Blockchain na Escola | Cardano Curriculum for High Schools

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Ariel Leite

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co proposers and Additional applicants

Alan Silva

Tassiane Almeida

Verber Souza

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

12

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

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

Develop a course to provide skills to the web3 job market, successfully participate in communities, and promote fluency in technical English to enable understanding and use of essential Web3 terms.

[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] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

All education materials will be publicly available for the Cardano community. Course completion certificates will be minted on-chain and their code will be open-source.

[METADATA] SDG rating

>> SDG SELECTION:

• SDG goals:
• Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

• SDG subgoals:
• By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
• By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
• By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

• Key Performance Indicator (KPI):
• Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
• Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
• Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

>> PHDI SELECTION:

The following report is applied for the selected Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index:

'''

Brazil is ranked 87 (Human Development Index) and when adjusted for the Planetary pressures is ranked 82 a rise of 5. 

 In 2021 it had a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.754 that when adjusted for the Planetary pressures-adjusted HDI (PHDI) had a value of 0.676, a difference of 10.34. 

 The Planetary Pressures adjustment factor of 0.90 is made up of the SDG9.4 Carbon dioxide emissions per capita (production) 2020 of 2.20 tonnes (indexed value 0.97), and the SDG8.4 and 12.2 Material footprint per capita of 18.87 tonnes (indexed value 0.82). 

 For more information about the details of the PHDI please reference: 

 https://hdr.undp.org/planetary-pressures-adjusted-human-development-index#/indicies/PHDI 

 https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/phdi2020technicalnotespdf.pdf 

 The specific SDG targets 

 https://indicators.report/targets/9-4/ 

 https://indicators.report/targets/8-4/ 

 https://indicators.report/targets/12-2/ 

 Source data: 

 https://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2021-22_HDR/HDR21-22_Statistical_Annex_PHDI_Table.xlsx (table 7)

'''

#proposertoolsdg

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

With 7% of the Brazilian  population (15 million people) owning crypto-assets, Brazil stands as the 6th country in terms of crypto ownership. Blockchain adoption has also been accelerating in the public sector (e.g., the Universal Health System (SUS) vaccine database (ConecteSUS), the imminent CBDC launch (Real Digital aka DREX)). 

However, there’s currently no official blockchain curriculum for high schools. We believe these students will play a pivotal role in using and building the next generation of dApps while ensuring safe use of web3 for their families.

We focus on public schools so we can bring this opportunity for students coming from underserved communities. We believe this will unlock new opportunities for income generation that can bootstrap a cycle of prosperity. 

Through the course of this grant, we’ll improve and apply our current 12-week web3 curriculum across 3 public schools – comprising 12 classrooms throughout 2024 with the goal to achieve 100 graduated students by the end of the year. Our ultimate intent is battle-testing our methodology to pursue institutionalization with the Ministry of Education from the Bahia state.

Our course aims to provide the necessary skills to guide students towards the web3 job market, develop interpersonal skills for successfully participating in communities, and promote fluency in technical English to overcome the language barrier and enable students to understand and use essential Web3 terms. 

The curriculum comprises topics such as blockchain fundamentals, web3 usage and decentralized governance. Our methodology combines theoretical classes, hands-on workshops, case studies and group assignments.

There are currently no projects that focus on this target audience (at least to our knowledge). That poses a risk of excluding students from peripheral communities from the biggest wealth generation opportunity in human history. 

We measure and prove impact through pictures from students (social proof), NFT certificates for students that complete the program (minted on-chain) and student surveys for course feedback and continuous improvement. 

Hence, Cardano would benefit from this proposal in the following ways: early career training across multiple professions, foster D&I in the Cardano ecosystem, access to underserved communities, preparing teenagers to navigate the complexities of web3, and marketing from our social media channels.

Supplemental docs:

• Course curriculum 
• Why BnE? A full account from our journey

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

Our proposal provides a solution to the challenge’s main objective: “The goal of the Cardano Open: Ecosystem (non-technical) category is to drive ecosystem growth, foster education and community initiatives, expand Cardano’s global footprint and onboard more Cardano users.”

• Through our educational program, we’re fostering Cardano education and community 
• We’re also expanding Cardano’s global footprint, which could potentially become the first blockchain community to institutionalize a web3 course for high schools students in Brazil through the Bahia’s state Ministry of Education
• Finally, our ultimate goal is to onboard more Cardano users. On top of that, we’re targeting traditionally underserved communities to drive D&I.

The answers above also allow us to contemplate the following areas of interest: 

• Cardano marketing initiatives and public outreach
• Community events and outreach (in person)
• Content and education creation/curation
• Community creation and support
• Regional networks and hubs
• Mentorship and collaboration
• Education advancement
• Knowledge bases and documentation
• Course materials & tutorials/guides
• Translations 

KPIs that will gauge the value we’re providing to the Cardano community: 

• Access to course materials tailored to teenagers from peripheral communities and how-to application tutorials (published in the governance forum)
• Certified students (NFTs minted on-chain)
• Proof of enrollment with Brazilian public schools (contracts signed) 
• Access to our students for other Cardano activities (Telegram community)

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Ariel Leite is the project’s co-founder. He’s an Economist and Senior Product Manager with 6+ years of experience and an extensive track record in reputable tech companies like Amazon and QuintoAndar. He led the BnE team through 2023, impacting 500+ students with an NPS of 59 (summary of results below).

