The KIDS-91 Newsletter A Global Dialog for Children 10-15 Years Issue number 7, April 5 1991 Kidlink 's logo

1. SOME NEW RESPONSES

Since our last newsletter, hundreds of new responses have been received, including some from Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, Armenia, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Here is a sampling (see #7 below for the text of these questions):

>From Wroclaw (Poland):
1. My name is Jakub Wojnarowicz. I am 12 years old.
2. When I grow up I want to be an astronomer.
3. I would like the world to be cleaner,safer,united,peaceful and catholic.
4. I can recycle trash, obey the law, give money to peace foundations not start fights and no matter what anyone says I have to believe in God.

>From Vilnius (Lithuania):
1. My name is Arnas Opalnikovas. I am 12 years old. I learn in secondary school #62. My school is in Vilnius.
2.I shall work with dogs, becase i love them.
3.I don't want that people is at war. There is comunist diktation in Lithuania. All Lithuanian don't like it and I don't like it. People in Latvia and in Estonia think so, too.
4. I can't make that Lithuania will be free now. I must good learn. This is my duty. When i grow up i make very good work to Lithuania.

>From Denmark:
1. My name is Anna, and I am 15 years old. I live in Denmark in a little town near Copenhagen. Everyday I go to a public school. I think it is very good to have public schools, everybody get`s a chance to get an education. In my spare time I`m a girlscout, we learn about the nature and how to help other people in all kinds of trouble. I also like to travel, most in Europe, but once I were in Thailand and I am going there again this summer.
2. I would like to be an anthropologist, because I like to see how other people live and to tell them how my people live. I believe that if all the people in the world understood each other, not by language but by the way they think, there would not be a third worldwar and together we could make a green world.
3. I would like to see my children grow up in a green world. A world full of flowers, forests and clean air. People who are teaching their kids, how to be good against the nature, the sea, the animals and each other. I know that this sounds crazy, but I think it would work if you are on my team. We all have to give our share.
4. I do not think I can do anything as a child, nobody would listen to me. I think that I am doing my share by being a girlscout, I am preparing myself to do a good thing when it is my turn to run the world with all the other kids in the world ( when we are adults).

>From Yerevan (Armenia):
1. My name is Vazgen Sedrakian. I am 14 years old. I am study in school No 114. I go in for wrestling and to music school. I study in drawing school too. I like to read books and to listen to classical music.
2. When I grow up I want to be an architect. I want to design houses that will be very beattiful and will not be destroyed by any kind of earthquake.
3. I want the world to be without wars and borders. I want children to be happy and our planet will be always green. There will be no Red Book and dieig spisios of animals.
4. I must be kind to my friends and animals. I mustn't spoil and dirty the nature.

>From Oldenburg (Germany):
1. My name is Ilona-Kristin Friedrichs. I'm 15 years old. I have got 3 cats. My hobbies are: to speak & lern Italian, ballet, circus school. Oldenburg is in the North of Germany. Since October, the 3rd, 1990 we are united with East Germany.
2. I want to be a bank manager or a doctor when I grow up.
3. I want to abolish wars, guns and bombs when I grow up.
4. I can collect paper,bottles and old oil,etc. I can buy things, which do not pollute our nature.

>From Dublin (Ireland):
1. Pol O'Riabhaigh is ainm dom - my name is Paul Rea. I am 12 years old. My interests are music and singing. I play the piano. I sing in a Palestrina choir, and have been singing with this choir for almost six years. I have sung in the opera The Magic Flute, by Mozart. And I have also sung in a ballet called The Nutcracker Suite. I have also been to a Pueri Cantores in Maastricht in Holland. This year I am going to visit Spain with the choir. My Mum's name is Aine (Irish for Anne), and Bernard is my Dad's name. I go to school in Colaiste Eoin in Booterstown, Dublin, Ireland. My house is near the school.
2. I would like to be a doctor when I grow up, to help and save people.
3. I want the world to be cleaner and no smog anywhere in the world. I would also like more recycling and less tress being cut down.
4. I would start a campaign to make this world a better place.

>From Pratteln (Switzerland):
1. Hello. Our names are: Martin Daehler, Carlo Felippi and Philipp Gilgen. We live in Switzerland, in Giebenach and we go to school in Pratteln. Our hobbies are: handball, swimming and computer.
2. We want to learn painter-jobs.
3. The world can be better with out wars.
4. We can`t do anything now.

