The

Mauro Forcolin Jeroen Hermans Melissa Lissone

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Introduction Thank-you for giving us the opportunity to expand further on our concept for the Dance4Life digital platform. We were a bit confused by the written feedback we received from our last version of the concept we presented. It seems what we thought were the strongest and most clearly defined elements of our concept, were the ones that raised the most questions. We assumed that was due to our inability to communicate these in such a short format. We therefore decided to put into writing all the elements of our concept in detail so that we all have the same understanding of the concept to discuss from. We took the time from our rather hectic schedule to write this document and we hope you will take the time from yours to read it.

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Table of Contents VISION.....................................................................................................................................................4

PROPOSITION.......................................................................................................................................4

CONCEPT: A SUMMARY OF THE HEROES UNIVERSE ..............................................................5

RELATING HEROES4LIFE WITH DANCE4LIFE ..........................................................................6

RECOGNIZING HEROES4LIFE.........................................................................................................7

THE AWARDS ........................................................................................................................................7 HOW AWARDS ARE GIVEN....................................................................................................................9 SPECIAL LIMITED-EDITION AWARDS ...................................................................................................10

WHAT WILL BRING PEOPLE BACK? ...........................................................................................11

HEROES ...............................................................................................................................................11 PASSERS-BY ........................................................................................................................................12 SUPPORTERS........................................................................................................................................12 HEROES IN THE MAKING .....................................................................................................................13 EVERYBODY........................................................................................................................................13

COMMUNICATION ............................................................................................................................14

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION .....................................................................................................14 LOCAL COMMUNICATION....................................................................................................................14

THE PLATFORM.................................................................................................................................14

TECHNOLOGY......................................................................................................................................16

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Vision Dance4Life uses music and dance to stimulate a movement to empower youth around the world to fight HIV/AIDS and aspire to a healthier way of life. By extension, the Digital Platform should be the common language to bridge geographical, cultural and experience distances between to those in the movement From this, a society can form around it shaped and owned by its members. Like all societies, the one built around D4L can have its own stories, history and art, the ability to gain status and recognition. But these people do not work, live and achieve in the virtual world…the status, recognition and value must be translated into the physical world.

Proposition Be a Hero…for Life

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Concept: A Summary of The Heroes Universe Heroes inspire and support each other – as well as the rest of us – in The Heroes Universe. This is a platform that allows Agents 4 Change – rebranded as “Heroes 4 Life” to be able to interact, contribute and recognize each others achievements in realizing the D4L aims in everything they do. It also gives them a means to show the status and accolades given to them in the virtual world in the real world as well. This achieves the following main results:

− The work done in their community is recognised and known to their peers worldwide − Their community becomes aware of the worldwide recognition given to these heroes for

the work − As The Heroes Universe becomes more well-known and associated with heroism and

excellence in general, their awards will be recognised worldwide as well Having this universal connection with other Heroes; the support it provides; the ability to inspire and be inspired; and the ability to recognize and be recognised will encourage Heroes to be active in the Universe and encourage young people who have participated in D4L to continue with the Skills4Life. The rest of the world can also get involved in The Heroes Universe. As Supporters, they can donate services to help The Heroes Universe function, such as translation services or providing technology/delivery services for Heroes without adequate Internet access. They can create special content (music compilations, books, etc.) for sale and promotion of The Heroes Universe. They can also provide limited edition, specially designed high-profile items to be given as awards to deserving Heroes. This way, even though awards given to Heroes have an intrinsic value in and of themselves, they also have value to everyone else. And because of this value to the rest of the world, a small number of these special edition awards can be auctioned off to the public from The Heroes Universe site. Thus the general public would come to The Heroes Universe to see:

− which of their favourite personalities have commissioned or made special awards − why there compelled to do so − Which heroes were given these awards; read their stories, hear their music and find out

more about them − Who had bid and won on previous limited-edition awards and find out why they wanted

them − Finally, they can bid on the items themselves.

Of course, all proceeds from this will go back to the promoting and maintaining D4L and The Heroes Universe. The Platform for The Heroes Universe is portrayed just as that: a universe. This notion of being a Hero is more than just doing some work in one’s community, it encompasses everything about them. Thus the platform should be portrayed to encompass everything - more than just a single place, or a virtual world; a universe. In this universe Heroes can quickly navigate between “planets” of other Heroes, music, stories and content, photos and Supporters. New planets can also be created to specific aspects: an event, a community solving a particular problem together…or making music together, or collecting information together or…

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Relating Heroes4Life with Dance4Life The concept of Heroes4Life matches the ideals of Dance4Life in the following way:

On the left is shown the type of work that Heroes would engage in after completing the Skills4Life. It’s through these that Heroes can help give life to others. On the right are the aspects that the Heroes demonstrate in themselves. Here they show how they live life in the Dance4Life way. Together it shows how precious the gift of life is, and how to make the most of that gift.

