Please describe your proposed solution.

PROPOSAL OVERVIEW

The central theme of the objective of the startups and student onboarding challenge focuses on startups and students. Education is the backbone of startups; therefore, ideally if students are well-informed about blockchain technology, it will transition into the generation of blockchain-based ideas. In view of this, instead of startups, our project focuses on providing an online education on blockchain technology, its benefits and potentials. Admittedly, there are several online blockchain technology learning platforms; however, what our platform presents is the missing pieces, especially in Africa where the inequality gap in education keeps widening. To bridge this gap, we’re convinced that an incentivized learning platform, which also serves as a library is what the required to drive students into learning blockchain technology.

The focus is to provide well-streamlined, standardized, and easy-to-understand web-based video lessons on blockchain technology and the cardano ecosystem that can easily be accessed by the student community in Ghanaian Universities. The ownership of smartphones by a significant number of Ghanaian students makes them a viable entry point for this project. The complex nature of the blockchain space is not an easy area for new users, especially secondary school or college students, which is why there is a lack of interest. Through this initiative, we intend to introduce the concept of blockchain and the cardano catalyst platform via a series of easy to understand, short theoretical and video-based lessons on blockchain technology to a large audience of young Ghanaian students who are new to the cardano network. This would also include a short assessment after which the completion of each lesson participants would be rewarded.

In addition to simple educational materials, we are planning to focus on more comprehensive guidelines for new users, developers, and start-ups, which will help increase their interest in Cardano. Students are often motivated by incentivized learning, therefore, this initiative would provide the motivation for students not only to earn but also to invest in the cardano coin and eventually increase the number of Cardano coin holders. The blockchain project presents a new way for students to navigate the blockchain space and earn value from their time and resource investment in knowledge acquisition through our platform. Our platform would provide users with a system of value that rewards them and makes it easier to onboard students who are new to the Cardano blockchain ecosystem.

Why an incentivized Approach?

This approach is an effective hand on and learning platform that focuses on simplifying the complex nature of the blockchain space via the provision of a video-based learning lessons. This is an efficient incentivized way for a lasting learning experience that will help onboard students into the Cardano ecosystem. We’ll create a web-based platform that will be accessible to everyone with a phone and internet. The platform will aggregate blockchain information, separating it into various areas of study in theory with attached short videos for each lesson. The content of the theory and video-based lessons on blockchain and the Cardano ecosystem will cover several areas (not limited to those listed below) such as:

• What is Blockchain?

• What’s the history of bitcoin?

• What is Cardano?

• How to create a cardano wallet?

• How does the Public Key and Private Key of the blockchain work?

• The concept of project catalyst and the various role?

• What is NFT?

• What is Smart Contract?

• What is DApp?

• What's DAO?

INCENTIVE

The project would focus on incentivizing the learning of basic areas of education for a beginner (student) who is new to the blockchain ecosystem and more especially for a person new to the Cardano ecosystem. The short to long term incentivized approach for this project is to reward student with certificate upon completion(short term) and cryptocurrency (long-term). Meanwhile, while we focus on the short term goal, our funding strategy will consider external donors in addition to catalyst. The incentivized program would be divided into two categories: an Education-based incentive and Referral-based incentive.

EDUCATION BASED INCENTIVE

Under the education-based incentive, we intend to provide educational lessons on ten (10) key areas of interest needed at an entry level into the Cardano ecosystem. The ten (10) areas would be a starting point, however, upon a successful implementation of this project per our milestone, we'd introduce users to more complex areas under the Cardano blockchain ecosystem. The essence is to transition our target audience into the Cardano community, onboard them and eventually make them active participants of each role within the Cardano community. For each of the area of study that the project seeks to provide lessons on, an amount of $1.5 in ADA would reward to participants for the successful completion of each assessment, with the total amount summing up to $15 in ADA ($1.5 per assessment). This reward would help students have a practical experience of the crypto space and also make the platform the best option for students who are willing to learn and invest in cryptocurrency.

REFERRAL BASED INCENTIVE

The referral program would be designed to reward users for referring new users. As a marketing strategy, we would reward users with $2 of ADA for referring one new user. This reward will be subject to term and conditions. Users will only be rewarded upon completion of the educational lessons and the mandatory referral of just one person. This arrangement is to ensure that users don’t focus on just the monetary value but the knowledge acquisition.

