InDIDgenous SSI Education for South Pacific communities

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Engie Matene

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

Entity (Not Incorporated)

[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 Webinar Series + introductory online learning course tailored for South Pacific indigenous communities, providing practical SSI education.

[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

LGPL-3.0-only

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG 4 - Quality Education

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

Introduction

Identity is foundational for South Pacific indigenous communities in identifying tribal members and how we connect with each other. For Māori (Indigenous peoples of New Zealand) identity is also foundational to the future of our society as a whole. Our people being able to prove who they are, via a means which is aligned culturally to them, is a crucial element of all future interactions aiming to restore trust; to instantiate indigenous human rights; and, with integrity, live up to the egalitarian image our country has acquired globally.

As we explored and developed Tribal DIDs as part of Fund9 alongside Māori communities in Aotearoa, New Zealand, we discovered:

• Tribal entities have little to no awareness of Self-Sovereign identity, decentralised systems and subsequently, the Cardano community and identity infrastructure as well.
• There is limited non-technical learning courses and material available, and none tailored for an indigenous audience.
• South Pacific indigenous communities have indicated interest in our TribalDIDs project and developments, however, lack the technical and financial resource being situated in remote island locations, to develop a system of their own.
• The overall lack of awareness & education specifically for South Pacific indigenous communities about self-sovereign identity means tribes continue to deploy offshore centralised systems.

InDIDgenous SSI Education seeks to enhance the growth of the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) ecosystem education within South Pacific Indigenous communities. The initiative comprises two key components:

1: Webinar Series: A series of webinars will be conducted, featuring experts in community with global SSI industry leaders. These webinars will serve as a knowledge-sharing platform, fostering a deeper introductory understanding of SSI principles and practices with the goal to facilitate the development of SSI for South Pacific indigenous communities.

2: Online Learning Course: In collaboration with community and industry partners, an introductory course will be developed. Tailored for Māori and Pasifika communities of the South Pacific, this course aims to provide practical knowledge and insights into SSI and current technology in development (Āhau Tribal DIDs, Fund9), with an emphasis on Cardano's identity infrastructure.

Through this educational initiative, the project aims to empower these communities by equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to actively participate in and benefit from the evolving landscape of self-sovereign identity.

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

To track the positive impact of the project in enhancing the growth of the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) ecosystem education within South Pacific Indigenous communities, the following key performance indicators (KPIs) and evaluation metrics will be implemented:

1: Participation Metrics:

• Webinar Attendance: Monitor the number of attendees in each webinar session to gauge community interest and engagement.
• Course Enrolment: Track the enrolment and completion rates for the introductory online course to measure the reach and effectiveness of InDIDgenous SSI Education.

2: Awareness and Knowledge Improvement:

• Pre- and Post-Assessments: Administer assessments before and after the educational activities to measure the participants' baseline knowledge and the knowledge gained through the webinars and online courses.
• Feedback Surveys: Collect feedback from participants to understand the perceived impact on their awareness and understanding of SSI principles and practices.

3: Community Adoption:

• TribalDIDs Adoption: Monitor the adoption rate of TribalDIDs within South Pacific Indigenous communities after the educational initiative. An increase in usage would indicate successful awareness and adoption of decentralized identity systems.

4: Collaboration and Partnerships:

• Partnership Development: Track the establishment of new partnerships or collaborations with community organizations, industry partners, and other stakeholders, indicating the project's ability to build a supportive network.

[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?

With a proven track record of five years working collaboratively, our team has demonstrated our commitment and competence in delivering successful projects, including the development and delivery of the Āhau application.

Having delivered over $ 1.5 million of funded projects in that period, each endeavour required meticulous reporting, transparent communication, and the successful attainment of project objectives.

Our collective experience showcases a consistent dedication to accountability and transparency, adapting to diverse communication methods, and ensuring project success.

This established cohesion, coupled with our expertise and track record, and a raft of productive partnerships, uniquely positions us as the ideal team to confidently and effectively deliver the proposed project.

A list of a few of the recently funded projects has been provided below:

To successfully deliver the project, we have an experienced team that possess a range of capabilities and experiences across various domains. Our fields of expertise include:

• Decentralized Identity (DID) and Verifiable Credentials:
• Expertise in designing, implementing, and managing decentralized identity systems, including the use of decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials.

• Security Proficiency:
• Strong background in cybersecurity and secure coding practices to establish robust security measures, safeguarding user data, and ensuring privacy.

• Open-Source Development:
• Experience in leading or contributing to open-source projects, understanding the importance of transparency and collaboration in building trust within the community.

• User-Centric Design:
• User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design skills to create an intuitive and user-friendly interface, prioritizing the needs of the end-users.

• Community Engagement:
• Past experience in managing and engaging with diverse communities, fostering open communication, and addressing concerns effectively.

• Ethical Considerations:
• A commitment to ethical considerations in identity management, including a focus on user consent, data ownership, and minimizing biases.

• Project Management Skills:
• Strong project management skills to ensure timely delivery, accountability, and effective communication with stakeholders.

By combining the team experience, expertise and already functional PoC developed in the TribalDIDs = indigenous data sovereignty project, the project team will continue to build trust through transparency, accountability, and a demonstrated commitment to user needs and security along with regular communication with the community throughout the InDIDgenous SSI Education for South Pacific communities project.

