INTERNET FOR KIDS? MORE THAN GAMES?

Project by: E80 cross media production company

Author: Mariana Assenova

CHILDREN CREATE AND LEARN!
CHILDREN ENTERTAIN!
CHILDREN COMMUNICATE!

The Bulgarian Net has not much to propose to children, concerning their entertainment and education. Also the Web doesn’t offer places kids to communicate, to ask questions and get proper and clear answers. The result often is kids see the New Technologies only as computer game. So the idea of this project came more than a year ago. We started to develop it with Paul Van Zoggel. Thank you Paul for the work we have done together!

Now the initial stage is behind us, and we go on with this exciting project…

This project has three main aims:

• kids to learn more about the Information society they are part of, by the means of game and contest elements and using simple digital tools;
• kids to entertain while creating their hero works (stories, drawings, photos) and thus stimulating their autonomy and self-reliance;
• kids to build up their own communication point (BLABLAS   website), where to show their works, to ask the questions they are interested in and to get the most accurate answers. 

BLABLAS  project has three main steps:

1. The opening step is to build a website primary version and to announce the first hero contest – children choose their own hero (existing or imaginary), write a hero story and send it to BLABLAS ;
2. Second step is to organize one week workshop with 8 kids- authors of the 8 most interesting stories. During the workshop kids finish their stories, draw their heroes, learn how to behave in the NET(mails, sites, etc), how to make pictures with digital camera, how to listen music and watch a movie on the computer;
3. Publish the stories on the net.

Feel more about each other
Experience differences
Feel connected

International project which aims to explore life in hidden places all around Europe
collect stories of local people
present them on multimedia platforms - Internet, CD-ROM, Newspaper, Radio and TV

why
There is a widening gap between the notions and realities of people in different parts of Europe. It does not diminish with the opening-up of borders across the region
We believe active dialogue between different nationalities can bring new insights to local culture and heightened perception about national and cultural differences
There is also a wide gap in communication between art, science and media
Active dialogue between them can bring forward rich communicative stories on subjects relating social prosperity and cultural diversity

how
Put in a small group people from different countries and professions: storytellers, researchers, multimedia designers 
Involve local professionals in the process of creating and publishing
Gather knowledge about the place of interest (considering past and present) before meeting there
Hold 2- weeks intensive workshop on location to collect personal stories, sounds, pictures, videos
Publisg collected material on different platforms - on-line documentaries, cd-roms, articles, radio and TV
Create an internet portal where the user has a possibility to explore various aspects of life and culture in different places

aims

local level
Give local people a sense of participation and belonging to European culture
Encourage preservation of local memory
Give opportunity for social and cultural development of local area
Stimulate local people to reflect on their self-images
Put local communities into direct communication with the world

international level
Increase knowledge, awareness and acceptance of cultural differences
Raise awareness about existing stereotypes
Give opportunity to discover more about other cultures and nations in terms of European integration
Encourage nonconventional and alternative tourism around Europe
Create an active network between young professionals in different parts of Europe

target groups
students and young professionals- science, art, media
general public
internet users
travellers

• We are looking for cooperation with local partners in different countries:
  cultural organisations
  schoolsmunicipalities
  tourist organizations
  NGOs

• For creation and publishing we are looking for cooperation with:
  Software and technical equippment companies
  Internet providers
  Mobile companies
  Media

who are we?
international team of professionals  - new media designers, producers, journalists, social psychologists - from Poland, The Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Bulgaria, Czech Republic

We worked together for the first time in September 2003 in the village Gorna Bela Rechka in Bulgaria. During the 10 days more than 50 stories and  500 images have been collected and put in the database. The Bela Rechka project became very popular and stories about it were published in various media - Capital light magazine, Radio Free Europe/www.svobodnaevropa.org/, Radio France Internacionale, Radio Bulgaria, TEA magazine for tourism, ecology and adventures. We received a lot of positive feedback from students, graffic designers, journalists, users, sociologists. Our presence in the village and the media coverage of the event were very well received by the local community in Bela Rechka.

CD-ROM and website of the project in Bulgarian and English will be released in the first quarter of 2004.

The network HIDDEN SPIRITS OF EUROPE consists of:
New Culture Foundation -Sofia, Bulgaria
NOEMA Meeting Cultures - The Netherlands
TRIMEDIA studio-Multimedia Center - Prague, Czech Republic