AERIE Fund - Just 1 Life - Community Cause - Artwork Contest

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Thexedor Markhamm, May 19, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Thexedor Markhamm

    Thexedor Markhamm Avatar

    Messages:
    547
    Likes Received:
    2,466
    Trophy Points:
    63
    [​IMG]

    Hi Everybody,


    We’re super excited to announce our 1st AERIE Fund Community Cause Campaign: Just 1 Life!

    What are AERIE Fund Community Causes?

    As part of our Good Works Through Gaming Initiative, AERIE Fund Community Causes spotlight important issues that directly impact our community. Also, they showcase the players, towns, and guilds that feel passionately (or are impacted by) these issues.


    The goal of this program is to 1) support a good cause, 2) learn more about important issues that impact our friends and neighbors, and 3) strengthen our community by interacting with the people we play with everyday who are passionate about playing for a cause.


    Oh, and 4) make it FUN and REWARDING to get involved and make a difference!


    SPOLIER ALERT:


    Starting on June 1st, we will be running a month-long campaign to create awareness around the issue of LGBTQ youth suicide prevention. This campaign will highlight the importance of the issue, raise funds to support the TREVOR Project (a fellow 501c3 non-profit we’ve vetted that does amazing work in preventing teen suicide in the LGBTQ community), and provide you with fun in-game events and digital/physical rewards for getting involved in helping us make a difference in this area.


    As part of this initiative, we will be spotlighting the Prism guild. Prism is an all-inclusive guild with many members of the LGBTQ community that believes in community service both in-game and out. Lace Delamorte and her crew are already hard at work helping us build a fun and rewarding player experience for those who get involved.


    And, for any of you who know Lace, you know she’ll knock it out of the park.


    We will have a formal announcement on June 1st to kick-off this Community Cause campaign, including how to support the cause, a calendar of events, stretch goals and, of course, awesome rewards. So, stay tuned for that. And, if you haven’t already, visit aeriefund.org and follow us on social media and/or sign up for the newsletter. We’ll keep you posted on what’s going on.

    AERIE Fund Community Cause: ‘Just 1 Life’ Artwork Contest


    AERIE Fund Community Causes should be…well…community-driven. As part of that philosophy, we’re kicking off this event with a community art contest! We’re looking for an original piece of work that will be printed on limited-edition posters and t-shirt rewards to memorialize this event.

    Contest Rules:


    Submission Deadline: May 31st (midnight)


    Theme: Just 1 Life – If we work together and save ‘Just 1 Life’ (e.g. via suicide prevention) than we’ve accomplished our mission to do good works through gaming. Feel free to conceptualize this theme however you choose, and it does not have to be SoTA-specific/Aerie Fund-specific for consideration.


    Submission Guidelines:


    1. High resolution, color (or black and white) digital submissions required. FYI - Collectible posters will be 11’ X 17’ so set your resolution accordingly.

    2. Entries should be posted on this thread for consideration by the deadline above.

    3. You may use the AERIE Fund logo and/or tagline ‘Good Works Through Gaming’ for the work but please do not incorporate other company/organization/IP trademarks: names, logos, or taglines. This includes SoTA. We’re not licensed to use other intellectual property.


    Rules:

    1. The AERIE Fund will post our top 3 picks for the winner and create a poll for the community to select the winner on June 1st.

    2. The winner will receive a complimentary collectible poster of their work and a t-shirt that showcases their work and commemorates the Just 1 Life Community Cause.

    3. The work must be ‘original’ as in created by using your own assets or royalty-free assets.


    So there you go, Avatars! Let’s get those creative juices flowing. If you have any questions about the contest, the ‘Just 1 Life’ Community Cause, or anything related to AERIE Fund, please do contact me. Remember, our formal announcement for the Community Cause, including the artwork contest submissions will be posted on June 1st. So, watch this space and let’s get ready to do some more good works through gaming!


    And, as always, if you need assistance, know somebody in our community who does, and/or have an idea for an upcoming Community Cause, please reach out to us through aeriefund.org.

    Keep Playing,

    -Thex


    Community Cause Leadership Spotlight: Prism

    [​IMG]

    For those of you who don't know Prism, Lace was kind enough to provide me with some details on their guild.

    What is Prism and What does it stand for?
    Prism is a guild comprised of LGBT persons and other members of the Shroud of the Avatar community who wish to promote mutual respect, communication, positivity and service both in their lives and in their gaming.

    The name Prism was chosen because we are all the same going into a prism, but it is our diversity coming out that is reflected in the world around us. (it is also a pretty rainbow and pink floyd fans like it, and a diamond is very sparkly and Diamond Fields is our capitol lol)

    Prism is one of the guilds that are a part of the Phoenix Republic. The player owned town of Diamond Fields hosts the first guild hall, while a minimum of 2 additional POT's have been added for housing and events.

