Community Arts Collaborative Mental Health Initiative

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Reverse Bones

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

Individual

[GENERAL] Co proposers and Additional applicants

John Moreland

[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)

Through decentralized art, the community will come together to create/ experience art projects to unify us all toward healing traumas/ other mental ailments. Art transcends borders and saves lives.

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

Yes

[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.”

Creating issues of The Book of Bones requires work created by the community. To determine what work gets published in these collections requires a decentralized community vote, therefore, the books are dependent on community participation. If not enough community members submit artwork, stories, illustrations, etc... then it may take longer until enough work is collected. Working together, though, would solve this dependency and move us right along. The project will continue on no matter what, but it will just be a little slower. The comic strips that will be created and published on the website will function for a similar community-focused purpose, but created solely by the team (with optional input from the community).

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

No

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

The collection of art/ stories, and comics that will be created will not be open source after they are published, because the publication is the final step. However, each new/ individual issue of the collection will be created, designed, and formatted by the community, and each comic ill be created with the community in mind. So, there is a sense of open source in that the community decides together, but not as far as the ability to edit and modify after publication.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

This project is important to Cardano and the broader ecosystem in that it utilizes current crypto technologies to address a very real-world problem. Millions and millions of people across the world suffer through mental health illnesses, and are often times doing so alone. By using crypto and art, we can bring the community together no matter where they are through a decentralized creative process. Building and creating collections of artwork and stories—written, edited, formatted, and curated by the community—while using NFT technology, current video game software (Unreal Engine) and other community collaborative measures, people will have spaces to engage with each other, share ideas, and grow. Creating comics that address issues that impact the community will also show our strength, unity, and ability to persevere together; all while raising awareness.

The project will illustrate the healing and unifying power that art possesses. Through the decentralized nature of the project, there will be no gatekeeping, tyrannical decision making, or personal hijacking of the community projects—it will all be decided by the community for the community. Art is essential to the human experience, and by creating a community incentive, we can all battle the mental health epidemic together.

Big aspects of the project are the annual collection of art and stories, decentralized submission/ editing process, positive and empowering comic series, and the future-to-be-created virtual world where members of the community can log in, chat, and interact, from all across the globe.

Summary of Major Activities:

1. The project will bring the community together through art and stories to unify, heal, and ultimately promote positive mental health practices and awareness among everyone.
2. The project will solicit the community to submit art and writings focused on given themes. The themes will be determined before each book is published by community vote.
3. The project will create a virtual world for the community to chat and interact.
4. The project will host art and writing submissions in digital galleries that are hosted both on the web and in the virtual world through community art galleries.
5. The project will publish The Book of Bones, an annual compilation of the submissions voted on by the community.
6. The project will publish a series of comics touching on various mental health topics such as challenges faced in seeking help, stigma, triumphs, debunking myths, and professional insights, and other issues that impact the community.

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

The biggest impact the project will have is that it will bring the community together. The decentralized creative process and virtual world will connect people from the immediate and extended communities. By doing so, we hope to raise awareness about mental health, while creating something beautiful to showcase to the world.

The measurement of larger impacts is not something this project has prepared for, but through the building of community engagement, we can all gauge the social sentiment and emotional well-being of our fellow community members. Immediate measurements would be assessed through community sentiment, virtual world attendance, and the readership/ contribution to the issues of the Book of Bones and comic series.

[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?

The project is run by individuals with expertise in book editing, design, formatting, and publishing; community advocacy; and professional virtual reality development. We are open minded and research focused, meaning that if there is something we do not know, we will study and find answers. Having a background in grassroots initiatives, we are not wasteful with spending, so we do a lot of research before making any purchases, signing contracts, or hiring personnel. Being able to evaluate costs in a effective way will enable us to utilize all funds and capital appropriately. We are also very big advocates of true transparency.

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

• Milestone:
• Community formation - Raising awareness about the project and bringing the community together.
• Acceptance criteria: Active Discord and social media channels

• Milestone:
• Art and theme proposals/ discussions. Voting on the proposed ideas for the collection. Submissions collected and voted upon.
• Begin creating virtual world
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Voting completed
• Virtual world public testing

• Milestone
• Editing, formatting, and design of the collection
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Digital galley/ proof of completed collection

• Milestone
• Publication of The Book of Bones.
• Art Galleries generated in virtual world
• Acceptance Criteria:
• Live access to digital book on website
• Testing of art galleries in virtual world

• Milestone
• 30 Mental Health Comics created
• Acceptance Criteria:
• 30 Comics released to community through discord and social media channels/website

• Final Milestone
• All materials complete and published on the website and virtual world
• Acceptance Criteria
• All materials live on website and virtual world
• Live access to virtual world

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

Reverse Bones - Co-Organizer, writer, editor, website designer, NFT artist, formatter, developer, marketer, promoter, social media manager.

John Moreland - Co-Organizer, VR Development, Artist, Comic Development (LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrmoreland)

Future Team Needs:

• 2D/3D artist(s)
• Discord manager(s)
• Marketing/ promo specialist(s)
• Social media manager(s)
• Developer(s)

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

• 50k ADA to build virtual world
• Details: Asset creation, animation, planning, designing, testing, artwork
• 10k ADA General upkeep/ website maintenance/ fees
• Details: Website and hosting, mailbox subscription, maintenance, housing the issues of The Book of Bones and comics
• 15k ADA marketing/ promotion/ social media
• Details: Community engagement, marketing, posts, ads.
• 25k Editing & Formatting
• Details: Editing and formatting The Book of Bones and Comic series. Publishing and uploading to site.
• 25k Crypto Development
• Details: Project token, governance and voting protocols, future asset creation 
• 75k Administrative
• Details: Paying artists, writers, contracts, funds for emergencies, overhead and tech requirements

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

The project plans to last forever. To continue to grow and build and create with the community nonstop. It is not just one collection of work, but annual collections of work to showcase the community and continuously heal, build, and unify. Beyond the annual issues of The Book of Bones, there will be continuous comics that promote community engagement and togetherness. The way the project is structured is that there are so many doors and possibilities for growth. The value is in the longevity and the outcomes of creating something generational and working toward ending the mental health epidemic. As a community, we are strong and can overcome all of life’s challenges. Utilizing decentralization and crypto technology, the community can connect from all over the world.

[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