tl;dr - By uniting the innovative spirit of Nouns with the magic of kendama, we aim to positively influence the lives of thousands of students through the Mindfulness Through Play programs and introduce a broad audience of crypto-natives to Nouns at ETH Toronto/Blockchain Futurist Conference. This project is a culmination of passions coming together to create long-lasting positive impact. We are grateful for the opportunity and thank you for your consideration.
After reflecting on our last proposal's feedback and the understanding that Kendama's magic is best felt firsthand, we embarked on a spontaneous journey to ETH Denver, eager to spread the Kendama spirit among Nouners and other conference attendees!
Please watch this short video which includes highlights from ETH Denver before reading the rest of the proposal
Kendama is a traditional Japanese skill toy which features a handle, cups, and a ball linked by a string. Over time, kendama has evolved from a simple children's toy into a tool that teaches mindfulness, growth mindset, and emotional regulation. Now, it's used for education and community building too.
Whether it's in a school gymnasium or at a crypto conference, we aim to use kendama as a vehicle for engagement to create memorable, positive interactions that entertain and educate a diverse audience. Kendama is the analog game for the digital era - it is perfectly poised to help us demonstrate how our onchain collective can influence people, places, and things.
If you didn't watch the video linked at the beginning of this proposal, please go check it out!
Since its inception in 2010 as a simple garage operation, Sweets Kendamas has evolved into the industry leader and has been instrumental in popularizing this game globally, featured in major retailers like Target and as a top seller on Amazon.
Founded in 2018 by Joshua Grove, who blended his passion for transformative education with his kendama expertise, the Sweets Kendama Foundation is an educational non-profit that leverages kendama to teach mindfulness and support students in their mental health.
Hey, Satori here - just want to share why I think kendama and Nouns are such a great fit. Kendama is more than a game for many people; it's a way of life. A stranger gave me my first kendama and taught me the basics, which sparked a daily practice and a habit of sharing it with others. Kendama has become a way to maintain presence, as well as make it easy to connect with strangers through a shared curiosity.
Kendama transcends language and cultural barriers, embodying community, creativity, fun, and educational value. Whether playing with strangers or friends, it creates moments of shared joy and learning. It’s a game that requires no translation, screens, or chargers – just focus and creativity.
The kendama community’s supportive ethos mirrors Nouns' positive-sum philosophy. Together, kendama and Nouns can create life-changing, positive interactions worldwide, just as it did for me.
The Sweets Kendama team will come up with a fresh take on their starter kendamas which will incorporate noggles on the tama and the handle of the ken. A total of 500 of these Nouns-themed starter kendamas will be produced and distributed as follows for a cost of 3.5 ETH:
Building on the momentum of our vibrant ETH Denver activation, we're eager to bring the kendama experience to even more crypto-folk face-to-face. If our highlight reel is anything to go by, the sheer joy and enthusiasm etched on people's faces as they land their first spike says it all - and we want to bring this same energy to Toronto.
The Foundation will receive a donation of 5 ETH to bolster its operations and support the "Mindfulness Through Play" programs for K-12 students. This contribution will fund the many hours that go into organizing and teaching the programs, as well as the purchase of Nouns-themed starter kendamas to be used and distributed during these programs.
Through this initiative, we aim to reach over 3,000 children, providing them with Nouns branded kendamas as they learn valuable life skills. This effort is expected to create a lasting, positive association with Nouns among the young participants.
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tl;dr - By uniting the innovative spirit of Nouns with the magic of kendama, we aim to positively influence the lives of thousands of students through the Mindfulness Through Play programs and introduce a broad audience of crypto-natives to Nouns at ETH Toronto/Blockchain Futurist Conference. This project is a culmination of passions coming together to create long-lasting positive impact. We are grateful for the opportunity and thank you for your consideration.
After reflecting on our last proposal's feedback and the understanding that Kendama's magic is best felt firsthand, we embarked on a spontaneous journey to ETH Denver, eager to spread the Kendama spirit among Nouners and other conference attendees!
Please watch this short video which includes highlights from ETH Denver before reading the rest of the proposal
Kendama is a traditional Japanese skill toy which features a handle, cups, and a ball linked by a string. Over time, kendama has evolved from a simple children's toy into a tool that teaches mindfulness, growth mindset, and emotional regulation. Now, it's used for education and community building too.
Whether it's in a school gymnasium or at a crypto conference, we aim to use kendama as a vehicle for engagement to create memorable, positive interactions that entertain and educate a diverse audience. Kendama is the analog game for the digital era - it is perfectly poised to help us demonstrate how our onchain collective can influence people, places, and things.
If you didn't watch the video linked at the beginning of this proposal, please go check it out!
Since its inception in 2010 as a simple garage operation, Sweets Kendamas has evolved into the industry leader and has been instrumental in popularizing this game globally, featured in major retailers like Target and as a top seller on Amazon.
Founded in 2018 by Joshua Grove, who blended his passion for transformative education with his kendama expertise, the Sweets Kendama Foundation is an educational non-profit that leverages kendama to teach mindfulness and support students in their mental health.
Hey, Satori here - just want to share why I think kendama and Nouns are such a great fit. Kendama is more than a game for many people; it's a way of life. A stranger gave me my first kendama and taught me the basics, which sparked a daily practice and a habit of sharing it with others. Kendama has become a way to maintain presence, as well as make it easy to connect with strangers through a shared curiosity.
Kendama transcends language and cultural barriers, embodying community, creativity, fun, and educational value. Whether playing with strangers or friends, it creates moments of shared joy and learning. It’s a game that requires no translation, screens, or chargers – just focus and creativity.
The kendama community’s supportive ethos mirrors Nouns' positive-sum philosophy. Together, kendama and Nouns can create life-changing, positive interactions worldwide, just as it did for me.
The Sweets Kendama team will come up with a fresh take on their starter kendamas which will incorporate noggles on the tama and the handle of the ken. A total of 500 of these Nouns-them