ELAB

We will integrate gamification with NFTs through a blockchain into an online learning platform allowing people in vulnerable conditions to access training and education.

  • 25,000 Raised
  • 32 Views
  • 1 Judges

Categories

  • Education & Training

Gallery

Description

ELAB

 

Education & Training

 

  • Our idea is based in Latin America & the Caribean
  • Validated Idea - Validated, you have proved that there is demand for the idea


What motivates you to be part of Bounce Back Ideas? 


We believe this is an incredible opportunity to fund important ideas that can be brought to life with this support and be part of an amazing community. We were just told about this opportunity through our friends at the Inter American Development Bank and USAID as they thought our program that won the Better Together Challenge, could have an important idea to present, and we do.  


We have been working more than four years with Bottom of the Pyramid social entrepreneurs doing what everyone tells us it's impossible, but we have proven that the right program, training, connections and capital, can empower our students to change not only their life and their family's but also, their community's. 



The pandemic has been a challenge that we have overcome, and now we want to use what we've learned, to revolutionize the education industry through the adaptation and through unifying two important modern concepts.


Problem/Opportunity Statement: 


We have identified several issues affecting the adoption of online education, not only in the developed world, but also in the developing world. Due to the pandemic:

  • Online education is considered boring, inaccessible and ineffective. In developing countries there has been a 3 to 10-year increase in technology adoption, but current methods of online education do not make the cut.     
  • The gaming industry is growing, but without resources it is inaccessible to young people as a career. It is still an amazing platform for fun and enjoying our free time, but rarely involves learning.   
  • Blockchain is here to stay and its applications in different industries is incredible. NFTs for example.  
  • Concepts such as gamification do not help BOP (Bottom of the Pyramid) students offset the opportunity cost of studying when they are in financial need. 
  • The new "play to win" model in gaming leads NFTs to give real unique value to digital gaming assets such as weapons. Now we can earn while we play.  

To solve these problems, we seek to strengthen and train young people in vulnerable situations so that they can grow up with a mentality of effort and prosperity different from the one they have had within their families. In addition, through the economic rewards that these young people can receive through the NFTs, they can help support their families and improve their quality of life. 


The project does have a social impact, because it seeks to train a large percentage of young people, who in the future will be part of the contribution and development of society. In the long term, the average number of people belonging to vulnerable groups will decrease.  


Short Idea  Description:


Basically, we want to integrate gamification with NFTs through a blockchain in our online learning platform, allowing us and other education creators, make courses in which our students build characters, worlds, collect gear and have fun while they learn, but at the same time, these items have real-world value. Making the first play to learn to earn model and making this a source of income for our students while they build their capacities to break out of poverty.   


Long Idea Description: 


Online education has been the protagonist in recent years. Thanks to its virtual tools and innovation, we can continue with different learning activities. Also, the Gamification industry has developed and become more affordable for its users. Combining these two tools, we created an innovative idea based on "Play to learn", so that people can learn in a more fun way.

 

The proposed structure is based on the fact that through NFTs games, we can give value to game elements, such as weapons and shields to equip different online games in which the child builds a character according to his taste that can later be exchanged for a real value. This value is possible because it is an nft, which can be easily exchanged on different digital platforms such as Amazon.

Our project is based on integrating blockchain and NFTs in our platform to take it to the next level.  Our main motto is "Play to learn", because we seek to create online courses aimed at those people who are at the bottom of the pyramid through a gaming system where they can build characters, worlds, collect equipment and have fun while learning, but the key component is that they can through their online characters earn real value to contribute economically to their families. This is a key feature to build skills from an early age, which will help them to lift themselves out of poverty in the future. 


We want to integrate gamification with NFTs through a blockchain in our online learning platform, allowing us and other education creators, make courses in which our students build characters, worlds, collect gear and have fun while they learn, but at the same time, these items have real-world value. Making the first play to learn to earn model and making this a source of income for our students while they build their capacities to break out of poverty.   


Imagine migrants and refugees not worrying about entering a training program to be inserted in society because they know that while they learn, the more they learn and play to become better entrepreneurs, they are also earning some money to feed their family. This is actually one of our main barriers that causes attrition and dropout. People in vulnerable conditions, can't afford to be trained.  


We propose to use technology to make the world more fair and in the process reduce social inequality. 


Why is your idea innovative? 


This is revolutionary because it's using new technology to solve a problem that has never been addressed and it's too expensive to solve in a typical way (paying poor people to learn). This will make international development more sustainable. Also, the blockchain world is focused on cryptos now, and can't understand its applications for social development and poverty reduction yet. Our idea can change aid forever, and impact the lives of thousands.   


The differential characteristics are shown through the due diligence process with IDB Lab, and the construction of an edtech e-learning platform to host our methodology, in addition to courses for the project that will scale our methodology to 10 cities in Ecuador and Peru for people in human mobility (migrants and refugees) and host community (locals). Our platform, ELAB, will be coded from scratch to host our courses and become like Platzi, Creahana, Domestika, but focused on entrepreneurship, social innovation, leadership and skills of the 4th industrial revolution. 


