Episode 16 of The Drax Files finds Draxtor Despres speaking to Brique Topaz (Second Life name) who raises money for the Live and Learn in Kenya charity and their Feed A Smile programme. As usual I’ll embed the video at the end of the post. The video touches upon the variety of ways that the charity raises funds and also talks of how some folk weren’t that convinced about the prospects of raising money via a virtual world …. until they saw the money rolling in!
The charity have a club, The Lavender Field, where artists perform for free, with their tips going to the charity. We see artists from different parts of the world projecting themselves through their real self into their virtual self to perform at the club. There are a number of singers featured and unfortunately I don’t know their names.
Brique points out that 100 Linden Dollars will feed a child for a day, that works out to around 30 US cents. Some singers have better followings than others, Brique cites one popular singer who in an hour will generate tips that will pay for 800 meals. However Brique will welcome any singer, it all adds up.
The board of directors were not at all convinced about Second Life, indeed Brique says that “They are no longer against Second Life“, suggesting there were some doubts regarding the venture. This is why The Drax Files is such a good platform for Second Life and other virtual worlds, people do not realise quite how powerful virtual worlds can be. In this case, Brique explains that Second Life is raising around 1,000 Euros every month and paying for around a third of all meals via this venture, pretty impressive and heart warming stuff.
We see Brique in Kenya and she talks about the poverty the children experience, emphasising why this is such a good cause. Brique also explains that the charity are going to build a school, demonstrating that they are making moves to educate as well as feed the children. Brique also talks of how many people simply don’t know how to help, but how a platform such as Second Life helps people to collaborate on causes such as this to a good end.
Yet again Draxtor manages to highlight a use case of virtual worlds that the popular press seem to miss. These are the sort of events that happen in various parts of Second Life and other virtual worlds day in day out and they are powered by people from all over the globe, it’s all good stuff and so very worthy of highlighting.
SLURL To Feed A Smile : http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Feed%20A%20Smile/124/120/23