Forthcoming Event: Online Communities and Virtual Worlds for Patient and Caregiver Self-Help Groups

Got this invite via the Second Life Educators listserv. It's a webconference with John Lester (aka Pathfinder Linden in Second Life), the man behind such successful therapeutic communities as Brigadoon and Live2Give, and now education and communities coordinator at SL creators Linden Lab:

Online communities offer a unique opportunity for patients and caregivers to share experiences and emotional support with people across the world. John Lester will discuss his experiences with Braintalk Communities ( www.braintalk.org), which offers hundreds of forums and chatrooms for self-help support groups focused on a wide range of neurological disorders. Started in 1993, Braintalk continues to explore new models of online communities and support. John will describe the growth and evolution of Braintalk as well as his work using the 3-d virtual world of Second Life (www.secondlife.com) to create new online communities supporting people dealing with Asperger's Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Stroke Survivors. He will also summarize how different groups of patients and caregivers can use vastly different communication modalities to help them deal with unique conditions.

Dates for the diary: APRIL 20, NOON-1:00 PM MDT (Mountain Daylight Time)(7-8pm GMT). Session link here.