photoLIFE Announces A New Program – photoLIFE Spectrum
photoLIFE Spectrum – Helping Someone’s First Life Through Second Life.
Over the past few years I have been privileged to be a part of some wonderful charitable programs inside of Second Life. Throughout the many different events we have seen so much help through the efforts of so many. My involvement with different organizations has given us wonderful opportunities to help, but until now, we felt our resources were not being fully utilized. The events over the past two weeks have very much changed that.
As I was working in Second Life one night my daughter had rented a movie called “House of Cards”. The movie’s centralized theme is about a young girl with autism. The interesting fact that my daughter kept asking me to rent the movie for her was strange enough but the only place I could find the movie was through Netflix. My daughter has never really asks for us to rent special titles, and even at that, she’s a very casual person so for her to repeatedly ask for something is unusual.
Well I rented the movie, a few days later it came in the mail and there we were watching it. I have my computer in the living room so I can watch and work on photoLIFE at the same time. That night my dear friends, Trinidad Anatine and Brody Muircastle, called and said they had caught up on their work so I invited them to come with me on a couple of service calls. They agreed and we were off. While on one of the calls, I explained that I was watching the movie and they asked what it was called. When I said it was “House of Cards”, Trinidad told me how she loved the movie and how she had a special interest in it because her young son also has a form of autism. As we talked, she told me how she’s always wanted to do more in SL towards the cause. It was this event that sparked my interest, not just because Trinidad and Brody are good friends of mine, but that they happened to be with me during this particular movie, and this was the first time we had ever just hung out together without working on a specific project. Some call this fate.
Over the next couple of weeks I began to attend autism organization meetings and share ideas with new contacts and close friends. Many similar events like the one described above began to take place. It seemed clear to me and those around me that we had a new purpose. Through these events two new programs began to take shape.
The first program is called “Project Pieces”. It’s the collaboration with many Autism Support Organizations inside of SL for the development of a sim solely dedicated towards Autism. This project will centralize the efforts of many to increase the effectiveness of all. This is something that the Autism community in Second Life will greatly benefit from.
The other program is a division of photoLIFE called “Spectrum”. The word spectrum is often used in the autism community to describe its many different forms, such as Asperser’s. Spectrum is also a term used in photography to describe color patterns. The photoLIFE company will use the Spectrum program for research that will collaborate with other organizations to develop tools and products geared towards those with autism. We believe Second Life provides us a great resource to aid learning and develop interactive and social skills. Beyond that, photoLIFE believes SL photography could be another valuable tool that may help many with autism to experience greater creativity and success, and we’re preparing the photoLIFE Spectrum program to do just that. We are also planning the Spectrum program to promote autism awareness as well as support charitable funding.
These programs are currently in their infancy, and some details may change as they continue to develop. As with any charitable programs, lofty ideals and great expectations are key ingredients. While none of us know how successful we may become nor all of the hurdles we may face, I find it a privilege to move forward with those of you who daring enough to take on the task.
As we move forward together as a team, I’d like to congratulate all of my dear friends that have worked with me through the past few years to help photoLIFE become what is today. I’d also like to welcome the many of you who have recently come to be a part of this wonderful team and ask for your support as we help make Second Life a better place for everyone.
On a final note, 14 years ago my sister gave birth to a son who was soon after diagnosed with Aspberger’s. His complications have been numerous and include court cases with school officials. The difficulties that parents, educators, and even school officials face just simply not knowing how to handle the circumstances are beyond what most of us understand. My nephew has shown resilience and is doing much better as a teen, but as I reflect upon the journey he’s taken, it only motivates me to want to help others who are facing a similar path.
LIFE is GOOD
-Oom
