World AIDS Day and Karuna Island

Press Release from Karuna:
Thanks to a generous grant from the National Library of Medicine, a brand new island dedicated to HIV/AIDS education, outreach, and support will open in Second Life on December 1 – World AIDS Day, 2008.

Christened Karuna, a word taken from an early Indo-Aryan language, the name of the island embodies the desire to remove harm and suffering, and to bring about the well-being and happiness of others.

Karuna team members include AIDS/HIV support group leaders as well as AIDS content information experts and educators, ensuring that the best, most recent, evidence-based information is available. The project objective is to empower individuals in healthcare decision making. Through this project, one-to-one health information reference services are provided by experienced medical and consumer health librarians.

In addition to providing infomation resources, support, and networking opportunities, Karuna will be built around a Garden of Experience, where the experiences of those dealing with HIV/AIDS will be shared in a variety of formats including poetry, photos, music, and video. For more information about this project, see http://www.karunasl.info.

The people of Karuna Island are proud to be working with other organizations in this effort, including AIDS.gov and the University of North Carolina Center for AIDS research, Community Outreach, Dissemination, and Education Office (CFAR).  Together, they work to ensure that the idea of community is foremost. Individuals are at the heart of Karuna, and they believe that it is through sharing tales and human connections that we find our best selves.

World AIDS Day AGENDA
All times listed are SLT/Pacific Standard Times
Location: Karuna Island Gathering Center

10-10:10 Story to Live By (Jenaia Morane)
10:10-10:20 AIDS/HIV Support & Experience (Ricken Flow)
10:20-30 Health in Second Life (Pathfinder Linden)
10:30-10:40 The HIV/AIDS Pandemic (Ellechim Fizzle)
10:40-10:50 Karuna: The Grant and the Vision (Carolina Keats )
10:50-11:00 Questions and Answers
11:10 – 11:45 Tours of Karuna
11:45 – 1:00 Lunch break
1:00 – 3:00 Story writing workshop and posting of stories
5:00-5:15 Closing Ceremony – Candle of Hope is lit
6:00 – 8:00 Dance with live DJ
8:00 – 9:00 Music: Live performance by Cylindrian Rutabaga

World AIDS Day EVENT SPEAKERS
Jena Ball / Jenaia Morane
Jena/Jenaia is a freelance journalist, editor, and educator who teaches nature and memoir writing in both lives. She will open the World AIDS Day ceremonies with a story that illustrates the importance of narrative in all our lives. Jena is also the leader for the Karuna story project, which will form the heart of the island.

Ricky Davis / Ricken Flow
Ricken was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS in 2000, but after three months on medication was showing no more symptoms. His doctor started using him as an example on how well medications can work. He also began to talk to patients, which was the start of his volunteer career. Karuna, which means compassion and mercy, is something he strives to bring to his work in Second Life every day. He will talk about his experiences both in his first and Second lives helping others learn about and come to terms with living with HIV/AIDS.

John Lester / Pathfinder Linden
Pathfinder Linden joined Linden Lab (the creators of Second Life) in 2005, bringing experience in online community development as well as a background in the fields of healthcare and education. His primary focus in on leading Linden Lab’s Proactive Education and Healthcare Mentoring Program, acting as a general resource and academic evangelist for people using Second Life for teaching, academic and healthcare research, and scientific visualization.

Carol Perryman / Carolina Keats
With more than 20 years in libraries, consumer/medical librarians Carol Perryman is currently a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina School of Library and Information Science. She has served as Project Coordinator for three Second Life projects and advisor to a fourth, all funded by the National Library of Medicine, and administered by Lori Bell, Director of Innovations at the Alliance Library System in East Peoria, Illinois.

Michelle Samplin-Salgado / Ellehchim Fizzle
Michelle Samplin-Salgado, MPH, has over eleven years professional experience in health communications, public health, project design, and management, with a specific emphasis on emerging technologies. Ms. Samplin-Salgado has managed the design and development for both federal and partner organization’s online activities. At JSI, she has worked with federal agencies and partners on emerging technologies, and researched and implemented new technologies to deliver content to diverse target audiences. As New Media Strategist for the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy (OHAP)’s AIDS.gov program, Ms. Samplin-Salgado has effectively developed podcasts, wikis, blogs, and social networking opportunities to promote federal domestic HIV/AIDS resources. She has also helped developed online trainings for the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) Data Technical Assistance and Training Center

Further photos can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/karuna/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/verdeo/sets/72157608590656238/