Help 400 Georgian Kids Reach Out to Their Pals

In 2010 we completed the first digital complete map of Georgia and have shared it through the public domain, which allows anyone to use the data free of charge for many different purposes.  Soon our map data will fill a blank spot on Google Maps sharing this important information worldwide. 

In 2011, we will be using the map data as a foundation for sharing public information that will equip Georgian citizens with awareness of environmental issues and data and tools to hold their government accountable.  We are playing an important role in Georgian society by leveraging technology to strengthen civic life and we could not do it without the support of people that share our vision like you.

We fell short of our $21,000 fundraising goal to allow implementation of GloPals, but our work to develop engagement and understanding by using technology to free information in Georgia continues, and we are grateful for support that fuels that vision.

Please stay tuned to OMC.ge and JumpStartInternational.org for continued updates on our work.

Pen Pal programs are abundant, and meaningful. The idea of kids in communication across long distances and across major cultural divides is the first step in a life attuned to the modern era. The world grows more connected, smaller every day, and every generation is going to find itself closer and closer to its neighbors around the world. As a former Peace Corps volunteer, I recall the Pen Pal programs that were in place for the Georgian kids out in the countryside. There was certainly excitement, of the opportunity to talk to American kids, but what always lacked was the real ability to communicate in English.

"I have mother, I have father, I have dog..."

Wonderful, of course, that these kids were trying to learn English, but disappointing that they could never really express themselves and ask the questions they might really want to ask.

There was always one, perhaps two kids in any classroom who worked with private tutors and spoke better English. But the rest were left out, behind, and growing more and more divided in their language skills with every passing year. These kids would never be able to express themselves in English, they'd never be able to get excited about a Pen Pal that they could hardly understand.

This is why we came up with the idea for GloPals, an internet-based pen pal system that will connect rural kids in Georgia with pen pals in the U.S. state of Georgia. What's unique about it is the system. In between the classrooms, the teachers, and the students, will be a layer of micro-volunteers, who will be translating messages between Georgian and English. With this in place, we hope to overcome the biggest limitation of these Pen Pal projects, the lingual barriers. By enabling even the most linguistically challenged kids to communicate freely with pals across the sea, they'll truly be able to share culture, broaden horizons, and take a greater interest in the English language. The system itself will be massively scalable, with the possibility for a worldwide community to develop and communicate freely from a young age. Within the Caucasus the possibilities for promoting exchange between ethnic groups and conflict territories is also immense.

We're excited about our fundraising progress so far. If we can meet our goal of $4000 and 50 donors in the next few weeks, we'll be able to get started building GloPals. We think this can be a groundbreaking project, and we appreciate your support!