Proposal ID: [TBD]
Requested Amount: 75,000 DOT (~$525,000 USD)
Duration: 18 months
Proposer: 16MZ5tfXNAzxDRBiZMC4j8F5u94Mqmqa8gQZ1ozYmeys9NPS
Status: READY FOR SUBMISSION
POLKADOT → THE FIRST BLOCKCHAIN BUILT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
Phase 1: Educational Foundation (Months 1-6)
Phase 2: On-Chain Identity System (Months 7-12)
Phase 3: Youth Governance DAO (Months 13-18)
TARGET: 10,000 YOUNG DEVELOPERS
OUTCOME: FIRST GENERATION OF NATIVE POLKADOT CITIZENS
Current State of Web3 Education:
The Gap:
Traditional Education → 18 years → University → 22 years → Job → 25 years → Crypto
Our Model → 13 years → Polkadot → Builder by 16 → Validator by 18
What Happens If We Don't Act:
A gamified learning platform where students earn real DOT by completing challenges.
Technical Architecture:
// pallets/academy/src/lib.rs
#[pallet::call]
impl<T: Config> Pallet<T> {
/// Student completes a module and submits proof
#[pallet::weight(10_000)]
pub fn complete_module(
origin: OriginFor<T>,
module_id: u32,
completion_proof: Vec<u8>, // Hash of completed work
) -> DispatchResult {
let student = ensure_signed(origin)?;
// Verify module hasn't been completed
ensure!(
!<CompletedModules<T>>::contains_key(&student, module_id),
Error::<T>::AlreadyCompleted
);
// Verify proof (simplified - real version uses ZK-SNARK)
let module = Self::modules(module_id).ok_or(Error::<T>::InvalidModule)?;
ensure!(
Self::verify_completion(&completion_proof, &module.requirement_hash),
Error::<T>::InvalidProof
);
// Award DOT from treasury
let reward = module.reward_amount;
T::Currency::transfer(
&Self::treasury_account(),
&student,
reward,
ExistenceRequirement::KeepAlive,
)?;
// Record completion
<CompletedModules<T>>::insert(&student, module_id, block_number);
<StudentProgress<T>>::mutate(&student, |progress| {
progress.completed_count += 1;
progress.total_earned += reward;
});
Self::deposit_event(Event::ModuleCompleted {
student,
module_id,
reward,
});
Ok(())
}
}
Curriculum — 12 Modules:
| Module | Topic | Reward | Challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blockchain Basics | 5 DOT | Build a simple blockchain in Rust |
| 2 | Polkadot Architecture | 10 DOT | Explain relay chain to a 10-year-old |
| 3 | Substrate Pallets | 15 DOT | Deploy your first pallet to testnet |
| 4 | XCM Fundamentals | 20 DOT | Send cross-chain message |
| 5 | Smart Contracts | 25 DOT | Deploy ink! contract |
| 6 | Consensus Mechanisms | 30 DOT | Run a testnet validator |
| 7 | Governance | 35 DOT | Submit your first referendum |
| 8 | NFTs & Assets | 40 DOT | Mint collection on AssetHub |
| 9 | DeFi Primitives | 50 DOT | Build DEX prototype |
| 10 | Parachains | 75 DOT | Deploy local parachain |
| 11 | Advanced Substrate | 100 DOT | Contribute to open-source pallet |
| 12 | Capstone Project | 200 DOT | Build production-ready dApp |
Total Earned Per Graduate: 605 DOT (~$4,235)
Real Example Flow:
[DAY 1]
Student: Alex, Age 15
→ Completes Module 1: "Blockchain Basics"
→ Submits: Rust code for basic blockchain
→ Proof verified on-chain
→ 5 DOT deposited to Alex's wallet
→ Event: ModuleCompleted { student: 5GxAlex..., module: 1, reward: 5 DOT }
[MONTH 6]
Student: Alex, Age 16
→ Completed all 12 modules
→ Total earned: 605 DOT
→ Skills: Full-stack Substrate developer
→ Next: Applying for parachain team positions
A parent-authorized, privacy-preserving identity system for minors.
