New Look Website Urges Kids to Take "Action!" on Poverty

from Reuters Alert Net

Source: Christian Aid - UK
Fiona Cowood (fcowood@christian-aid.org)
Website: http://www.globalgang.org

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

Christian Aid's children's website, www.globalgang.org, has been revamped and to mark the occasion it has launched 'Gang Up On Poverty!' - a nationwide search for young, aspiring movie-makers to make a short film about what should be done to address global poverty.

The competition is open to young people aged between seven and 14 and the winning entry will be shown on www.globalgang.org and displayed at the London International Gallery of Children's Art later this year. Entries need to be no longer than three minutes and should be based on children getting their peers to take action on poverty. For ideas and ways to get involved, entrants are encouraged to visit www.globalgang.org

Global Gang is packed with stories, pictures and clips from children around the world. The redesigned site encourages 7 to 13-year-olds to see themselves as active members of the global community, and enables them to chat, share ideas and play fun games that relate to development issues.

Sophie Shirt, editor of Global Gang, says: 'Global Gang houses an incredibly rich bank of content, from games about landmines and global warming, to stories about ex-child soldiers and child labour. Through fun, interactive activities and compelling stories, the site engages children with the issues of poverty and injustice.

'Our intention is that by illustrating what children have in common and giving them opportunities to interact, the site will encourage children here to feel connected with children worldwide. We hope to awaken a sense of injustice and ultimately a desire to take action and make the world a better place.'

Global Gang is also a great resource for homework with a new section called 'Find it!' in which kids can browse the entire site according to key words and topics. To add to the fun, children will be able to choose an avatar (or online character) to represent themselves on new message boards.

Global Gang is linked to Christian Aid's Learn website - an invaluable resource for teachers, teaching assistants and youth leaders. Visit www.christianaid.org.uk/learn for notes on how 'Gang Up On Poverty' links to the ICT and citizenship curricula. 'Learn' also contains a wide selection of free-to-download resources, including assemblies, stories and case studies in times of emergency and disaster. Its news and calendar sections are must-have resources for teachers who need to keep up with world news, disaster updates, events and competitions.

The new, improved website, www.globalgang.org will be live by the end of March and full details of how to enter the 'Gang Up On Poverty' competition can be found there.