14 Prim Perfect • December 2008

CHARITY NEWS

Peacemaker Institute

by Coughran Mayo

MORE THAN A FEW NON-PROFITS HAVE FOLLOWED the lead of their corporate cousins in Second Life, and pursued an “if you build it, they will come” approach. An initial flurry of interest in the virtual worlds is followed up with the es-tablishment of a corporate beachhead, be it an island sim, an office or an information kiosk. Some posters are placed describing the work of the organisation, perhaps there is a place to sign a visitor log, and of course, a donation jar. Early activity is followed by less and less time inworld on the part of the non-profit’s avatar represen-tatives, and ultimately the organizational site is all but abandoned.

The same could hardly be said for Peacemaker Institute, and Vivienne Cassavetes, its represen-tative in Second Life. You could probably count on two hands the number of days that Vivienne has not been logged into Second Life – building, organising, teaching, and helping out newcom-ers, since the group first arrived. Add your two feet and maybe my hands and feet as well, and you could count the number of days that Peace-maker Institute has not been hosting or helping with some meaningful activity or other.

Over the past two years, for example, Vivi-enne has hosted a Global Meditation for Peace session nearly every day. Although these quiet,

15Prim Perfect • December 2008

seated groups are brief (20 minutes), those who have attended (present company included) will attest to the refreshment and renewal that comes from par-ticipation. It’s a quiet oasis in the middle of an often hectic day. Over 10,000 avatars have come to Peacemaker Institute meditations. In the past sev-eral months, regular tai chi sessions have also been held at the Peacemaker Center on the Commonwealth sims.

But that, as they say, is just the beginning. Additional ac-tivities which have been sup-ported in whole or in part by Peacemaker Institute include:• Free Burma protests, with over 1,000 attendees• Free Tibet vigils, attended by several hundred avatars• Ongoing YouTube video offer-ings, relevant to the group’s purpose, for discussion and viewing• Discussion groups in Nonviolent Communication (NVC)• Buddhist women’s support group• Integral Peacemaker Training discussion groups • Participation in the international Conversation

Café, which included organising two conversations on the week of the annual event, continuing weekly thereafter• Ongoing support in organisation of Commonwealth for Progressive Organizations• Structured activities during peace festival• A featured role in machinima of Draxtor Despres• Art show at Twilight Gallery

Peacemaker Institute’s activi-ties in Second Life have spread back out into the real world as well, completing a circle. Vivi-enne has organised Facebook and Ning Groups for the Institute, rep-resented her organisation at the Boulder, Colorado “Serious Sec-ond Life” MeetUp Group (Peace-maker Institute’s home base), and participated in the BlogHer and Netroots Nation events.

The original goals of Peacemaker Institute’s entry into Second Life were to find alternative,

non-localized venues for, and innovative ways to present, the organisation’s various trainings and groups, which have been held in the Boul-der area for some time previous to the Second Life experience. Vivienne acknowledges that she has had to rethink these goals over the past two years. “We have had to scale back on our hopes, as the steep tech/learning curve of Second Life has proven daunting for many of our constituents – there are too many obstacles for some to over-come.” Inworld activities, popular with so many Second Life residents, have not attracted the in-terest of “outside” members of the Peacemaker Institute in the numbers originally hoped for. She still believes that Second Life can be an effec-tive platform for non-profit groups, particularly in the areas of collaboration, networking, and community building. Vivienne remarks, “I would like to see non-profit groups being more effective inworld in presenting training in key areas such as communication skills, conflict resolution, and group dynamics skills.”

Even though the group’s original goals may have been reduced, it is impossible for anyone who has come into contact with Peacemaker In-stitute, and with Vivienne Cassavetes, through the many activities noted above, to believe that Peacemaker Institute has not had a noticeable impact on Second Life, and on real life as well, through the Second Life connection! E