The D.I.D.I. Initiative
A Second Life partnership between Youth Venture and Global Kids to improve health and healthcare.

The D.I.D.I. Initiative is a partnership in Second Life between Youth Venture and Global Kids to improve health and healthcare. Through generous support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the D.I.D.I. Initiative supports young people to launch their own sustainable ventures either within or outside of Teen Second Life that create lasting benefit to their communities. The Ventures can take place entirely within the virtual world of Teen Second Life, in the real world, or some combination of the two!

It begins in the virtual world of Second Life. Teen Second Life is an international gathering place for teens 13-17 to make friends and to play, learn and create. It’s more than a videogame and much more than an Internet chat program – it’s a boundless world of surprise and adventure that encourages teens to work together and use their imagination.

The DIDI Initiative Island in the teen grid of Second Life is a place for teen residents to learn about important social and health issues including poverty, food insecurity, social exclusion and discrimination, poor housing, and vulnerable populations, and to create and lead their own social ventures to address these issues.

Attend a D.I.D.I. Workshop on D.I.D.I. Initiative Island. All youth aged 13-17 are welcome to attend the workshops and learn how to get involved in this exciting initiative. Workshops are the first step to brainstorming about individual passions, interests, and issues in our communities. In the second part of the workshop, teens think about ways to connect their interests to issues in their communities and develop ideas on ways to bring change to those issues. We also discuss the D.I.D.I. timeline and the steps necessary towards submitting an "Action Plan"

If you are new to Teen Second Life, start by creating a Teen Second Life account (go to http://teen.secondlife.com). Once you’re in the virtual world of Teen Second Life, teleport yourself to the D.I.D.I. Initiative Island and sign up for an upcoming workshop!

Developing an Action Plan. After deciding on their venture idea, each team of teens develops an action plan to design and launch their own social entrepreneurial projects. When the teams are ready to launch, the Initiative offers:

    * Seed funding (up to $1,000 per team in the US)
    * Technical allies to provide additional advice and expertise
    * Ongoing tools and support (e.g. workshops, office hours, how-to booklets)

Dream it. Do it.

For regular updates on this18 month Initiative, please visit our D.I.D.I. blogs:

Global Kids D.I.D.I. Initiative Blog

Youth Venture D.I.D.I. Initiative Blog



If you are an educator, interested in the D.I.D.I Initiative, please click here.