MARKETING STRATEGY

• As part of reaching a large audience with this project, we’ll collaborate with the Opportunity summit, a platform that seeks to educate the Ghanaian student population on the Cardano Network. Under this collaboration, we’ll market our platform to the students at each event organized by the group. This will be done alongside our regular marketing both online and offline.

• We would also advertise the project via the various social media channels. Additionally, we'll create help centers in the form of social media channels. A place where people with different forms of enquires, questions are addressed. This will also provide access to valuable sources of information and assistance on difficult to understand blockchain concepts on our website. The platform would be community-driven, where people can freely share their ideas, thoughts, and concerns.

Main challenge

• The main challenge is the creation of multiple accounts by existing users. As part of ensuring the security of our platform, there would be a KYC requirement to help avert the incidence of users exploiting the system by creating multiple account. The platform would require a cardano address to which incentive payment would be made.

• The other challenge for this project is the issue of funding.In that regard, we consider that because this project is solely towards the advancement of the growth of the Cardano ecosystem, project catalyst will be our primary source of funding. However, we'll also apply for funding from organization that share in our vision of providing education on blockchain to a large group of the African population. Aside that, we'll also welcome donations from benevolent individuals willing to help, by providing crypto addresses on our website.

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

Why an incentivized Approach?

This approach is an effective hand on and learning platform that focuses on simplifying the complex nature of the blockchain space via the provision of a video-based learning lessons. This is an efficient incentivized way for a lasting learning experience that will help onboard students into the Cardano ecosystem. We’ll create a web-based platform that will be accessible to everyone with a phone and internet. The platform will aggregate blockchain information, separating it into various areas of study in theory with attached short videos for each lesson. The content of the theory and video-based lessons on blockchain and the Cardano ecosystem will cover several areas (not limited to those listed below) such as:

• What is Blockchain?

• What’s the history of bitcoin?

• What is Cardano?

• How to create a cardano wallet?

• How does the Public Key and Private Key of the blockchain work?

• The concept of project catalyst and the various role?

• What is NFT?

• What is Smart Contract?

• What is DApp?

• What's DAO?

BENEFIT/IMPACT OF THE PROJECT TO THE CARDANO ECOSYSTEM

The proposed Gateway to Blockchain - Student Learning Center has the potential to provide valuable educational resources, onboard new users, foster community engagement, and contribute to the long-term growth of the Cardano ecosystem by creating a knowledgeable and skilled user base. The primary goal of the project is to provide educational resources on blockchain technology and the Cardano ecosystem to Ghanaian students and incentivize their learning journey by rewarding them with digital assets on the Cardano blockchain. Here are the potential benefits of this proposal to the Cardano ecosystem:

Education and Awareness: The project aims to provide educational resources to students in Africa by providing a well-streamlined, standardized, and easy-to-understand web-based learning platform. By offering educational lessons on blockchain technology and the Cardano ecosystem, the proposal intends to raise awareness among students about the potential of Cardano and cryptocurrencies. This will contribute to expanding knowledge and understanding of the Cardano ecosystem.

User Onboarding: Through this reward system, the project seeks to attract and onboard more students into the Cardano community. By rewarding students with ADA tokens, the project aims to motivate them to actively participate in the learning process and explore the Cardano platform. Increased user adoption and engagement can help the Cardano ecosystem grow and thrive.

Developer Engagement: The proposal recognizes the importance of developers in the Cardano ecosystem and aims to introduce more developers to the Cardano catalyst community. By providing comprehensive guidelines for new users, developers, and startups, the project intends to attract developers and enhance their skills. Increased developer engagement can lead to the creation of innovative applications, smart contracts, and decentralized projects on the Cardano platform.

Long-Term Growth: The project hopes to collaborate with educational institutions to integrate the learning platform into their curricula or extracurricular activities. By partnering with educational institutions, the project can achieve sustainable growth and ensure the continuity of educational initiatives beyond the initial implementation phase. The integration of blockchain education into academic settings can contribute to the widespread adoption and utilization of Cardano technology in various sectors.

METRICS FOR MEASURING SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT

Ultimately, in monitoring and evaluating these metrics and gathering feedback from students and users, you can validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the project in achieving its goals. This information will help you make data-driven decisions, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate the project's success to the Cardano community. The success of this project will be measured in two fold; both long and short term.

Short term metric.

