[EBOOK] CORA: A guide to developing the mindset needed to boost Cardano blockchain adoption for a social transformation

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Cristian Amaral

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

cristian.amaral1@gmail.com

Additional applicants

There are no additional applicants.

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

Yes

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Education

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Cardano is 'building a country.' That's a bold statement, but the community - and the great minds behind it - knows that's the truth. 

The tech side of things is just fine. Let's talk about mindset.

The Cardano community is made of brilliant and brave people who believe that social arrangements should be far more just and should protect individual freedom. But the Cardano community doesn't represent a large portion of Mankind (yet). For this revolution to take place, we need to be massive. Otherwise, we'll still be siloed, imprisoning our ideas in isolated bubbles.

Enters the project CORA

CORA stands for Cardano Onboarding Route Alliance. Before we talk about the ebook in question, we must take a look at the bigger picture.

CORA took place in Brazil in 2022, idealized by Thiago Nunes and Cristian Amaral and funded by the Ambassadors Guild. 

The CORA Project was born to test the following hypothesis: Community members with a good understanding of blockchain fundamentals and the will to action toward social causes would be more likely to engage with the Cardano ecosystem.

Based on the education of new members, the project wanted to build bridges between the potential of the Cardano blockchain and the willingness of people (with their diverse talents) to create a new social reality.

The project's primary goal was to find the best way to demonstrate how blockchain can enable social transformation. To achieve this, CORA aimed to work simultaneously on two fronts:

• Show people how blockchain works in a very easy-to-understand way;

• Develop a new mindset from which people can see clearly how this technology will restore trust in relationships (both social and commercial).

In summary, the project wanted to find the fastest way to develop the mindset of this new way of reading the world.

The ebook

Until now, we've written an ebook with 74 pages (so far) that aims to start creating the mindset needed to engage with the Cardano blockchain - and, most essentially, to form active agents in reshaping relations between social actors.

This ebook is crucial reference material for CORA. Here lies the train of thought for our goals, set in a timeline of historical events and invitations for reasoning. 

Due to the lack of funding, the project is temporarily on hold. 

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

This project addresses two aspects presented in the challenge:

• it will bring people to the community;
• by doing that, it will enable the ecosystem to get stronger. 

But, not only in terms of numbers, this project will help shape mindsets and deeds aligned with this new vision of a better reality.

As the ebook contemplates the importance of the right incentives to evolve as a society, it will grow a new breed of decision-makers and social actors. Without these valuable human resources, technology itself won't cut. We need the right minds operating the tech. And this ebook will put things in perspective.

The fulfillment of the ebook will give the Cardano community a reference material that could be used as a template for developing the mindset required to see the evolution of societies through blockchain technology. 

Six months appears to be a proper window for the project to get funded and to continue the ebook started in 2022. But six months aren't enough to achieve our primary goal: to build a new mindset among a community willing to change critical aspects of our social infrastructure for the better. For this project to get resilient enough to achieve this ultimate goal, it will need long-term funding.

Getting funded by Catalyst Open will let us finish the remaining chapters of the ebook, creating solid reference material for anyone interested in the Cardano ecosystem mindset. The funding will cover research, writing, and the realization of calls to fine-tune the project. (More information in the detailed breakdown of the project’s milestones)

So, as stated on the Catalyst Open webpage, CORA "simply needs a home to ensure continuity."

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

The main benefits of this project for the ecosystem will be:

• To provide reference material to help shape the mindset of Cardano community members aligned with the ecosystem.

• To establish a source for identifying historical misdeeds from governments and institutions in conducting societies around the globe.

• To deliver a template for invitations to reasoning about opportunities for change from blockchain technology.

• To help establish the Cardano ecosystem as the definitive environment for innovation (both social and economic).

The main metrics of success will be:

• The delivery of missing chapters of the ebook within its established deadlines, monthly and quarterly.

• The delivery of the final version of the ebook at the end of the six-month funding.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

This is an open-source project. The ebook will be available for all Cardano community. I'll contact specific communities to show the content and invite them to collaborate by adding ideas or personalizing it according to their environments and demands. I'll make myself available to discuss the outcomes and help other members to engage in the challenge of shaping mindsets across the ecosystem.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

I'm a well-rounded writer/copywriter with over fifteen years of experience writing for the web. Besides that, I wrote every word in the unfinished 74-paged ebook. I was there from day one, together with Thiago Nunes (at the time, the project manager). This ebook isn't ready yet because of the lack of funds. With this funding from Catalyst Open, I ensure the fulfillment of the ebook. 

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goals of this project are qualitative, thus difficult to put into numerical terms. 

Raising awareness about the misleading acts of governments is a goal, as so alerting to the continuing loss of buying power that civilizations across the globe are suffering. Demystifying cryptocurrency in contrast with fiat money is also a goal.  

As the intended mindset is composed of a sort of nuanced perceptions, the goals of this project can sound diffuse because our work field is subjective.

So, if I have to package this project's goals into one sentence, I would say that we want to provoke people to think about money without banks, to solve their community problems without depending on governments, and take control of their lives in matters of economic, affiliation, and decision-making freedom.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

This project is divided into Quarter 1 and Quarter 2. 

Overall, the work will be divided into five larger tasks:

• Research;
• The writing of the remaining chapters of the ebook;
• Updating of historical context throughout the text;
• Alignment calls and feedback from the co-proposer;
• Translation from Portuguese to English
• Revision and delivery of the final version.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Q1 - Milestone 1: Update of what is written and the writing of what is left

• Month 1
• Revision and update of what is written
• Research
• Month 2
• Writing of the remaining chapters of the ebook, including the conclusion
• Month 3
• Alignment call and feedback from the co-proposer 
• Updating of historical context throughout the chapters

Q2 - Milestone 2: Fine-tuning of the definitive version

• Month 1
• Alignment call and feedback from the co-proposer 
• Month 2
• Translation from Portuguese to English and revision
• Month 3
• Final revision and delivery of the definitive version.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

The project's progress will be measured by compliance with the milestones and deadlines described in the previous section.

There are two main deliverables: the update on what is written/the writing of what is left (Q1) and fine-tuning the definitive version (Q2).

As the outcome intended with the delivery of this ebook, I expect to serve the Cardano community with valuable reference material related not to the technology itself, but to the PEOPLE that CREATE and OPERATE that technology.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

• 17000 ADA per quarter (two quarters)
• $1530 per month:
• $1000 for research and writing;
• $530 for covering alignment call costs with Thiago Nunes (free advisor) and other players perceived as valuable assets along the way.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

I honestly think that this project represents a fair investment for the Cardano community. By the end of these six months of work, I'll deliver content that can be explored throughout the ecosystem and become a valuable asset in Cardano literature about gathering people around the idea of transforming society by aligning the right mindset with the right technology.

This ebook is perfect for the Catalyst Open and its vocation to nurture good ideas. As I mentioned above, the wholeness of the CORA Project is another kind of beast and demands long-term funding. But, for now, the fulfillment of this ebook will be of great value to the Cardano Community.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept