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And shaping character
By Leslie Chadwick |
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| With films like Shrek, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc., breaking box office records, computer animation is an art form on the move.
Boys & Girls Club members now have the opportunity to learn about computer animation first hand,
thanks to Cartoon Network and the Animate Your World: Shaping Character CD-ROM.
Animate Your World uses the latest computer animation technology to help kids create their own animation and also learn invaluable lessons about developing good character. The software was designed with leading educators and software developers to be fun and educational. The CD also includes information for students on careers in cartoon animation.
"We wanted to create a program that met the needs
of today's kids with what we do best, animation. We teamed with educators to define an appropriate message for kids that fostered creativity and building character," said Jim Samples, executive vice president and general manager of Cartoon Network Worldwide. "Cartoon Network is proud to partner with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and share Animate Your World with the millions of young people they serve."
Cartoon Network developed the initiative as a resource for teaching positive lessons
about character. The educational program focuses on three character behaviors: respect for self, respect for others and responsibility
to community.
Within the program, Club members can choose different characters and situations. One example is set in school, when a student encounters a bully or chooses to be the bully. Another lesson teaches honesty and loyalty. Another is about smoking. Decisions then have to be made about the whole creative process, from choosing a character to deciding on background and colors. The Club member then creates the scenario.
Animate Your World: Shaping Character complements Boys & Girls Clubs of America's existing programs, emphasizing character development and access to technology, and increasing familiarity with career options, especially those in the creative sector. Animation studios need the best and brightest talent, and giving Club members a head start may lead to a career in the field.
Specific lessons, using cartoon characters to demonstrate the importance of self-esteem and avoiding negative peer pressure, support BGCA's youth development strategy – giving kids the necessary life skills to succeed now and in the future.
Animate in Action
At the beginning of this year, Cartoon Network provided copies of the Animate Your World: Shaping Character CD-ROM to every Boys & Girls Club. The reviews have been excellent.
"It's a cool tool to get kids motivated," says Tim Brurud, tech center director at Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-line in Havre, Mont. "Kids get to think about a problem and focus on solutions, while being creative with color, characters and animation."
Henry Hipps, technology programs coordinator at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, shares that positive opinion. "Club members can create something within 30 minutes and play it back to see their creation in action," he says. "The uniqueness is that the Club members find the words, then the characters act it out. There is no other technology they can personalize that way."
At Boys & Girls Clubs of South Valley in Murray, Utah, when kids come into the computer lab, they use the Animate Your World CD-ROM to create the "theme of the day" before they can play games on the computer, says Josh Braun, technology coordinator.
"We use this program to springboard into Flash, a widely used animation program," he adds. "For kids interested in this field, it's a vital learning experience."
Who knows? One of them may turn out to be the director of Shrek 12!
Leslie Chadwick is communications assistant at BGCA.
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