The project's success hinges on some key indicators with specific target for each indicator. After the first three months of the project being rolled out, an assessment would be conducted to adjust these targets under each indicator based on the assessment report. The assessment report would include a SWOT analysis on data gathered from our platform. And at the end of a successful implementation of this project, we’ll measure the success of this event by;

Based on these key performance indicators, we anticipate that, a successful implementation of the project will help achieve the following milestones;

• Have at least 50 students trained

• Project that 100 students will view the page.

• At least onboard 20 students into the Cardano community

• Create Cardano wallet accounts for at least 20 students.

• Create a Cardano social media community on WhatsApp, Telegram, and YouTube with at least 20 active followers.

Long-term metric

By continuously monitoring and evaluating these metrics and gathering feedback from students and users, you can validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the project in achieving its goals. This information will help you make data-driven decisions, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate the project's success to the Cardano community. The success of the project can be measured through various key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. Here are some ways to measure the success of the proposed Gateway to Blockchain - Student Learning Center project:

Number of Students Trained: Measure the number of students who successfully complete the educational lessons and assessments provided by the platform. This metric indicates the reach and engagement of the project among the target audience.

User Engagement: Monitor user engagement levels, such as the frequency of platform visits, time spent on the platform, and interaction with educational materials. This metric helps assess the level of interest and active participation of students in the learning process.

Number of Cardano Wallet Accounts Created: Track the number of new Cardano wallet accounts created by students as a result of their engagement with the learning platform. This metric indicates the project's effectiveness in onboarding new users into the Cardano ecosystem.

Feedback and Satisfaction Surveys: Conduct surveys or feedback sessions to gather insights from students about their learning experience, the quality of educational resources, and their overall satisfaction with the platform. This feedback helps assess the project's impact on students and identify areas for improvement.

Growth of Cardano Social Media Community: Measure the growth and activity level of the Cardano social media community established by the project, such as the number of active followers, engagement in discussions, and sharing of ideas. This metric indicates the project's success in fostering a vibrant and collaborative community within the Cardano ecosystem.

Collaboration with Educational Institutions: Evaluate the success of collaborations with educational institutions, such as the integration of the learning platform into curricula or extracurricular activities. Measure the number of institutions that adopt the platform and the level of student engagement facilitated through these partnerships.

Developer Engagement: Assess the number of students who express an interest in becoming Cardano developers or participating in Cardano-related development projects. Monitor their progress, involvement in the developer community, and contributions to the Cardano ecosystem. This metric reflects the project's effectiveness in attracting and nurturing developer talent.

Certification Program Success: Measure the number of students who successfully complete all online training and receive digital certifications. This metric indicates the project's impact on the acquisition of blockchain knowledge and the recognition of students' achievements.

Project Reporting and Transparency: Evaluate the frequency and quality of project reports shared with the Cardano community. Monitor the community's engagement with these reports and their feedback. This metric demonstrates the project's commitment to transparency and accountability.

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?

ROADMAP

The roadmap provides a general framework for the project implementation, allowing for feasibility, flexibility and adaptation as needed. The content Creation and Platform Development phase will have the following activities and timelines as the roadmap for project execution:

Lesson Planning and Creation (Duration: 1 months)

• Develop lesson plan for the learning program

Assessment System Development (Duration: 4 weeks)

• Design and implement an assessment system to evaluate students' learning progress
• Ensure the platform tracks and records completion of assessments

Content creation

• Video-based content and educational materials ready for students' consumption.
• Engaging and informative video lessons to facilitate learning.

Incentive System Implementation (Duration: 3 weeks)

• Design and develop a certification program for students who complete all online training
• Provide digital certifications to successful participants

Referral Program Setup (Duration: 2 weeks)

• Develop and implement a referral program to incentivize users to refer new participants
• Define terms and conditions for referral rewards

Marketing and Promotion (Duration: 3 weeks)

• Launch marketing campaigns to raise awareness of the platform
• Collaborate with gateway to digital technology and utilize social media channels for promotion

Platform Launch (Duration: 1 week)

• Conduct a soft launch of the platform to a limited audience for testing and feedback
• Make necessary adjustments based on user feedback

Monitoring and Evaluation (Duration: on-going process after launch)

• Monitor user engagement, platform usage, and feedback
• Collect data on the number of students trained, new Cardano wallet accounts created, and active followers in the social media community

PARTNERSHIP AND CREDEIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY

Again, the feasibility of our approach will also depend on two legs:

• Partnership and
• community accountability.

PARTNERSHIP

Our team will establish a Partnership with Gateway to digital technology. Gateway to digital technology, organization is a Non governmental organization which focuses on providing education and mentorship on digital technology to deprived groups.. With this partner onboard, we'll leverage on their vast experience and expertise to advance the cardano dream in Africa.

COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY

Our team have been active in the catalyst ecosystem since fund 7. As a project lead, our team member has been engaged as challenge team members in the development and infrastructure. since fund 7, we’ve been active community Advisors, voters and proponent with three community funded and executed project. From these credentials, it’s worth noting that our contribution to the ecosystem has been immerse especially in spearheading the community goal of catalyst.

Apart from our active involvement in the catalyst space, our team brings not only extensive experience but also a profound level of engagement in the Cardano Catalyst space, specifically in terms of project implementation. We have led several initiatives that received funding from the Catalyst community. Through our active involvement in the Catalyst community, we have successfully executed three major projects, all of which are open source and available for community verification. By making these projects transparent, the community can verify our capacity to deliver on the current project. For reference, below are links to our projects:

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/62263

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64358

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64441

Again, our milestones provide specific quantity-based targets to measure the impact of the event on students and ensure that a significant number of students are reached, educated, and empowered through the Web 3.0 summit. In ensuring our team’s accountability and transparency to the cardano ecosystem, all the needed documentation from start to finish of the event will be presented to the community including video recordings where necessary. These documentations will be presented, in addition to our monthly report to the catalyst community. The documents will be posted on all catalyst affiliate social media platforms.

finally, In accordance with the project completion procedures for Project Catalyst, we always submit a report for community verification, allowing the community to validate the outcomes of our projects. We are dedicated to scaling up the advancement of the Catalyst goal, and our commitment to credibility has consistently been paramount throughout our past project completions. Our ultimate aim is to create a meaningful impact within the Catalyst space.

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

Website redesign and management

Milestone Output

• To have the website redesigned

Milestone Acceptance criteria

• To at least make the website accessible

>Lesson Planning and Creation

Milestone Outcomes

• To have a comprehensive set of organized lesson plan covering relevant learning areas.

Milestone Acceptance criteria

• To have at least 50% of the learning program well-planned and organized

>Assessment System Development

• Design and implement an assessment system to evaluate students' learning progress

Milestone Outcome

• To have the assessment system for course evaluation created

Milestone Acceptance criteria

at least have 50% of the assessment for the whole course created

>- Create video-based content for students' consumption.

Milestone Output

• To have the video learning resource material created

Milestone Acceptance Criteria

• To have at least 50% of the video learning materials created

>–Design and development of a certification program for students who complete all online training.

Milestone Outputs:

• To have the learning certificates designed and developed for the learning courses

Milestone Acceptance criteria

• To have 50% of the certificates designed for the learning program

–Form a Partnership for marketing and Promotion

Milestone Output

• Establish a partnership for marketing

Milestone Acceptance criteria

• To have at least one partner

>Project close out report

Project close out video

Milestone Output

To have project close out report created

to have close out video created

Milestone Acceptance

A complete close out report

A complete close out video

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

Team members and Roles for the project

Our team members have varied level of experience across various field which is well cut out for the project. Based on the expertise the team presents, we’re convinced that our team have the capacity to implement the project. However, there will be a few areas where we’ll outsource the services of expertise via hiring. Below are our team members with their accompanying roles:

Kingsley Mensah- Developer

Innocent Norvinu - Finance and Marketing Manager

David Mensah – Operations Officer

Background of team members

Kingsley Mensah

Kingsley Mensah is a blockchain enthusiast and his contributions to the field have been widely recognized. Kingsley is also the C.E.O of Kingscel and the Cofounder & CEO of Speso. In 2019, he was honored with the prestigious Star of Innovation Award by Hubei University of Technology in China for his groundbreaking work. The following year, he received the Young Achievers Award at the Pride of Africa Awards in Asia, presented by the Appreciate Africa Network, highlighting his remarkable accomplishments. He has also acquired a Master's degree in Computer Science & Technology. Kingsley combines his technical expertise with a passion for ideas that promote a free society, making him a prominent figure in the blockchain community.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingsley-mensah/

Innocent Norvinu

A marketing expect with over 4 years of experience as a marketing and communication director at Young Africans for Opportunities (YAFO), a nonprofit organization. is a cryptocurrency enthusiast with a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Professional Studies in Ghana. He is the Cofounder of gateway to blockchain. A former marketing specialist at Tech markets solutions. His over 7 years of experience within the finance industry as a risk and compliance officer has been key in ensuring that Unique Step Microfinance survive financial sanctions emanating from lack of regulatory compliance and also helping banks and micro-finance institutions survive various financial clean-up exercise in Ghana. He is a fund 7, 8 and 9 community Advisor, a voter and a proponent with two community funded and executed project. He also a fund 10 challenge team member.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/innocent-norvinu-a096931a9