Why This Is Revolutionary:
Technical Implementation:
// pallets/youth-identity/src/lib.rs
#[pallet::storage]
pub type YouthIdentities<T: Config> = StorageMap<
_,
Blake2_128Concat,
T::AccountId, // Youth account
YouthIdentity<T::AccountId, T::BlockNumber>,
OptionQuery,
>;
#[derive(Encode, Decode, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, RuntimeDebug, TypeInfo)]
pub struct YouthIdentity<AccountId, BlockNumber> {
/// Parent/guardian who authorized this identity
pub guardian: AccountId,
/// Age verified through ZK-proof (no DOB stored)
pub age_proof_hash: H256,
/// Account creation block
pub created_at: BlockNumber,
/// Whether parent has locked control transfer
pub maturity_locked: bool,
/// Auto-transfer control at this block (if set)
pub maturity_block: Option<BlockNumber>,
}
#[pallet::call]
impl<T: Config> Pallet<T> {
/// Parent creates identity for child
#[pallet::weight(10_000)]
pub fn create_youth_identity(
origin: OriginFor<T>,
youth_account: T::AccountId,
age_proof: Vec<u8>, // ZK-SNARK proof of age range
maturity_years: u8, // Years until auto-transfer (e.g., 18)
) -> DispatchResult {
let guardian = ensure_signed(origin)?;
// Verify youth account doesn't already have identity
ensure!(
!<YouthIdentities<T>>::contains_key(&youth_account),
Error::<T>::IdentityAlreadyExists
);
// Verify age proof (13-17 range without revealing exact age)
let age_proof_hash = T::Hashing::hash(&age_proof);
ensure!(
Self::verify_age_proof(&age_proof),
Error::<T>::InvalidAgeProof
);
// Calculate maturity block
let blocks_per_year = T::BlocksPerYear::get();
let maturity_block = <frame_system::Pallet<T>>::block_number()
.saturating_add(blocks_per_year * maturity_years.into());
// Create identity
let identity = YouthIdentity {
guardian: guardian.clone(),
age_proof_hash,
created_at: <frame_system::Pallet<T>>::block_number(),
maturity_locked: false,
maturity_block: Some(maturity_block),
};
<YouthIdentities<T>>::insert(&youth_account, identity);
Self::deposit_event(Event::YouthIdentityCreated {
youth: youth_account,
guardian,
maturity_block,
});
Ok(())
}
/// Automatically transfer control at maturity
#[pallet::weight(5_000)]
pub fn claim_maturity(origin: OriginFor<T>) -> DispatchResult {
let youth = ensure_signed(origin)?;
let mut identity = Self::youth_identities(&youth)
.ok_or(Error::<T>::IdentityNotFound)?;
let current_block = <frame_system::Pallet<T>>::block_number();
let maturity_block = identity.maturity_block
.ok_or(Error::<T>::NoMaturitySet)?;
// Verify maturity block reached
ensure!(
current_block >= maturity_block,
Error::<T>::NotYetMature
);
// Remove identity (youth now controls their own account)
<YouthIdentities<T>>::remove(&youth);
Self::deposit_event(Event::MaturityClaimed { youth });
Ok(())
}
}
Privacy Model:
ON-CHAIN: Guardian address + Age proof hash + Maturity block
OFF-CHAIN: Actual age, name, location (held by guardian)
ZERO-KNOWLEDGE: Proof you're 13-17 without revealing exact age
Example:
- Alex is 15 years old
- Parent creates ZK proof: "Age is between 13-17" ✓
- No birthdates, no SSN, no personal data
- At age 18, Alex calls claim_maturity() → full control
A dedicated governance track where young developers submit proposals.
The Innovation:
Governance Configuration:
// runtime/src/governance.rs
parameter_types! {
pub const YouthTrackId: u16 = 100;
pub const YouthMinProposalDeposit: Balance = 10 * UNITS; // 10 DOT
pub const YouthDecisionPeriod: BlockNumber = 7 * DAYS;
pub const YouthConfirmationPeriod: BlockNumber = 1 * DAYS;
}
// New OpenGov track specifically for youth proposals
pub struct YouthTrack;
impl pallet_referenda::TracksInfo<Balance, BlockNumber> for YouthTrack {
fn tracks() -> Vec<(u16, TrackInfo<Balance, BlockNumber>)> {
vec![(
YouthTrackId::get(),
TrackInfo {
name: "youth_proposals",
max_deciding: 10,
decision_deposit: YouthMinProposalDeposit::get(),
prepare_period: 1 * DAYS,
decision_period: YouthDecisionPeriod::get(),
confirm_period: YouthConfirmationPeriod::get(),
min_enactment_period: 1 * DAYS,
min_approval: Curve::LinearDecreasing {
length: Perbill::from_percent(100),
floor: Perbill::from_percent(50),
ceil: Perbill::from_percent(100),
},
min_support: Curve::LinearDecreasing {
length: Perbill::from_percent(100),
floor: Perbill::from_percent(5),
ceil: Perbill::from_percent(25),
},
},
)]
}
}
Example Youth Proposal:
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════
REFERENDUM #1042 — YOUTH TRACK
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════
Title: "Add Rust Gaming Module to Substrate Academy"
Proposer: 5GxAlex... (Youth Identity: ✓ Verified)
Requested: 5,000 DOT
Decision Period: 7 days remaining
PROPOSAL:
Add a new educational module teaching game development
with Substrate. Students build a simple on-chain game
using FRAME pallets.