>From Levin (New Zealand):
1. My name is Rebecca Richardson. I am twelve years old. I attend Levin Intermediate School. Levin, New Zealand. Levin is located in NZ North Island, 60 miles north of the capital Wellington.
2. When I grow up I want to be a nurse in a medical or surgical ward, not in the operating theatre, childrens ward or old peoples ward.
3. When I grow up I hope that more money will be put towards conservation because our environment is suffering a lot from the pollution we put in the air, rivers and land everyday. Also we cut down too much forest and bush area and put too many birds and animals out of a home.
4. Some ways I can help are to subscribe to environmental magazines and clubs, get involved in things like beach clean-ups and promote the use of environmentally safe products that are biodegradable and free of C.F.Cs

2. THE ACTION IN KIDCAFE

The global discussion forum KIDCAFE are for kids who have responded to the four introductory questions. Responses should be sent to the following email address: RESPONSE@VM1.NODAK.EDU unless you are participating in KIDCAFE through a conferencing or mailbox system, which has a forwarding mechanism.
Gradually, the RESPONSE notebook archives are becoming a data base of children profiles. This is where those interested in violin, stamps or volleyball can find other young people with matching interests.
Since the last newsletter, the activity in KIDCAFE has exploded. Children from all over the world are now using this forum as a place to find keypal friends, to discuss favorite topics with the group, and to enjoy themselves.
The good thing about this is that the participants are "never alone in the CAFE". The bad thing - for some - is that the volume of mail is too much.
Most of the participating systems have creative ways of getting around this problem. One popular option is to read individual messages picked from a list of message numbers and subject headings. Ask your local administrator about how to do this.
Those participating directly in KIDCAFE through the LISTSERV can also do that. To find out how this is done, just send a message to listserv@vm1.nodak.edu . In the body of the mail, write the command: GET KIDS-91 TIPS A short explanation about selective reading of messages will then be mailed to you.

3. PROGRESS REPORT

KIDS-91 is just growing and growing, and the media has started to notice. Here is a list of some of the media coverage:

• full page in *Washington Post*, USA,
• two mentions in *Journal do Brasil*
• front page in *Globe and Mail*, Canada,
• *Aftenposten*, Norway,
• syndicated article from Gannett News, USA.
• radio interviews in Norway, Israel, Canada, and the US.
• *Global TV* in Canada.

And then: Midt-Jyllands Avis (Denmark), the Computer Pals Newsletter (International), Verk og Virke (Norway), Datatid (Norway), Saskatoon Star Phoenix (Canada), LaBA (Latvia), Haaretz (Israel), Maui News (Hawaii, USA), Data i Skolen (Norway), Politics (Israel), Voice of America - Ukraine, Netweaver Winter 91 (international), Z*Net (international), The Online Journal (international), and much, much more.
Everybody cheered when:

• Omska School in Prague, Czechoslovakia received two 80386 computers with modems,
• the first KIDS-91 Walk-In Center was opened in a cafe in Arendal, Norway,
• a package with responses and drawings from Armenia arrived after two months with the mailman. And, also when couriers brought a new package with of responses from the children's newspaper LaBA in Latvia.
• the Italian children jumped into KIDCAFE. - Whew, some of them even want to speak Italiano!
• the KIDS-9X 'movement' received its LOGO, created by Norwegian graphical artist Anne-Tove Vestfossen.
• a plea for a free modem to Novosibirsk, USSR resulted in two offers. One via Chatback in the UK. The other via School No.18 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA.
• when Dan Wheeler opened the "KIDS-91 Gallery of Computer Art" for kids' artwork done with computer graphics ("paint") programs.

Alas, we don't have space for all the good things that have happened.

4. THE MAY 12 CELEBRATION

The KIDS-91 will end on May 12th. On that same day a new project will be initiated: KIDS-92.
On that very day, we will reach out and hold hands electronically across the globe. We will use all the means that we can think of, and get our hands on, to get really close to our friends from KIDCAFE, KIDPEACE, and RESPONSE.
Some children will participate in 'chats', which are keyboard to keyboard interactive dialogs with other young people living elsewhere. We will use videophone, amateur radio, fax, telephone, modems, and - hopefully - video conferencing via an Intelsat satellite link.
Detailed plans will be announced in the connected KIDS-91 conferences. Already now, however, you can mark 08.00 - 10.00 GMT, and 17.00 - 21.00 GMT in your diary. We may also set up other 'outreach time slots' between 21.00 - 08.00 GMT (when most of Europe sleeps).
In Arendal, Norway, there will be a special face-to-face KIDS-91 Gala Celebration in addition to the various 'outreach' events. All participants in KIDS-91 are invited to visit Arendal on that day. (Send mail to Eli.Tunold@atik.no if you want more information.)
In this little town, KIDS-91 will be an integral part of an International Children's Cultural Week. (The program spans ten days, so it's probably one of the longest weeks on earth this May.) Details about the planned events are available from the KIDS-91 archive in the file "ARENDAL". To retrieve the program, send mail to LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu In the TEXT of the message, write the command GET KIDS-91 ARENDAL and then GET going ...

