The Scenario
You have been asked to design a website and blog for an NGO (e.g., an environmental, advocacy, health-watch, community group, or other non-profit organization) to help them promote their work on a particular issue. The goal of this web site is to inform people about the issue and to attract new supporters.
People visiting the site should get a balanced, well informed understanding of the issue, in addition to some information about the organization, its mission, and the actions it is taking. Since the NGO hopes to attract new members (and thus more funding!) with their on-line presence, you need to make the web site attractive to your potential members. It should be informative and easy to browse, allowing the user quick access to the information and features he or she needs, and providing links to related web sites.

Important Note: do not try to cram a lot of information about your topic onto your site. Rather concentrate on creating a nice design with basic information and links to web sites where related and more detailed information can be found. Your focus should be on layout and design, rather than packing in a ton of content!
Getting Started Tasks
Select a team.
You should work on this project in a team of 2 – 3 students. Be sure to choose a partner with similar interests and a compatible schedule!
Select an environmental or social issue.
Choose an issue that you feel is interesting, overly exaggerated, or urgently pressing. Use your imagination, and choose something that interests you. Be creative – make something up – use humour if you like. Some examples might include air pollution, homelessness, oil spills, drug addiction, climate change, nuclear waste, endangered species, alternative energy, poverty, sustainability, etc. The issue may be very general or quite specific. For example, one might choose “endangered species” in general, or focus specifically on “Mountain Gorillas”; or “animal cruelty” vs. “cruelty to slugs”.
Select a name and a mission for your organization.
Make-up an imaginary organization whose objective is to either to dismiss or raise awareness about this issue. Note that the organization may advocate any viewpoint on the issue, from “de-bunking a myth” to conservation and activism — it is up to you to decide on their “mission statement”.

Research your issue.
Research the issue with an aim of trying to understand the different viewpoints that exist. For example, what does this issue mean for individuals living in North America as opposed to Africa? What are the alternatives? What are the costs of dealing with it? What are the benefits of leaving the status quo? How will our actions affect future generations? etc.
Be sure to “bookmark” useful sites or write down their URL’s so you can return to them later.

Develop a basic outline that summarizes your research findings. This will help you to organize your thinking and select the most important pieces of information to use for your website.In this project you will design and implement a simple, small web site and blog for a fictitious Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The focus will be on creating a well-structured, consistent design, with good connections to related sites on the WWW.You will work in a small team of 2 – 3 students to complete this project and must learn to participate and share in all aspects of the project, from design and research, to implementation and testing.
The Scenario
You have been asked to design a website and blog for an NGO (e.g., an environmental, advocacy, health-watch, community group, or other non-profit organization) to help them promote their work on a particular issue. The goal of this web site is to inform people about the issue and to attract new supporters.
People visiting the site should get a balanced, well informed understanding of the issue, in addition to some information about the organization, its mission, and the actions it is taking. Since the NGO hopes to attract new members (and thus more funding!) with their on-line presence, you need to make the web site attractive to your potential members. It should be informative and easy to browse, allowing the user quick access to the information and features he or she needs, and providing links to related web sites.
Important Note: do not try to cram a lot of information about your topic onto your site. Rather concentrate on creating a nice design with basic information and links to web sites where related and more detailed information can be found. Your focus should be on layout and design, rather than packing in a ton of content!
Getting Started Tasks
Select a team.
You should work on this project in a team of 2 – 3 students. Be sure to choose a partner with similar interests and a compatible schedule!
Select an environmental or social issue.
Choose an issue that you feel is interesting, overly exaggerated, or urgently pressing. Use your imagination, and choose something that interests you. Be creative – make something up – use humour if you like. Some examples might include air pollution, homelessness, oil spills, drug addiction, climate change, nuclear waste, endangered species, alternative energy, poverty, sustainability, etc. The issue may be very general or quite specific. For example, one might choose “endangered species” in general, or focus specifically on “Mountain Gorillas”; or “animal cruelty” vs. “cruelty to slugs”.
Select a name and a mission for your organization.
Make-up an imaginary organization whose objective is to either to dismiss or raise awareness about this issue. Note that the organization may advocate any viewpoint on the issue, from “de-bunking a myth” to conservation and activism — it is up to you to decide on their “mission statement”.
Research your issue.
Research the issue with an aim of trying to understand the different viewpoints that exist. For example, what does this issue mean for individuals living in North America as opposed to Africa? What are the alternatives? What are the costs of dealing with it? What are the benefits of leaving the status quo? How will our actions affect future generations? etc.
Be sure to “bookmark” useful sites or write down their URL’s so you can return to them later.

Develop a basic outline that summarizes your research findings. This will help you to organize your thinking and select the most important pieces of information to use for your website.