found on the NetSquared site: http://www.netsquared.org
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