 |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
    |
||||||
|
Media
Kit: Resist Media
Kit: Research Media
Kit: Software |
Past Press Release Bay Area teens featured in groundbreaking software tool to solve life problems Today's teens are having to deal with life problems that were unimaginable a generation ago. From school shootings, to AIDS, to date rape drugs, youth today face a far more complex and dangerous social landscape than ever before and need a new generation of tools to successfully navigate it. That's what motivated a San Francisco-based company called Ripple Effects to develop Ripple Effects for Teens. This groundbreaking software tool is popping up in classrooms around the country, and Bay Area teens are all over it. The software offers help with the kinds of challenges young people face every day--over 600 of them -- from the truly terrible, like AIDS, alcoholism, and rape; to the ordinary but still devastating, like divorce; to the ones that on the outside are trivial, but can make life a pain, like nail biting, zits, and being unpopular. "People who see the program are struck by both its educational rigor and its authenticity," says Relate creator and Ripple Effects co-founder, Alice Ray, who credits the latter effect to the teens' unfiltered presence everywhere in Relate. Over a thousand youth from around the Bay Area can be heard, seen, and felt, throughout the Relate program. They helped come up with topics to be covered, advised artists on the program's look and feel, shared their own true stories, acted in life-skill training videos, posed for photos depicting the life challenges, and provided narration for more than 5,000 sound clips. Two young artists from San Francisco's Mission District became Ripple Effects employees via an opportunity program called OpNet, and ended up as Lead Graphic Artists for the program, creating 2,000 illustrations that help make Relate come alive. Ripple Effects also worked with Bay Area independent filmmakers, community organizations, and individual young people, to collect more than 50 first person videos that each tell a story about successfully coping with a life challenge. Topics range from losing a pet, to being raised in a violent home, to the complexities of ethnic identity, and are one of the most engaging and popular parts of Relate. "These young people like knowing that by sharing their own experiences, they're helping other teens," says Trena Noval, Ripple Effects' Media Director. With Relate, "we've created a way for young people to share their everyday wisdom, and reflect diverse, positive images back into the world," says Ray. "In the wake of intense media focus on youth crime and violence, it's about time we create a place to share strong examples of what youth are doing right in the world," adds Relate producer Sarah Berg. Relate is the first in a series of software tools for life to be released by San Francisco-based Ripple Effects. To find out more, visit the Ripple Effects web site at www.rippleeffects.com. Or call Ripple Effects toll free at (888) 259-6618. |
|