If we win Bounceback, we will be able to integrate our platform with gamification and blockchain technology, creating NFTs and opening ourselves to creators to build play-to-learn-to-win courses.   

If we can make this happen, not only will we be able to empower more people to become social entrepreneurs by learning our methodology, connecting with mentors and accessing capital, but we will also enable them to become their own boss. 


Clearly the pandemic has been a challenge we have overcome, and now we want to use what we have learned to revolutionize the education industry by adapting and unifying two important modern concepts.


In addition, we have created Word Change Makers, which is our own methodology, adapted to each group: migrants and refugees, youth at risk, indigenous populations and women survivors of violence. We also train and hire mentors to accompany the methodology.    


  

What are the potential impacts of your idea?

 

For several years, we have been working with people who are at the bottom of the pyramid and who have been socially forgotten in terms of education and training, with the aim of enabling them to become their own social entrepreneurs and their own bosses. To achieve this, we use a striking and innovative methodology called "World Change Makers" that is adapted to each of the four vulnerable groups (young migrants and refugees, at-risk youth, indigenous population and women survivors of gender-based violence). 


We seek to integrate gamification with NFTs through a blockchain in our online learning platform, allowing us and other education creators to make courses where students build characters, at the same time that these elements develop value in the real world. Thus, we get the first "play to learn and earn" model, making this a source of income for our students as they build their capabilities to lift themselves out of poverty.   


Many immigrants and refugees do not prioritize entering a training program to integrate into society because the time they learn is time that produces economic income, causing them to abandon and drop out of education. People in conditions of vulnerability cannot afford the luxury of training.  Our project makes sure that while they learn, they also play and produce money for their families. Our proposal is based on using technology to make the world fairer and thus reduce social inequality. Another benefit is that we create close communities among young people, allowing them to strengthen their spirit of clean competitiveness and greater companionship. Thus, when they enter the work environment, their adaptation will be faster and more efficient.


The proposed structure is based on the fact that through NFTs games, we can give value to game elements, such as weapons and shields to equip different online games in which the user builds a character according to his taste that can later be exchanged for a real value. This value is possible because it is an nft, which can be easily exchanged on different digital platforms such as Amazon.


In addition, the coverage of the project is wide because it is online, which allows reaching more people, and making the impact of the project much greater as well. The team is working on the development of different digital platforms that are easy to access and above all that are eye-catching to create a much friendlier environment. We know the opportunities that this time of pandemic has brought us, such as the efficient use of electronic devices, and this is a project that seeks to make the most of them, with an innovative social impact.  


Gabriela and Paula, two of our beneficiaries, receiving our trainings from their laptops during our programs in 2021, they could directly benefit from the innovation ELAB proposes.


How do you plan to implement this idea?


Since our project is based on the integration of blockchain and NFTs in our platform, one of the firsts steps for its development and implementation is the creation of online courses, which are aimed at those people who are at the bottom of the pyramid. These online courses would be held through a gaming system, where the participants would be able to build characters, worlds, collect equipment and have fun while learning, but the key component is that they can through their online characters earn real value to contribute economically to their families. Our team is already working on the development of different digital platforms that are easy to access, but that above all, platforms that are eye-catching to create a much more friendly environment.


Our project is focused on people in conditions of vulnerability, for whom is really expensive, and implied a high opportunity cost, to focus on training and learning about these platforms or even spending in education.  That is why our project makes that while they learn, they also play and produce money for their families. Another benefit is that we create close communities among children, allowing them to strengthen their spirit of clean competitiveness and greater companionship. Thus, when the children become adults and enter the work environment, their adaptation will be faster and more efficient.


Once the platforms are the courses are completely developed, we could not only empower more people to become social entrepreneurs by learning our methodology, connecting with mentors and accessing capital, but also enable them to become their own boss.  
 

Why is your team ideal to implement this idea?

 

We are a real team working on programs and projects that are changing the lives of thousands of people in the region.  We have been working for over four years with social entrepreneurs at the bottom of the pyramid doing what everyone tells us is impossible, but we have proven that the right program, training, connections and capital can empower our students to change not only their lives and their family's lives, but their community's life as well.   


We are in the due diligence process with the IADB Lab (BID Lab), and in September we will beging building an e-learning edtech platform to host our methodology and courses for the project that will scale our methodology to 10 cities in Ecuador and Peru for people in human mobility (migrants and refugees) and reception community (locals). This team is a group of experienced trainers, programmers, designers, administrators and communications specialists. We have been training young people at risk for four years and through ELAB we can maximize the impact of our work.


We are a diverse and capable team in all different areas needed to bring this project to live, all of them committed to making a difference in the lives of thousands of young people who were affected by the pandemic. 


Attachments