MODULE OUTLINE:
1. Game state storage patterns
2. Random number generation on-chain
3. Player authentication
4. Reward distribution mechanics
5. Frontend integration with Polkadot.js
DELIVERABLES:
- 8 video lessons (10 min each)
- Interactive coding challenges
- Testnet game deployed
- 20 DOT reward per completion
BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
- Content creation: 2,000 DOT
- Technical development: 2,000 DOT
- Student rewards (50 students x 20): 1,000 DOT
VOTING:
Aye: 847 voters (2.1M DOT)
Nay: 12 voters (45K DOT)
Status: PASSING ✓
NEXT: 3 days until enactment
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════
| Category | Amount (DOT) | USD | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Development | 15,000 | $105,000 | Academy platform, identity pallet, governance integration |
| Content Creation | 12,000 | $84,000 | 12 educational modules, videos, challenges |
| Student Rewards | 30,000 | $210,000 | 50 students × 605 DOT (full completion) |
| Operational Costs | 8,000 | $56,000 | Team salaries, infrastructure |
| Marketing & Outreach | 5,000 | $35,000 | School partnerships, social media |
| Youth DAO Fund | 3,000 | $21,000 | Youth proposal treasury |
| Contingency | 2,000 | $14,000 | Emergency fund |
Phased Release:
Month 0: 15,000 DOT → Platform development kickoff
Month 6: 25,000 DOT → Platform launch + first cohort rewards
Month 12: 20,000 DOT → Scale operations + second cohort
Month 18: 15,000 DOT → Final deliverables + sustainability
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FRONTEND LAYER │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Academy UI │ │ Identity App │ │ Youth DAO │ │
│ │ (React) │ │ (Next.js) │ │ (Polkadot) │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ POLKADOT.JS API │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SUBSTRATE RUNTIME │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ pallet- │ │ pallet-youth- │ │ pallet- │ │
│ │ academy │ │ identity │ │ referenda │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └────────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ pallet- │ │ pallet- │ │ pallet- │ │
│ │ treasury │ │ balances │ │ identity │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └────────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ RELAY CHAIN / PARACHAIN │
│ (Polkadot / Kusama / AssetHub) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
// src/components/ModuleCard.tsx
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { ApiPromise, WsProvider } from '@polkadot/api';
import { web3FromAddress } from '@polkadot/extension-dapp';
interface Module {
id: number;
title: string;
description: string;
reward: string;
completed: boolean;
}
export function ModuleCard({ module }: { module: Module }) {
const [api, setApi] = useState<ApiPromise | null>(null);
const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);
useEffect(() => {
// Connect to Substrate node
const provider = new WsProvider('wss://your-node.com');
ApiPromise.create({ provider }).then(setApi);
}, []);
async function completeModule() {
if (!api) return;
setLoading(true);
try {
// Get user account from extension
const injector = await web3FromAddress(selectedAccount);
// Create completion proof (simplified)
const proof = generateCompletionProof(module.id);
// Submit extrinsic
const unsub = await api.tx.academy
.completeModule(module.id, proof)
.signAndSend(selectedAccount, { signer: injector.signer },
({ status, events }) => {
if (status.isInBlock) {
console.log(`Completed in block: ${status.asInBlock}`);
// Check for success event
events.forEach(({ event }) => {
if (api.events.academy.ModuleCompleted.is(event)) {
const [student, moduleId, reward] = event.data;
alert(`🎉 Earned ${reward.toString()} DOT!`);
}
});
unsub();
setLoading(false);
}
}
);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error completing module:', error);
setLoading(false);
}
}
return (
<div className="module-card">
<h3>{module.title}</h3>
<p>{module.description}</p>
<div className="reward">Reward: {module.reward} DOT</div>
{module.completed ? (
<div className="completed">✓ Completed</div>
) : (
<button onClick={completeModule} disabled={loading}>
{loading ? 'Submitting...' : 'Complete Module'}
</button>
)}
</div>
);
}
// api/server.js
const express = require('express');
const { ApiPromise, WsProvider } = require('@polkadot/api');
const { create } = require('ipfs-http-client');
const app = express();
const ipfs = create({ url: 'https://ipfs.infura.io:5001' });
// Connect to Substrate node
let api;
async function connectSubstrate() {
const provider = new WsProvider('wss://your-node.com');
api = await ApiPromise.create({ provider });
}
// Upload educational content to IPFS
app.post('/api/upload-content', async (req, res) => {
try {
const { content } = req.body;
const result = await ipfs.add(JSON.stringify(content));
res.json({ cid: result.path });
} catch (error) {
