Amigos | Aurora Now! Foundation | Diversity Web | Hidden Histories | I*EARN | KIDLINK | Multiculturalpedia | One World-Next Generations | Y?

Background: Amigos <http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/cguanipa/amigos/> began in 1996 as an experimental collaboration between Dr. Carmen Guanipa, Director of the Individual and Family Counseling Clinic located at San Diego State University and Linda Woods Hyman, Pacific Bell Education First.

It is a forum for students to share experiences dealing with multicultural issues. "We believe that Amigos is a place where you can express yourself and listen to others who are facing the same struggles and challenges." Topics addressed include Culture Shock, Self Esteem, Communication Problems, Ethnic Identity, Grief.

Audience: Middle School - High School students; Educators; Parents

Types of Activities Offered: Amigos offers information and activities in both English and Spanish, including"

• informational essays
• resources for locating help
• sharing of personal stories and intergenerational experiences
• ISDN-based videoconferencing
• electronic collaboration

Sample Pages from Their Site:

• Share Multicultural Experiences- Students can submit their experiences. Sample prompts are given to assist them.
  
• Send to Carmen-provides a space for students to discuss specific topics with Dr. Carmen Guanipa.

Support Available: In conjunction with Pacific Bell Education First, teachers can find links to other interactive sites and Spanish language resources for elementary through high school classes.

Costs: Amigos is a non-profit organization and charges no fee to participate.

To Join In: Those interested in participating should read Rules of the Road first.

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Background: The Aurora Now! Foundation <http://www.auroranow.org/> founded in 1996 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, is an organization that promotes the "celebration of human and environmental diversity."

Audience: Elementary - High School students; Educators

Types of Activities Offered: Aurora Now! offers four basic types of activities.

• an email-based discussion area where students can discuss a variety of topics and issues,
• a supervised real-time chat area called Kids Nation,
• an email-based project conversation, entitled Futuring Community, to help students "discover universal commonalities and to appreciate the diversity of our human family",
• a web-based messageboard discussion area where students can discuss a variety of topics and issues.

Sample Pages from Their Site: Students can find activities and support from information provided on their site, though many of the activities take place via email.

• The Hangout- This is the entry page for student students detailing the basic activities available to them.
• Go Ahead with Life-provides homework support in the form of suggested links to curricular topic areas online that may assist students in completing homework or provide students with additional practice in a discipline.
  

Support Available: Initial support is given in the form of background information for teachers. Aurora Now! also provides email-based discussions for teachers as well as a Diversity Digest.

Costs: Aurora Now! is a non-profit organization and charges no fee to participate.

To Join In: You can sign up to participate from their website.

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Amigos | Aurora Now! Foundation | Diversity Web | Hidden Histories | I*EARN |
KIDLINK | Multiculturalpedia | One World-Next Generations | Y?