Friends helping friends in the virtual world of Whyville

Friends helping friends in the virtual world of Whyville!
Figuring out and talking about emotions can be tough. Have you ever wished you had skills and words to
help yourself or others manage emotions? William James College (formerly the Massachusetts School of
Professional Psychology) has partnered with Numedeon to design a novel way to introduce coping skills and
techniques to children ages 8-15 through the virtual world of Whyville.net.
As the citizens of Whyville chat and play in their virtual town, an
automated avatar occasionally wanders into a chat room looking
sad and worried. Whyville citizens respond by selecting question
envelopes to collectively figure out what is wrong. Then, they work
together to offer advice to the avatar in distress. After receiving
sufficient appropriate advice, the avatar is relieved from distress,
and citizens are rewarded as virtual coins rain from the sky. In the
first 2 weeks after launch more than 8,000 games were played,
involving 100,000
envelopes.
Experience WhyWellness Yourself!
Whyville is free to use and can be a part of your home,
classroom, library or museum at no cost to you! To
participate, simply go to wellness.whyville.net and follow
the instructions to design your own avatar. Then choose
“JOIN NOW” to register or “ENTER AS GUEST” for a
temporary account. After a short tutorial on the basics of
Whyville, you will be taken inside the Wellness Center
where you can browse wellness information or go back out
on the porch and click the bell for a WhyWellness Avatar.
© 2015 Numedeon, Inc. [email protected] (626) 683-3129
William James College & !
The Freedman Center!
About Whyville!
Founded in 1999, Whyville is the premier educational
virtual world for children ages 8 to 15. Whyville’s
citizens come from all over the world to socialize,
have fun, and explore topics in science, economics,
citizenship and more. They design rocket engines, fly
hot air balloons, start their own virtual businesses,
write for the town newspaper, and even campaign for
a seat in the Whyville Senate.
Whyville is a seriously fun! We learn
about real life from our virtual world.
William James College is accredited by the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges and
is a charter member of the National Council of
Schools. The Richard and Joan Freedman Center
for Child and Family Development provides
prevention and early intervention mental health
and wellness services to families and children
ages birth through 18 years. In 2009, the
Freedman Center was named one of "20 Enduring
Heroes for Families" by The Boston Parents
Paper.
Whyville Facts & Stats
Whyville’s activities are interactive,
open ended, and foster creativity.
Whyville has won numerous awards.
including the prestigious National
Parenting Publication Awards (NAPPA)
Gold Award.
•  7.8 million registrants
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• 
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1.2 million visits per month
30+ min average visit length
Free to join
COPPA compliant
An intrinsically interesting environment to teach kids something.”
Our Partners Include
Mass. Dept. Public Health
Suicide Prevention Program
William James College Freedman Center
Adolescent
Wellness, Inc.
© 2015 Numedeon, Inc. [email protected] (626) 683-3129
Margaret Hannah, M.Ed.
Executive Director
Margaret_Hannah@
williamjames.edu
Nadja N. Reilly, Ph.D.
Associate Director
[email protected]