5. NEW DOCUMENTS AND FILES

The following new files are now available by email from the KIDS-91 archive:
CHAT-EXE, an unedited report from a chat session on SciNet in Canada.
"KIDS-91 in the Classroom" contains sample guidelines and form lessons, and short reports on how teachers use KIDS-91 in the classroom. File name: REPORT.
New files with children's responses are available in the files RES0291A, RES0291B, RES0291C, RES0291D, RES0291E, RES0491A, RES0491B, and RES0491C.
The file WASHINGP contains the full text of the article printed in *Washington Post*. The file HAARETZ contains a translation of an article printed in an Israeli newspaper.
The file KIDSPCX is a binary file containing the KIDS-91 logo in .PCX format (for use with programs like WordPerfect or Ventura Publisher).
To get a list of all available files in KIDS-91, send a message to LISTSERV@vm1.nodak.edu . In the TEXT of your message, write the command: INDEX KIDS-91 The resulting file will also give you a short introduction to retrieving individual files from our archives. If you have problems downloading these files, please email Odd de Presno.

6. SPONSORS

Here's an updated list of organizations who have already supported, or have agreed to support the project in various ways:
Children's Museum ( Washington DC, USA), Department of Preventive and Adolescent Health Care at Charles University (Czechoslovakia), Barnas Kulturuke (Arendal, Norway), Project Chatback (UK), Children's Bureau, Department of Health and Welfare (Canada), Penn Van Public Library (USA), Arendal International Culture Center (Norway), Ontario Ministry of Health (Canada), Advocacy Institute (USA), Children's Museum (Ottawa, Canada), The Electronic Cafe (USA), Santa Monica Arts Commission (USA), Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (USA), PeaceChild International (USA and The Netherlands), Defense for Children International/USA.
North Dakota State University (USA), RVO (Norway), Teleschool (Canada), Seneca Elementary School (Canada), Seabury Hall HS (USA), Teleclass International (USA), Guido Reni Secondary School (Italy), Santa Monica Public Schools (USA), Learning Link (USA), TOGL (USA), IRIS Educational Computer Network (USA), University of Oslo (Norway).
IDB Communications (USA), Department of Communications (Canada), Norwegian Telecom (Norway), Agderforskning (Norway), SciNet (Canada), Semafor A/S (Norway), Marshal McLuhan Center on Global Communications (Canada), Council for Scientific Research/Institute for Radioastronomy (Italy), GTE (USA), PEN (USA), Cleveland FreeNet (USA), Institute of Global Communications (USA).
Global TV (Canada), Gannett News Service (USA), PaliTech (USA), Czechoslovakia Television (Czechoslovakia), CompuServe (USA), Public Service Satellite Consortium (USA), Public Interests Video Network (USA), Telecommunications Cooperative Network (USA), New Voices Radio (USA), Internews (USA), I*EARN (USA), EarthTrain (International), Toshiba Japan.

7. ABOUT THE KIDS-91 PROJECT

The goal of KIDS-91 is to get as many 10-to-15-year-old children as possible involved in a GLOBAL dialog continuing until May 12th 1991. We want their responses to these questions: 1) Who am I? 2) What do I want to be when I grow up? 3) How do I want the world to be better when I grow up? 4) What can I do now to make this happen?
We would also like them to illustrate their future vision, for example in a drawing, a video tape, or something else.
On May 12th, 1991, the children will be invited to "chat" with each other in a global electronic dialog. Exhibitions of selected parts of the responses will be sent back to the world for the children to see and enjoy.
Our Internet/BITNET discussion lists, KIDS-91 and KIDCAFE, have quickly become key meeting places for people involved with the KIDS-91 project.
In addition , we also operates the following lists:

RESPONSE		where the children send their personal introductions (their responses to the four introductory questions)
KIDPEACE		a discussion list for children about Peace and War
KIDPLAN		for those who want to participate in the detail planning of the project.

To join KIDS-91 send the command SUB KIDS-91 Yourname to LISTSERV@vm1.NoDak.EDU. (For example: SUB KIDS-91 Ole Olsen.) The command should be in the BODY of the text. All lists are open for everybody.
The KIDS-91 newsletter is an information bulletin for participants, sponsors, teachers, mediators, promoters, and others. Suggestions and contributions are invited. We plan to port the last issue of the KIDS-91 newsletter - which will contain final plans for the May 12th KIDS-91 Celebration - during the first week in May. But please don't wait until then to plan activities in your community! And be sure to write us if you want to get on the mailing list for KIDS-92!! Onward!

Editor/Project director:		Odd de Presno, Saltrod, Norway.
Mail address: Telefax:		Saltrod, Norway (Europe). +47 41 27111
Online addresses: Internet: UUCP/EUnet: DASnet: IASnet: Saltrød Horror Show BBS:		opresno@ulrik.uio.no uunet!ulrik.uio.no!opresno [DEZNDP]opresno ADIAS4 SYSOP. Phone: +47 41 31378.

If you want to help out with KIDS-91, or participate, contact the editor, or one of the following persons:

You can also write to KIDS-91, c/o SciNet, 131 Bloor Street West, Suite 200, Box 326, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1R8, Canada or just sign up ...