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Global Kids has been quite busy with their activities this year! They recently streamed Kofi Annan receiving the MacArthur Foundation's first International Justice Award. Not only was this event special and meaningful in the first place, but it was also fairly unique in how far it reached.

The award ceremony was broadcast to the web, Second Life on both the main grid and the teen grid, There, and Whyville! Could this be a glimpse of the future of event outreach? For more information, check out their site, Holy Meatballs!

If you have machinima or movie suggestions from any MMO, please send them to machinima AT massively DOT com, along with any information you might have about them.

Two weeks ago, we wrote about an interactive science lab being used for education on the Teen Grid in Second Life. Today, we'll look at another campus, Global Kids, and how they work on their scientific projects. Global Kids has one of the most popular groups of islands on TG, as part of their program is open to everyone, while the other part is exclusive to their real life after school program.

In the video, the students are building homes and then measuring their carbon footprints. They are displaying the data on signs that reflect the usage of water, power use, garbage, recycling, and food products. They then discuss how they can make better environmental choices. Why wasn't stuff like this around when we were students?

The days of science lab fires are over. The STEAM, or Science and Technology Enrichment for Appalachian Middle-schoolers, project lets middle school students experiment with science through Second Life. Teen Gridders that are part of the Ohio STEAM sim will be able to put on a HUD, or Heads Up Display, and receive everything they need to complete their lab work.

While some educational programs, such as Global Kids and Eye4You Alliance, are open to the TG public, others, like the Appalachian K-12 program, are closed to only their students. I really enjoy seeing videos of the progress that these communities make. If you enjoyed the Interactive Science Lab video, check out the rest of their videos, or their project website!

Every few months, I highlight a teen that recently turned 18 and transferred to the Main Grid. Last week, one of the most successful Teen Grid residents made her journey to the other side. Asuka Martin was the grid's #1 skin maker, taking her island and creations with her when she left.

Wicked Loudon prepared this sad video for his good friend. You may remember him from the heartbreaking video he made for Kit Axon last year. In his homage, they dance, play, and enjoy her teens for just a little bit longer before she goes.

As I've mentioned before, the Main Grid has a low retention rate for teen transfers. According to Snapzilla, Asuka isn't having too much fun on MG. If you have a little extra time, send her an IM and make her feel welcome!

It always breaks my heart when I hear about teen transfers, or those who turn 18 and switch over to the Main Grid. I've seen too many formerly vibrant Teen Gridders come over to MG and fade away. Sonof Marvin is the latest TGer to leave his video mark on the world.

In his compilation, he shows off screenshots of his time on the Teen Grid of Second Life. At the end, he gives a shout out to all of his friends that he'll miss, as well as ways to contact him. However, I thought that I could do him one better and let the SLers know that this guy could use some friends on MG!

As an adult with access to the Second Life Teen Grid, I can only go to two estates there, Global Kids and Eye4You Alliance. However, I'm sure that many educators and Main Gridders would like to see what parts of TG look like. HVX Silverstar posted some brief machinima clips leftover from 2007, covering such topics as teen drivers, meetings, and machinima.

The clips are meant to show off the island and their projects. I'd have to say that my favorite part of the footage is where they watch Red vs. Blue in their theater. Machinima being viewed inside a machinima is so meta! Some other things I'd like to point out are that Storm Basiat manages the island for the teens, Brooke Barmy built the theater, and at least one of the residents in the video, Mercury Metropolitan, is already on the Main Grid!

I'm going on a field trip to the Teen Grid today to learn more about some of Global Kids' new projects. In the meantime, I want to show you the cutest video about the teens. It was prepared by the GK in-house Machinimator, Kathy Vega, for their discussion on Philanthropy and Virtual Worlds.

In the video, Blue Linden talks about some of the efforts that the teens have made to protect their grid. One resident, Cheesepuff Barnard, was discouraged by all of the adults present in their world, so he put up a protest sign asking for them to leave. This led to a meeting, where Linden Lab took action by redistricting. Another example used was the protest march, led by Alex Harbinger, for inter-grid commerce. Unfortunately, that issue hasn't been resolved yet.

[Via Rik Riel]

Mercury Metropolitan, an enterprising former teen from the Second Life Teen Grid, turned 18 today. The moment it happened, teens donned picket signs labeling him a pedophile and urged him to be transferred to the Main Grid. Well, no, that's not really what happened. However, the moment he turned 18, he was torn from his friends that he's known for 2.5 years.

I'll be publishing an interview with him later today, but the teens asked me last week if I'd prepare a video slideshow for his surprise birthday party on Tuesday. It seemed like a good excuse to discuss moviemaking software for those that aren't artistically-inclined. muvee AutoProducer 6 allows you to add songs, video clips, and pictures. It will turn them into a movie for you, cutting according to the song and the style that you chose. At that point, you can swap out clips on the timeline if you don't think that they fit in well.

This software, which runs $110-130 USD, actually gives you a decent amount of control if you're not that into editing. They also offer the opportunity to purchase additional style packs that will change the look, feel, and editing style of your Machinima project. They even announced today that they plan to support the h.264 codec! muvee isn't for anyone above novice skill level, but it does take the sting out of editing hundreds of pictures into a movie.

I logged into the Teen Grid this Saturday to attend a Machinima tools presentation by HVX Silverstar. Before I could teleport to Eye4You, I ran into a group of teens gathered on Global Kids island. Alex Harbinger was holding his monthly intern meeting, with this one being about the state of the Teen Grid.

Since this topic concerned me, I decided to stick around and weigh in. What I learned was downright depressing. Most of the teens were very unhappy with their current experience on TG. I gathered some of their experiences, including pictures, to share with the Massively readers. I hope this helps you get an accurate description of what they're facing over there.

The first part of the event involved a human barometer, with three choices. For each statement, you would choose from Agree, Not Sure, or Disagree. Some of the results were surprising. The second part involved an informal discussion where they could sound off about anything.

Continue after the jump to see the questions and highlights from the event ...