Good day everybody! My title is Mihajlo, and over the previous six months as a part of my Next Billion Fellowship, I’ve been working to convey the advantages of Web3 to the World Scouting Motion.
Rising up in Serbia within the ’90s, I skilled firsthand the devastating results that wars and sanctions can have on younger individuals. There weren’t quite a lot of alternatives to seek out good function fashions or supportive friends. In that kind of surroundings, it’s simple for youth to grow to be caught up in gangs or legal exercise. I might say it’s due to know-how and the scouting motion that I used to be capable of keep away from turning down the unsuitable path.
In 1996, I looked for “Izviđači” (Serbian for ‘scout’) on Yahoo, and stumbled upon one of many first scouting teams on the planet to have its personal web site. One of many members had created the web site as a college venture earlier that 12 months. Discovering that web site was the place my journey started. Quick-forward by 27 years of journey, studying, volunteering, {and professional} engagement – and now I work for the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), a vibrant world group, representing greater than 57 million Scouts throughout over 170 Nationwide Scout Organizations.
A Decentralised Motion
The Scouting motion is decentralised, with every chapter bringing its personal distinctive expertise and objectives to a grassroots group centered on fostering an surroundings of studying, private progress, and mutual respect. Scouts observe a normal framework and guiding rules agreed upon by all members of the World Group, however have autonomy in how they implement initiatives and initiatives.
In Scouting, we imagine that training is essential to creating the world a greater place to stay, and that know-how is likely one of the strongest instruments for training. Since 1957, scouts world wide have participated within the “Jamboree on the air” – a distant gathering of scouts engaged on the talents of beginner radio operation. Extra lately, scouts world wide have joined the “Jamboree on the Internet” – the following era of world scouting occasions facilitated by know-how.
In my time with WOSM, I’ve watched the scouting motion experiment with the early web, after which helped it to make the transition to Internet 2.0. At this time, scouts have a full on-line presence and platform that can be utilized worldwide to coordinate and contribute to world initiatives, preserve observe of native chapters, and to speak with the worldwide motion. I’m excited to say that it’s now time for the scouts to improve to Internet 3.0!
My Subsequent Billion Fellowship
The primary piece of my work as a Subsequent Billion Fellow was to create some instructional content material for scouts on the fundamentals of Web3: We talked about what a blockchain is, how it may be used, and the significance of encryption for staying secure on-line. I hosted two periods on the “Jamboree on the Web”, and as a proof of participation for the occasion, inspired attendees to mint the first-ever World Scouting NFT badge using POAP.
The digitization of scout badges is a really clear use case for us, and we will likely be working to create new blockchain-based badges for scouts world wide to unlock and accumulate. However there’s way more potential for innovation on the planet of Web3 for the scouting motion. New mechanisms for voting and governance might enable scouts worldwide to have simpler coordination on huge initiatives. A world scouting curriculum for Web3 might assist tens of millions of younger individuals learn to safely preserve and use digital belongings. A world scouting pockets might information and reward scouts on their journey of studying, and permit native chapters to create and export their very own challenges and badges to a world group.
The Scout’s Passport
Though this journey started with seeing the untapped potential of NFTs and digital badges, the world of Internet 3.0 is an enormous territory — and I needed to chart a path that strikes correctly towards the long-term objectives of Scouting. A Scout’s badges are tokens of non-public progress and achievement {that a} scout takes with them. They assist to assist and outline the id of a scout, appearing as ‘soul-bound tokens’ hooked up to an actual particular person’s journey by life and scouting. Digital badges are a big a part of the image, however what we actually want is an id system that’s suitable with digital badges, tokens, and the rest that Scouts may have sooner or later.
We at the moment are making ready to construct the primary foundational layer of World Scouting Web3 imaginative and prescient: The Scout’s Passport. As an id system, a Scout’s passport could be suitable with all kinds of Web3 programs, and would enable the scouting motion to have an id layer for badges, tokens, signatures, messages, and many others. Specifically, a Web3-enabled scout’s id would enable for extra strong social restoration for scouts, permitting us to securely create DAO scouting teams, to discover new strategies of crowdfunding and governance, and naturally to unlock the infinite prospects of NFTs and digital badges or certifications. Above all else, creating a particular pockets module for the Scouts will allow us to create person flows and account protections particularly for younger individuals, an vital demographic not typically thought-about in client pockets software program.
Like all initiatives within the scouting motion, we’re working from the bottom up. The event of the scout’s passport could have a sustainable assist system and community-based contributions from the numerous scouts already concerned in Web3. The Scouts pockets will likely be open-source, permitting anybody to each contribute to and to learn from modules in our id platform. We hope to have an MVP of the World Scouting Pockets prepared in time for the World Scout Jamboree being held in South Korea this August, which is able to convey collectively 45,000 scouts from all around the world.
Transferring Ahead
As I proceed on this thrilling journey, I am engaged on implementing a technical framework for a set of preliminary World Scouting Academic Initiatives and Scouts for Sustainable Development Goals Badges primarily based on verified credentials that may then be saved within the Scout’s pockets module. I feel that know-how is a strong software to create an empowered group, and with this framework we will begin to construct a brighter future for Scouts worldwide.
I am excited to share my progress and experiences with you, and I hope to encourage others to discover the potential of blockchain and Web3 know-how inside their very own communities. Let’s embark on this journey collectively and see the place it takes us!
For those who’re thinking about studying extra about my venture and staying updated on my progress, be happy to attach with me on Twitter or LinkedIn
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) is a vibrant world group, representing greater than 57 million Scouts throughout over 170 Nationwide Scout Organizations. As one of many largest youth actions on the planet, WOSM performs a important function in shaping the lives of younger individuals, fostering values of management, group service, and environmental stewardship.
A Observe from Workforce Subsequent Billion: As of at present, functions at the moment are closed for Cohort #3 of the Subsequent Billion Fellowship. We want to thank everybody who utilized, and will likely be reaching out to all candidates with a choice within the coming weeks.