Alan Silva is our Coordinator. With an Education PhD, specializing in technology education for underserved communities, he has 20+ years experience in third sector educational projects and has been leading BnE’s educational activities.

Tassiane Almeida is our Financial Analyst. She has 6+ years of experience as an Accountant, Financial Consultant and Analyst. Specialized in audits and controllership (ISO 9001). 

Verber is our Legal. He’s a lawyer focused on high-complexity humanitarian crises in socioenvironmental matters and Web3 regen since 2016. 

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Go-to market / product development approach:

 

Approaching schools – we already have established relationships with 5 schools across 2023. We know for a fact there are a lot of students interested in the content and teachers/principals willing to make room for us to bring web3 to the classroom.

Ministry of Education – we have already started conversations to institutionalize our program. In 2H2023, we were also included in the Educa+ Bahia program, which is a state program focused on providing technical and innovation education for public schools.  

Continuous improvement – Ariel and Alan’s combination of PM and Education skills have allowed us to develop methodologies to make the content easy to understand for the target audience. We have also put in place student feedback methodologies to find opportunities for continuous course improvement.  

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[Project Milestones] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

1) Develop a 12 week blockchain program for high schools

• Task 1 - Incorporate reviewer’s feedback to current curriculum 
• Task 2 - Analyze 2023 results and students feedback
• Task 3 - Incorporate Cardano-specific topics
• Task 4 - Publish course material in Cardano’s governance

Expected completion time: 45 days

When: Jan-2024

Deliverable: Course published in Cardano governance

2) Enroll 3 institutions for program application throughout 2024 

• Identify schools for application 
• Approach school’s principal and interested teachers
• Settle application timeline with the school
• Sign contract

Expected completion time: 30 days 

When: Feb-2024

Deliverables: Picture of the signed contracts + picture with the institution’s signer (eg principal)

3) Certify at least 50 students that completed the program 

• Identify high-potential students for the course
• Raise awareness towards the course
• Enrollment period
• Provide classes
• Student assessment
• Mint certificates for approved students

Expected completion time: 90 days (that’s the current duration of the course)

When: Jun-2024

Deliverables: Student’s final project submitted; On-chain certification minted; Student feedback collected (online survey)

4) Certify at least 50 students that completed the program 

• Make the necessary adjustments based on first semester results
• Identify high-potential students for the course
• Raise awareness towards the course
• Enrollment period
• Provide classes
• Student assessment
• Mint certificates for approved students

Expected completion time: 90 days (that’s the current duration of the course)

When: Oct-2024

Deliverables: Student’s final project submitted; On-chain certification minted; Student feedback collected (online survey)

5) Final Report + Video

• Analyze results and collect evidence 
• Write report
• Collect testimonies
• Edit video 
• Share report

Expected completion time: 30 days

When: Nov-24

Deliverables: Final report + video with team and students’ testimony posted in Cardano governance

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

The outlined team is already up and running. 

1. Alan Silva 
2. Role: Education Coordinator
3. Details: Blockchain na Escola’s Coordinator. PhD in Education with 20+ years experience in third sector educational projects 
4. LinkedIn
5. Ariel Leite 
6. Role: Program Manager 
7. Details: Blockchain na Escola’s Co-Founder. Economist and Product Manager with 6+ years of experience (ex Amazon e QuintoAndar). 
8. LinkedIn
9. Tassiane Almeida 
10. Role: Financial Analyst
11. Details: Accountant, Financial Consultant and Analyst. Specialized in audits and controllership (ISO 9001)
12. LinkedIn
13. Verber Souza 
14. Role: Legal 
15. Details: Lawyer focused on high-complexity humanitarian crisis in socio environmental matters
16. LinkedIn

To be hired: 

One additional teacher to support Alan in schools (we have 3 candidates and are waiting for funding to move forward with their application).

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Cost breakdown

The cost of the workforce for this type of project matches the local market budget.

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

Apart from the Educational Coordinator (which is not a common role, but highly strategic for our project), costs are below average compared to Brazilian tech companies. Teacher costs are slightly above average for public school teachers, but that make it easier to attract talent. 

These are the payment amounts we have used throughout 2023. 

Value for the money: we believe $30k USD is a small amount for the value we’re bringing to the Cardano ecosystem, including: 1) Web3 curriculum for high schools, 2) Exposure to students from peripheral communities in Brazil, 3) Social media marketing through our channels, and 4) Opportunity to lead blockchain education in the state of Bahia in partnership with the Ministry of Education.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund 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