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

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

For the past five years our team have been successfully building and delivering community designed technologies. Below are our team members that are leading this project

Engie Matene:

As Product Owner & Project Lead, Is our community liaison for the project leading our co-development approach between between the product development team and the communities we aim to serve. Engie will be responsible for developing an engaged communities user base, fostering collaboration, addressing concerns, and ensuring a positive and inclusive experience.

Personal experience:

• Strong understanding of community registrations as lead research and community engagement for TribalDID's = Indigenous sovereignty project since Nov 22
• Secretary for Te Riingi Marae (Marae Trustee)
• Strong technical understanding and community product development working as a community software developer since 2017
• Strong experience in training content development and facilitation

Key Responsibilities:

• Champion user-centric design principles, working closely with UI/UX designers to implement feedback and improve usability.
• Collaborate with QA teams to establish and maintain quality standards, participating in testing processes.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, defining tasks, timelines, and dependencies.
• Track project timelines, identifying and addressing potential delays, and ensuring the timely delivery of milestones.
• Facilitate clear communication between project stakeholders, ensuring everyone is informed about project progress and changes.
• Work closely with the project's financial team to manage and monitor the budget, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently.
• Actively engage with potential user communities to build strong relationships.
• Gather and synthesize user feedback, ensuring the community's voice is heard and considered in project development.
• Address community concerns, inquiries, and issues promptly, working closely with the development team to find resolutions.
• Act as the bridge between development teams, community stakeholders, and other relevant parties.
• Be an advocate for the community within the development team, ensuring their needs and perspectives are considered in decision-making processes.

Ben Tairea:

Ben will play a pivotal role in driving the development and success of the project. Ben will be responsible for ensuring the product meets the needs of both the development team and the diverse communities it aims to serve.

Professional Experience:

• Proven experience as the Product Owner with Ahau since 2017
• Strong familiarity with AtalaPrism and Cardano as the core contributor to the ssb-atalaprism module
• Strong understanding of decentralized identity concepts, verifiable credentials, and related technologies, serving as chair of Digital Identity NZ 2019-23 and Member of the Identity Product Advisory Group for New Zealand Government (current)
• Clear understanding of user base and product vision as Earth Defenders Toolkit Community Steward since 2022

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and communicate a clear product vision aligned with the goals of the project.
• Curate and manage the product backlog, ensuring it reflects project priorities.
• Provide advice and expertise decentralized identity concepts, verifiable credentials, and related technologies

Mix Irving:

As the senior developer for the project Mix is a key player in the design, development, and implementation of our decentralized identity solution on the Cardano blockchain. His expertise will drive technical excellence, innovation, and the successful delivery of a robust and scalable open-source product.

Personal Experience:

• Core developer for Loomio governance tool
• Key contributor to Dark Crystal v1
• Core developer and community organiser of Scuttlebutt
• Lead developer for Āhau
• Founder of commons.garden
• a new project working to build a stronger p2p commons, sharing learning, fostering collaborations

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical leadership within the development team, guiding the implementation of decentralized identity solutions.
• Lead blockchain development efforts, particularly on the Cardano and AtalaPrism platform, ensuring secure and efficient integration
• Enforce coding standards and best practices to maintain high-quality, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Implement robust security measures, including encryption and secure key management, to ensure the integrity of the decentralized identity system.
• Provide advice and expertise decentralized identity concepts, verifiable credentials, and related technologies

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

The budget will be regularly revisited throughout the duration of the project with shared responsibility between the project leads to ensure that funds are allocated optimally and to accommodate any emerging needs or changes in scope. Additionally, maintaining a detailed and transparent record of expenditures will aid in effective budget management throughout the project lifecycle.

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

The cost of the project, totalling ₳172,000, represents significant value for money for the Cardano ecosystem, considering the scope and potential impact of the project. Here's how:

Impact on the Indigenous Communities of the South Pacific (Māori of Aotearoa - New Zealand, Samoa & Mauke - Cook Islands) and Broader Application: The project focuses on developing culturally appropriate webinars and an online course to introduce SSI to these indigenous communities. This not only benefits the local community by aligning with their cultural values and legal requirements but also provides a blueprint for similar initiatives by indigenous populations globally, enhancing Cardano's reputation.

Enhancing Cardano's Ecosystem: By demonstrating the practical use of Cardano's technology in culturally sensitive and legally complex environments, the project contributes to the broader narrative of blockchain for social good. This enhances Cardano's appeal to communities, developers and users interested in meaningful economic societal change.

Value for money:

• Online Course Development: Given the specialised nature of this work, the costs align with the need for high-level expertise.

• Community & Stakeholder Engagement: The costs associated with community & stakeholder engagement are justified, considering the need for thorough and culturally sensitive approaches that respect indigenous sovereignty and align with New Zealand's legal framework.

• Market Rates Comparison: The estimate includes the cost of legal and cultural consultations, and community engagement, which are in line with typical freelance rates and professional fees in these sectors.

In summary, the project represents value for money by delivering a high-impact, culturally significant innovation within a reasonable budget, considering the specialised nature of the work and its potential for wide-ranging implications within and beyond the Cardano ecosystem.

[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