David Mensah

David Mensah is a highly motivated professional

with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Studies and Economics Education from the university of Education, Winneba. He has worked as a social studies teacher, research assistant, enumerator, and cocoa purchasing clerk at PBC Ltd. This diverse experience, along with the extensive knowledge of blockchain technology have shaped the foundation of my professional framework and allowed me to approach blockchain advocacy from a holistic perspective. Additionally, I am a member of WADA, an NGO spearheading innovative digital technology and blockchain advocacy in Africa. He is currently the Co-founder of Gateway to Blockchain, an online incentivized learning platform for blockchain technology. My passion lies in advocating for blockchain technology and its potential impact on various industries. My strong background in education and social services has provided me with the necessary skills to effectively communicate and educate others about the benefits of blockchain.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-a-mensah-426848226

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

The budget breakdown is in line with the structure of the project roadmap. Our project is requesting for an amount of 24780 ADA. This amount allocation is based on a price of 0.2 per ADA, this represents the market value at the time of the writing the proposal. However, please note that the actual costs may vary depending on the time of assessments. Therefore, for the purpose of clear understanding, the reviewers should use the price provided in the proposal.

Content Creation:

Video production: 7,000 ADA

Content writing: 1,500 ADA

Content creators: 6,000 ADA

Website hosting : 2,000 ADA

Security and data protection: 1,000 ADA

Technical support: 1,000 ADA

Social media advertising: 800 ADA

Print materials: 780 ADA

Certification design and printing: 2,000 ADA

Miscellaneous expenses: 400 ADA

Administration expense: 1,300 ADA

Project management: 1,000 ADA

Total Budget Breakdown: 24780 ADA

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

COST OF THE PROJECT

Ensuring cost-effectiveness and maximizing value for the Cardano ecosystem is at the forefront of our project proposal. With meticulous consideration of prevailing market prices, our budget breakdown reflects an accurate representation of the resources required. We understand the inherent volatility of ADA prices and have factored in this fluctuation when devising our budget, guaranteeing its adaptability to changes in the price levels of ADA. By incorporating strategies that are mindful of cryptocurrency market dynamics, we have setting our budget at a price of between 0.15 and 0.2. Therefore, we believe the budget remains resilient and capable of supporting the successful implementation of our project, regardless of any variations in the price levels of the Cardano coin.

INHERENT VALUE ADDITION TO THE CARDANO ECOSYSTEM

Beyond financial considerations, our project offers substantial value to the Cardano ecosystem. The cost of the project is worth it because it promotes education, awareness, and active participation in the Cardano ecosystem. It aims to create a knowledgeable and engaged community that can contribute to the ecosystem's growth and long-term success. The cost of the project represents value for money for the Cardano ecosystem in the following ways:

Incentivized Learning: The project focuses on an incentivized learning platform that rewards students with digital assets on the Cardano blockchain as they progress in their learning journey. This approach motivates students to engage with the Cardano ecosystem and acquire valuable knowledge about blockchain technology. By providing incentives for course completion, the project encourages active participation and ensures that students are actively learning and engaging with the Cardano platform.

Educational Resources: The project aims to provide valuable educational resources on blockchain technology and the Cardano ecosystem. These resources will be accessible to students in Ghanaian universities through a web-based platform. By offering standardized and easy-to-understand video lessons, the project addresses the complexity of the blockchain space and introduces students to the Cardano network. This educational aspect adds value to the Cardano ecosystem by fostering a well-informed community of students who can contribute to its growth and development.

Onboarding and Awareness: The project's marketing strategy includes collaboration with the Opportunity Summit and leveraging social media channels to reach a large audience. By actively promoting the project and raising awareness about the Cardano blockchain, it aims to onboard more students into the Cardano community. This increased participation not only expands the user base but also introduces new perspectives and ideas to the ecosystem, enhancing its overall value.

Long-term Goals: The project's long-term goals include providing crypto incentives, collaborating with educational institutions, and introducing more developers into the Cardano community. By equipping students with the necessary skills and certifications, the project contributes to the growth of the Cardano developer community. This, in turn, enhances the ecosystem's capacity for innovation and development.