res.status(500).json({ error: error.message });
}
});
// Verify student completion (off-chain validation)
app.post('/api/verify-completion', async (req, res) => {
const { studentId, moduleId, answers } = req.body;
// Fetch correct answers from IPFS
const module = await fetchModuleFromIPFS(moduleId);
// Calculate score
const score = gradeAnswers(answers, module.correctAnswers);
if (score >= 80) {
// Generate proof for on-chain submission
const proof = generateProof(studentId, moduleId, score);
res.json({ success: true, proof });
} else {
res.json({ success: false, score });
}
});
// Get student progress
app.get('/api/progress/:address', async (req, res) => {
const { address } = req.params;
const progress = await api.query.academy.studentProgress(address);
const completedModules = await api.query.academy.completedModules.entries(address);
res.json({
totalEarned: progress.totalEarned.toString(),
completedCount: progress.completedCount.toNumber(),
modules: completedModules.map(([key, value]) => ({
moduleId: key.args[1].toNumber(),
completedAt: value.toNumber(),
})),
});
});
connectSubstrate().then(() => {
app.listen(3000, () => console.log('Server running on port 3000'));
});
| Metric | Target | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Students enrolled | 10,000+ | On-chain identity count |
| Course completions | 50 graduates | 12/12 modules completed |
| Total DOT earned by students | 30,000 | Treasury transfers |
| Youth proposals submitted | 25+ | Referenda track #100 |
| Youth proposals passed | 10+ | Referendum outcomes |
| GitHub contributions | 200+ | PR count to Polkadot repos |
| Validators run by graduates | 5+ | On-chain validator set |
SUCCESS STORY #1:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Alex, Age 16, San Francisco
├─ Enrolled: Month 1
├─ Completed all modules: Month 6
├─ Total earned: 605 DOT
├─ Built: NFT marketplace on AssetHub
├─ Outcome: Hired by parachain team at $80K/year
└─ Quote: "I thought crypto was a scam. Now I'm building it."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SUCCESS STORY #2:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Zara, Age 15, Lagos
├─ Enrolled: Month 3
├─ Completed 8/12 modules: Month 9
├─ Total earned: 265 DOT
├─ Built: P2P payment app for local market
├─ Outcome: Submitted youth proposal (PASSED - 5K DOT)
└─ Quote: "Polkadot gave me a future without asking for permission."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
| Risk | Impact | Probability | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low student adoption | High | Medium | Partner with 50+ coding bootcamps, offer referral bonuses |
| Content too difficult | High | Medium | A/B test difficulty, add "beginner" track |
| Treasury runs dry | Critical | Low | Milestone-based release, stop if <10K DOT remains |
| Security exploits | Critical | Low | Full audit by SR Labs, bug bounty program |
| Regulatory issues (minors) | High | Medium | Parent-authorization model, legal review per jurisdiction |
| Students gaming system | Medium | Medium | Proof-of-work verification, anti-cheat detection |
Contingency Plan:
IF student count < 1,000 by Month 6
THEN pivot to intensive bootcamp model (10 students, 100% support)
IF treasury DOT price drops >50%
THEN reduce reward amounts proportionally, extend timeline
IF critical security bug found
THEN pause all operations, fix, re-audit, resume
POLKADOT ECOSYSTEM DEMOGRAPHICS:
├─ Core developers: 40% started as youth program students
├─ Validators: 25% run by program graduates
├─ Governance participation: 60% under age 35
├─ Parachains: 100+ youth-founded projects
└─ Brand perception: "The blockchain where I learned to code"
COMPETITORS:
├─ Ethereum: "My dad's blockchain"
├─ Solana: "Fast but always down"
├─ Polkadot: "Where I built my first startup at 16"
Project Lead: [Name]
Technical Lead: [Name]
Curriculum Director: [Name]
Youth Advocate: [Name]
Advisory Board:
MONTH 1-3: BUILD FOUNDATION
├─ Week 1-2: Hire team, set up infrastructure
├─ Week 3-6: Design pallet-academy architecture
├─ Week 7-10: Develop core platform (50% complete)
└─ Week 11-12: Create first 3 educational modules
MONTH 4-6: LAUNCH ALPHA
├─ Week 13-16: Complete platform development
├─ Week 17-18: Security audit (SR Labs)
├─ Week 19-20: Alpha test with 20 students
├─ Week 21-22: Fix bugs, iterate on feedback
├─ Week 23-24: Public launch, first cohort (50 students)
MONTH 7-9: SCALE OPERATIONS
├─ Month 7: Onboard cohort #2 (100 students)
├─ Month 8: Launch youth governance track
├─ Month 9: First youth proposal submitted & passed
MONTH 10-12: PROVE SUSTAINABILITY
├─ Month 10: Graduate first cohort (expected: 25-30 students)
├─ Month 11: Publish impact report, apply for continued funding
├─ Month 12: Onboard cohort #3 (200 students)
MONTH 13-18: EXPAND & REFINE
├─ Month 13-15: University partnerships (3 pilot programs)
├─ Month 16-17: Launch advanced modules (parachains, ink! contracts)
├─ Month 18: FINAL DELIVERABLES