Originally issued as a CGS press release on August 4, 2005.
Entrants Use Interactive Media to Solve Global Problems
Citizens for Global Solutions launched its inaugural Summer Games today, a contest that challenges young people to put their technological expertise toward a constructive purpose. Entrants were asked to use Flash and Macromedia Shockwave technology to create interactive computer games that everyone, on any skill level, could play and enjoy. The games, however, were required not only to address pressing global issues such as climate change and peacekeeping, but also to offer solutions to these problems.
Valerie Schrock, Citizens for Global Solutions Director of Outreach and Advocacy and contest creator, said the goal was to encourage today’s youth to use their own media and voice to comment on today’s complex international concerns.
“We hear constantly that today’s youth are ambivalent to what’s going on in the world around them,” Schrock said. “This is a false perception. A lot of young people simply lack the creative vehicles to express their opinions and get engaged. Citizens for Global Solution’s Summer Games provides them with an interactive forum to voice their concerns and offer analysis of today’s global problems.”
Unlike many of today’s computer games, which often center on violence, the Citizens for Global Solutions’ Summer Games are meant to be educational and inspirational. Entries covered a variety of global issues including global warming, water contamination, peacekeeping operations, world hunger and environmental policy.
The contest, which will continue until fall 2005, was the first of its kind for Citizens for Global Solutions. Over 550 students from all over the United States, and even Latin America, participated in the competition. The top nine entrants, who were chosen by a panel composed of Citizens for Global Solutions staff and Board Members, each received a $300 cash prize.
