KidsCom.com to Send Reporters to D.C. for Earth Day

KidsCom.com, an eco-centric tween virtual world, announced today that it would be sending 4 of its users to Washington D.C. to report back to the broader user-base (currently at 1.25 million) about environmental awareness via live Q&A sessions, blogs, videos, and pictures. “We’re taking concepts like water conservation, energy efficiency and wildlife protection, and communicating this information in the form of games and expeditions which kids play in our virtual world,” Jorian Clarke, founder and president of KidsCom.com, said in a statement. “Not only are these kids absorbing this information as they play, we have also heard from parents that the kids are acting on this information to change behaviors at home. Our promise to moms is: if you let them play in our virtual world, we'll help you get the lights turned off at home in the real world!”

I wasn't familiar with KidsCom.com, but a representative explained that the virtual world has been around since June of 2007, though the brand itself dates back to an e-zine launched in 1995 and targeted at kids.  It features free and premium sections, and targets 7- to 14-year-olds with a depth between 9 and 12.

The virtual world has followed the theme of climate change since June, and now the winners of a set of challenges will be given the opportunity to interview members of Congress, FTC representatives, and staffers around the Hill.

"We'll also be geocaching some of the important monuments and species in the zoo that have been endangered by climate change," Lori Doyle explained to Virtual Worlds News. "One of our big mandates for kids is trying to use computers to get off of computers. There's always one component in the challenges where they have to get outside. We've been pushing them to go to libraries to find a bit of knowledge that they couldn't find online. We like to think it's getting them at least some exercise."

Adult media members have also been invited to join the team in D.C. or in-world. I can't make it, but hopefully some of the youth-focused bloggers will give it a whirl.