    Please note that based on our core values, residents of our community should have no fear of ever being evicted from their land plots. This concern has been raised on the forums, and understand Diamond Fields, its subsequent POT's will never evict residents. Our town layouts have been tested, and we plan to allow free form placement by request to our residents. If you want to live on the island and there is room, post a location in the forums and we will put a plot down for you. Only the horseshoe central town areas will remain static in design for row house occupation. Other locations are by YOUR request.


    Core Values

    Respect, Communication, Positivity and Service

    • Respect is one of our underlying precepts. Respect not only your guildmates, but yourself and all those you encounter. You don't have to agree, but keep in mind it is not what you say, but how you say it.

    • Communcation can avert misunderstandings, lead to friendships, and ehange the overall health of the guild. Never be afraid to speak up about your opinions, but keep it respectful.

    • Positivity is one of the hardest things to embrace fully, we have all woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Communication in a positive way demonstrates respect for the feelings of others and can often times tranform the mindset of a person going through a hard time.

    • Being of service is a privilege rather than a requirement in Prism. Taking the time to offer a smile and communicate with a stranger shows respect to them and helps make New Brittania a better place.

    Hope you'll check Prism out and friend them in game!

    CC:
    @DarkStarr @Berek @dallas @Lace @Justyn04 @Jack SinAssist @Lazarus Long @Turock Ockenshire
    @Lord British
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2017
    Bow Vale, fakhart, hroth and 18 others like this.
  2. Kpopgurl

    Kpopgurl Avatar

    Messages:
    510
    Likes Received:
    697
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Gender:
    Female
    What does all inclusive LGBTQ mean? I mean I bet there are several guilds with gay people in it? Or does it mean only LGBTQ allowed.. which would not be very inclusive, and I would strongly oppose.
     
  3. Thexedor Markhamm

    Thexedor Markhamm Avatar

    Messages:
    547
    Likes Received:
    2,466
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Sorry, I didn't phrase that very well. Prism is an all-inclusive guild with many LGTBQ members. They welcome all. I will edit the post to better reflect that!
     
    hroth and Roycestein Kaelstrom like this.
  4. Trina

    Trina Avatar

    Messages:
    64
    Likes Received:
    236
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    The Town of Aerie
    [​IMG]

    I guess I should say something > < I am trying to use the game theme to promote the understanding we only get one life versus multiple lives in games.

    Here is how the logo might look like in a 11 x 17 poster:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 31, 2017
    fakhart, hroth, Rinaldi and 8 others like this.
  5. Thexedor Markhamm

    Thexedor Markhamm Avatar

    Messages:
    547
    Likes Received:
    2,466
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Merc,

    I appreciate your comment. Allow me to address a few things.

    1. Suicide Prevention is an important issue no matter what community you are a part of. Period. Focusing on a subset of the issue does not diminish the larger issue. Suicide is a transcendent issue whether you are gay, straight, black, white or blue.
    2. Aerie Fund Community Causes are community-submitted projects that must 1) address a good cause 2) directly impact someone, a group, or everybody at large in our community to be approved. We welcome any suggestions for future Community Causes as long as those criteria are met (the application is on our website). All Community Cause requests are reviewed and approved by our Board.
    3. Members of our community suggested working with the Trevor Project (an excellent org that works to prevent LGBTQ youth suicide). Since many of our friends in game have volunteered for (or utilized their services) we decided to investigate. We reached out, learned about the organization, how its resources are applied, and decided to raise some awareness around the issue and to support a fellow non-profit that does good, important work.
    4. Community Causes are all-inclusive. We welcome everybody to get involved, and spotlight the organizations (players, guilds, towns, etc) in SoTA that these issues directly impact. When we get to know fellow players, their causes, and the impacts of organizations like Trevor Project have on them, then we grow stronger and more united as a community.

    -Thex
     
    fakhart, hroth, Rinaldi and 7 others like this.
  6. Thexedor Markhamm

    Thexedor Markhamm Avatar

    Messages:
    547
    Likes Received:
    2,466
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Awesome, Trina!
     
  7. Arieus

    Arieus Avatar

    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    59
    Trophy Points:
    3
    To help answer @mercster question about why specifically LGBTQI+ Youth & suicide... here are some interesting facts for you

    From http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/facts-about-suicide

    Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24.

    • Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24. [1]

    • The rate of suicide attempts is 4 times greater for LGB youth and 2 times greater for questioning youth than that of straight youth. [2]

    • Suicide attempts by LGB youth and questioning youth are 4 to 6 times more likely to result in injury, poisoning, or overdose that requires treatment from a doctor or nurse, compared to their straight peers. [2]

    • In a national study, 40% of transgender adults reported having made a suicide attempt. 92% of these individuals reported having attempted suicide before the age of 25. [3]

    • LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are 8.4 times as likely to have attempted suicide as LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection. [4]

    • 1 out of 6 students nationwide (grades 9-12) seriously considered suicide in the past year. [5]

    • Each episode of LGBT victimization, such as physical or verbal harassment or abuse, increases the likelihood of self-harming behavior by 2.5 times on average. [6]


    I hope that answers your question.
     
    hroth, Pebbles, Rinaldi and 7 others like this.
  8. ldykllr

    ldykllr Avatar

    Messages:
    565
    Likes Received:
    1,315
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Colorado, USA
    Prism is not restricted to only LGBTQ. We allow anyone to join, as long as they are respectful of other members and as a matter of fact, we have several straight members. The reason we identify as LGBTQ inclusive is to provide a safe space to those who identify as such (because that is not always the case).
     
  9. Greyfox

    Greyfox Avatar

    Messages:
    1,680
    Likes Received:
    5,942
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    USA EST
    The Trevor Project financially is one of the better charities for having a fairly low expense ratio.

    Program Expenses:
    (Percent of the charity’s total expenses spent on the programs
    and services it delivers)
    80.6%

    Source: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=11281

    I dislike the fact the Trevor Project is not inclusive. One teen suicide is just as bad as any subset. Inclusive should mean everyone. The fastest growing subset of suicide is currently middle aged women 45 to 64 which jumped by 63% from 1999 to 2014.

    The highest rate of suicide are males is age 75+. The second highest rate of suicide is males aged 45-64. I would also surmise a significant portion of the SOTA player base falls in the category of males aged 45-64. Male suicide attempts tend to lead to death more frequently than female.

    Source: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db241.htm

    Overall teen suicide, while horrible, is less than other age groups. To further limit the donations to only LGBTQ teens is very exclusive for a cause.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2017
    Cordelayne and mercster like this.
  10. Lace

    Lace Avatar

    Messages:
    1,567
    Likes Received:
    5,160
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Florida
    Remember folks @Thexedor Markhamm spent tireless hours working on the Iron Maiden Chemo relief fund for just one person which basically excluded what 8-9 billion other people? From that grew the idea to try to work with this community in helping various charities. This one happens to be the next one that will be focused on because of the support from community members volunteering their time to make it happen. Every Charity is Exclusive to all other ones. Watar.org, Autism Awareness etc. are no different.

    Rather than focusing on who this particular charity does not help, spend that energy in creating a plan to help a charity you believe in and put that time and energy forward to the Aerie Fund for the next fundraising event.
     
  11. mercster

    mercster Avatar

    Messages:
    1,080
    Likes Received:
    1,574
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Knoxville, TN
    Will do! :cool:
     
  12. Almar

    Almar Avatar

    Messages:
    281
    Likes Received:
    689
    Trophy Points:
    40
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    I'd love to have the time to work on a poster idea, but I have real life projects on next week and that end of month deadline is tight (for me anyway) !

    Best of luck to all involved.
     
    Justyn04 and Thexedor Markhamm like this.
  13. Selene

    Selene Avatar

    Messages:
    3,106
    Likes Received:
    11,697
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Serpents Watch Brewery!!
    While all suicide is terrible, I think the thing that makes teen suicide particularly compelling is that these young people have barely started their lives. I'm sure most of us can remember the drama of high school life no matter our sexual orientation. Science now tells us that critical parts of human decision making isn't fully developed until age 25 (and sometimes not even then! :D) which means, to me, that these kids really don't understand the ramifications of their decisions. All the added pressure of feeling different, at an age when even the most "average" and "socially acceptable" person feels horribly flawed, is really unfair. Bringing awareness to this cause does NOT mean excluding all other suffering in the world, and I think it's a great choice for AERIE to support.

    I look forward to all the great creative poster ideas everyone comes up with!!!
     
    Woftam, hroth, Lace and 4 others like this.
  14. Thexedor Markhamm

    Thexedor Markhamm Avatar

    Messages:
    547
    Likes Received:
    2,466
    Trophy Points:
    63

    BTW, Trina I just noticed the green +1 Up mushroom. Well played!
     
    Trina likes this.
  15. Thexedor Markhamm

    Thexedor Markhamm Avatar

    Messages:
    547
    Likes Received:
    2,466
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Having some fun with Trina's design. Anybody want a 'Just 1 Life' deco-shag floor rug?

    [​IMG]

    :)
     
    Grimace2 and Trina like this.
  16. mercster

    mercster Avatar

    Messages:
    1,080
    Likes Received:
    1,574
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Knoxville, TN
  17. Grimace2

    Grimace2 Avatar

    Messages:
    248
    Likes Received:
    494
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Yes please.
     
    Lazarus Long likes this.
  18. High Baron O`Sullivan

    High Baron O`Sullivan Avatar

    Messages:
    3,478
    Likes Received:
    8,062
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    is everything.
    I saw one of these rugs at your house!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.