Welcome everyone! My name is Mihajlo, and for the past six months you have been a part of me Next Billion FellowshipI have been working on bringing the benefits of Web3 to the World Scout Movement.
Growing up in Serbia in the 1990s, I experienced firsthand the devastating effects wars and sanctions can have on young people. There wasn’t much opportunity to find good role models or supportive peers. In such kind of environment, it is easy for youngsters to get caught up in gangs or criminal activities. I’d say it’s because of technology and Scouting that I’ve been able to avoid turning down the wrong path.
In 1996, I searched for Scouts (Serbian for “Scouts”) on Yahoo, and found one of the first Scout groups in the world to have their own website. A member had created the website as a college project earlier that year. Finding this site was where my journey began. Fast forward through 27 years of adventure, learning, volunteering, and professional engagement — and now I work at… World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM)Scouts, a vibrant global community, represents over 57 million Scouts across over 170 National Scout Organizations.
decentralized movement
The Scout Movement is decentralized, with each class bringing their unique skills and goals to a grassroots community focused on fostering a learning environment, personal growth, and mutual respect. Scouts follow a general framework and guidelines agreed upon by all members of the world organization, but they have autonomy over how projects and initiatives are carried out.
At Scouts, we believe that education is the key to making the world a better place to live, and that technology is one of the most powerful tools for education. Since 1957, Scouts from around the world have participated in “Camp on the Air” – a remote gathering of Scouts working on their amateur radio operating skills. Recently, Scouts around the world have joined the “camp onlineThe next generation of World Scouting events facilitated by technology.
In my time with WOSM, I saw the Scout Movement’s experience with the early Internet, and then helped it transition to Web 2.0. Today, Scouting has a fully online presence and platform that can be used around the world to coordinate and contribute to global initiatives, keep track of local chapters, and connect with the global Movement. I’m happy to say it’s now time to upgrade Scouting to Web 3.0!
My Billion Fellowship
The first part of my job as the Next Billion Fellow was creating some educational content for scouts on Web3 basics: we talked about what a blockchain is, how it can be used, and the importance of cryptography to stay secure on the Internet. I hosted two sessions in the “online camp” and, as a sign of participation in the event, encouraged attendance The first World Scout Badge NFT miner using POAP.
The digitization of Scout badges is a very clear use case for us, and we will be creating new blockchain-based badges for Scouts around the world to unlock and collect. But there is a lot of potential for innovation in the Web3 world of Scouting. New mechanisms for voting and governance could allow Scouts around the world to have more effective coordination on large initiatives. The Web3 World Scout Curriculum can help millions of young people learn how to hold and use digital assets safely. The Global Discovery Wallet can guide and reward Scouts on their educational journey, and allow local chapters to create and export their own challenges and badges to a global community.
Scout passport
Although this journey began with seeing the untapped potential of NFTs and digital badges, the Web 3.0 world is a big territory — and I wanted to chart a path moving wisely toward the long-term goals of Scouting. Scout badges are symbols of personal growth and achievement that a Scout takes with them. They help support and define a Scout’s identity, serving as “soul-connected symbols” connected to a real person’s journey through life and exploration. Digital decals are a big part of the picture, but what we really need is a file identity system Compatible with digital badges, symbols, and anything else Scouts might need in the future.
We are now preparing to build the first foundational layer of the World Scouting Web3 vision: The Scout Passport. As an identity system, the Scout Passport will be compatible with all kinds of Web3 systems, and will allow the Scout movement to have an identity layer for badges, icons, signatures, messages, etc. In particular, a Web3-enabled Scout identity will allow for a more robust social recovery for Scouts, allowing us to securely create DAO survey pools, explore new methods of crowdfunding and governance, and of course unlock the endless potential of NFTs and digital badges or certificates. Above all, developing a wallet module specifically for Scouts will enable us to create user flows and account protection specifically for youth, an important demographic that is often not considered in consumer wallet software.
Like all initiatives in Scouting, we work from the ground up. The development of the Scout Passport will include a sustainable support system and community contributions from the many Scouts already participating in Web3. The Scouts portfolio will be open source, allowing anyone to contribute to and benefit from modules in our identity system. We hope you have your MVP of the World Scouting Wallet ready in time for The World Scout Jamboree takes place in South Korea in Augustwhich will bring together 45,000 Scouts from around the world.
Move forward
As I continue on this exciting journey, I am working on implementing a technical framework for a range of primary World Scout education initiatives and Scouting for the Sustainable Development Goals Badges based on verified credentials which will then be stored in the Scout wallet module. I believe technology is a powerful tool for creating an empowered society and it is with this framework that we can start to build a brighter future for Scouts all over the world.
I am excited to share my progress and experiences with you, and hope to inspire others to explore the potential of blockchain technology and Web3 within their communities. Let’s start this journey together and see where it takes us!
If you are interested in learning more about my project and staying up to date on my progress, feel free to reach out to me. Twitter or linkedin
World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) It is a vibrant global community, representing over 57 million Scouts across over 170 National Scout Organizations. As one of the world’s largest youth movements, WOSM plays an important role in shaping the lives of young people, promoting values of leadership, community service, and environmental stewardship.
A note from the next billion team: As of today, applications are now closed For group #3 of the next billion fellowship. We would like to thank everyone who applied, and we will be communicating with all applicants with a decision in the coming weeks.
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