Cloud Scouts and our members are constantly seeking opportunities to bring skill development through scouting to a digital-native space. Merit Badges are the primary source of skill development for Scouts and non-technical professionals.

I wanted to find a solution beyond the soulbound token, one that would offer flexibility with a creative, modern spin on the traditional scout sash.

In February 2023, Benny Giang (@BennyGiang) and Jayden Windle (@jayden_windle) of Future Primitive introduced ERC-6551, also known as Token Bound Accounts. This would enable a few things: every existing ERC-721 non-fungible token now has its own Token Bound Account (TBA) and can now own ERC-20 fungible tokens and ERC-1155 tokens, giving each NFT a layer of composability beyond what had previously been proposed.

This works by turning ERC-721 tokens into a smart wallet without changes to the underlying protocol. Now, we can imagine how merit badges and onchain governance solutions can enable transparent and verifiable skills and governance suited for a new internet. At Cloud Scouts, this implementation is the most flexible solution that meets Scouts’ needs while maintaining our core principles. This is still under development, so if you’d like to assist in this process, please send an email to riley@cloudscouts.xyz or DM Riley on Twitter.

The Value Of Merit Badges And Future Of Learning

The thing about learning new skills, as Udemy and Patreon have found out, is that no matter where you are in life, there are always new skills to acquire.

One of the first merit badges we’ll facilitate for Scouts is the Content Creator. Scouts who attend this program will be guided in crafting content that resonates, demonstrating their skills to earn this recognition.

Our philosophy on education is simple:

1. Learning by doing: We have found over the centuries that directly applying new knowledge gained as soon as possible and often as possible results in greater success over time. Constructivism guides the individual responsible for their learning, teachers are replaced by facilitators through play and exploration.

2. Mastery learning: Scouts earn merit badges based on a personalized journey over an extended period of time, showcasing a mastery of a particular skill.

3. Holistic learning: A commitment to learning a wide range of non-technical skills paired with leadership skills, social and emotional skills, and bolstering skills like adaptability and resiliency are all part of a whole and fulfilling developmental journey.

4. Inclusive and accessible: No matter where a Scout is in the world, they should be able to learn from the best of their peers. We welcome all learners who agree to stand by our ethos and aims of exploration, acceptance, and collaboration to seek new futures.

5. Collaboration through small programs: Learning in small cohorts or groups allows individual time with a facilitator and personalized learning.

6. Mentorship: We do all things through peer-based development. Accountability for and accessibility to Scouts who are at different places on their journey is a key aspect of collaboration in scouting.

Onchain Learning

A lot of people ask why even involve blockchains at all. Why not just create this in a social solution that gamifies learning and hands out jpegs at the end? Why does it have to be so complicated?

Well, first of all… it’s not that complicated. We’ve been learning in cohorts led by teachers on Zoom for well over a decade on sites like Udemy, Skillshare, Khan Academy, and Coursera. And they’ve all been wildly successful. They’ve migrated over the years as the need for community shifted to more personalized learning, as seen through companies like Maven, where learning is done in short classes through expert-led sessions. Cloud Scouts is building a community-driven approach to skill development by masters of their craft, ranging from event planning skills to UX/UI design and ethics.

The interesting part comes when it's time to collect the merit badges a Scout has earned. Scouts are eligible to claim two items in several colors. These are the Scout Backpack and the Scout Vest. Let’s dive into how they work and what each of these items holds.

The Scout Backpack

All Scouts will claim a Backpack in one of several colors. There are two types of Backpacks, indicated by the different colors of the rainbow—three color options for the Lifetime Backpack and three color options for the Monthly Backpack. We replace the word wallet or account here with Backpack, a composable NFT that holds governance items and currency.

The Lifetime Backpack is available to claim by holders of a Cloud Scouts Badge (still available to mint) and will require no manual upkeep.

The Monthly Backpack is available for monthly subscribers to Cloud Scouts membership via our interface.

The Backpack is a Token Bound Account (TBA) that will also act as a web3 wallet, able to carry ERC-20, ERC-721, and ERC-1155 tokens. This means the backpack can hold ERC-20 tokens to refill a monthly membership, and it will hold Scout’s Patrol membership badges and Role badges.

For example, if you’re a Facilitator in the Design Patrol and are a monthly member, your Backpack will hold at least three tokens; ETH or MATIC, Design Patrol Badge, and Facilitator Badge. These badges will be used for voting on proposals, Scouts will occasionally collect tokens in their backpacks attributed to key decisions made in their Patrol.

The Scout Vest

Claiming a Scout Vest is part of an initiation rite in Cloud Scouts upon completing tasks along the Scout journey. Each badge represents mastery of a skill facilitated through a particular Patrol.

Scouts will use their membership in the Scout Backpack to claim the ERC-1155 badge, which is then “sewn” onto the vest by transferring the token to the TBA Scout Vest. We will have ongoing ceremonies for Scouts to walk through this stage. This process visually represents the Scout’s achievement and provides secure and verifiable proof of earning a skill.

Because the Vest and badges are verified on the blockchain, they are minted as proof of recognition.

For Cloud Scouts, this is the next evolution of learning, peer-based development, and collaboration.

Personalized Education By Peers, For Peers

Our goal through this model of shared learning is that new leaders will emerge where they are now entrusted to provide ongoing development to one another.

We take Scouts on a personal journey by exploring the advancements at the edges of online and onchain activity. We guide them to new adventures, and we do this by providing programs facilitated with care and wisdom.

Our onchain activities will be transparent, unstoppable, immutable, and a vehicle for future hyperstructures—even if it takes a decade.