Club Zora ____________________

Research

What is the potential role of virtual environments to foster positive youth development and to help youth develop cultural awareness and respect for cultural diversity?

Professor Marina Bers from Tufts University and her Developmental Technologies research team are working to create technology-based interventions for youth to explore these issues by communicating and collaborating with youth from around
the world.

The Zora virtual environment provides tools for youth to build and inhabit a graphical virtual city populated by their own objects,
characters, and stories. Popular multimedia applications already at the Computer Clubhouses can be integrated into the Zora
experience to create a highly customized virtual world.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, we are exploring how youth and mentors using Zora at after-school
Computer Clubhouses around the world. In a nutshell, the project explores whether participating in a virtual community such as
Zora can:
1. Allow for a strong community of Computer Clubhouses around the world.
2. Help youth from different cultures learn about each other and develop cultural awareness and respect for cultural diversity.

______________With support from:

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