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Recognizing Heroes4Life The work that Heroes do is varied but it is based on training received from Skills4Life. These are the special “Powers” that Heroes have to make the world a better place, and it is through the use of these powers that the Heroes are recognized.

StatusRecognitionCelebrated

Revered

InspireAdviseTeach/EducateComfortProblem solveNetwork

CreateShare

Skills4

Life

StatusRecognitionCelebrated

Revered

InspireAdviseTeach/EducateComfortProblem solveNetwork

CreateShare

Skills4

Life

Ways in which Heroes are encouraged and allowed to grow

Special powers that Heroes possess.Awards given to Heroes correspond to these powers

The training required to become a Hero for Life

Ways in which Heroes are encouraged and allowed to grow

Special powers that Heroes possess.Awards given to Heroes correspond to these powers

The training required to become a Hero for Life

The award system used in The Heroes Universe corresponds the 8 powers listed above. Each of the 8 awards is distinguishable from the other so that it is evident to both the Hero and others in what area the award was given.

The Awards The awards should be designed so that they can be shown to others in some way and that they are distinguishable from one power to another. They should also be customisable, so that each award given tells a story about why it has been given to the receiver, and something about the person inspired to give the award. An example of how this could be done is through the use of laces or ribbons as shown in the graphic below:

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Each ribbon has a different colour corresponding to a power. On the website, the voter can customise the look of the ribbon to represent how that Hero affected them and why they voted for them.

The award is also given a Code Number, so that on the Awards Planet of The Heroes Universe, people can type in the code and see the award and all the history behind it, as well as links to the giver and receiver’ passports, (and thereby their work, content, stories and interests) any special supporters involved.

The ribbons themselves are very versatile; they can be worn or shown off in many ways as well as being combined with other award ribbons the person may win.

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How Awards Are Given

1. All Heroes are given 10 “votes” every month. Those that are not used during the month expire.

2. These votes can be given to any other Hero they feel deserve them.

When a vote is cast, the voter must state which of the 8 powers the receiver demonstrated and tell how they benefited personally or in their work from that power.

3. Once a month, Heroes with the top 2 votes in any of the powers will get an award in

that corresponding power. Therefore, a total of 16 awards will be given per month.

4. For each award, a Hero that cast a winning vote is randomly selected to “customize”

the award according to how they feel best represents them and why they cast the vote. This is done through a virtual tool; the voter does not have to physically create the award.

5. The awards are created in 2 halves: the 1st half is given to the Hero as their own. The 2nd half is reserved so that the Hero can give it to someone else in The Heroes Universe that they feel deserve it. It does not matter to whom or for which power the award is given. Symbolically, this shows how awards that are received can also be given to others. It ensures that it does not become only a popularity contest based on the most votes. The 2 halves also provide a unique connection between the 2 recipients, both physically and virtually.

6. The second award is sent to the recipient and it is also visible and containing the

same kind of information as other awards in The Heroes Universe.

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Special Limited-edition Awards To create more interest outside The Heroes Universe, Limited-edition awards will be created by sponsors who have been inspired and want to commemorate the Heroes and the work they do. These awards can come from a wide range of sponsors such as famous people (singers, designers, personalities), nations, royalty or other organizations. These awards do not have to follow the template requirements for the Power Awards, but have the following aspects:

− Given to Heroes who have: o received awards in all 8 Power Groups o received exceptionally high awards in a particular Power o won votes or awards in areas that are particularly important to the sponsor (ie.

working on a certain project, geography, etc.)

− The supporters creating the awards attach their own stories to the awards (ie. meaningfulness in producing them, how they were inspired by D4L and The Heroes Universe, etc.)

− A number of the awards are reserved to be bid on in auctions held on The Heroes

Universe platform. Thus, items will be created that have exceptional value as they are given as awards. But additional value is added by:

− their association with famous people and organizations − scarcity and uniqueness of the items − perceived value by the general public as seen in the auctioning of the items.

As the conceptual link is never broken between the normal hero awards and the limited edition ones, the overall “value” of all awards in The Heroes Universe will be recognizable outside of it as well.

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What will bring people back?

Heroes Heroes in The Heroes Universe will continue to come back to the site to inspire and be inspired; to upload new content – photos, music, stories – and see what else others have done; to seek help and give help to others. In short they will come back again and again to be part of a larger diverse community, spread around the world, yet fundamentally, they are all Heroes. The cycle by which Heroes are drawn to the site is shown below:

Give Life/

Live Life

Tell Story/

Create

Empower/

Support

Recognize

•Tell of work•Ask for help•Words of inspiration

•Solutions

•Music•Photos•Events

•Create•Compilations

•Give them an award

•Personal message

•Tell others of their work

•Add/use/extend their creations

Of course this cycle is intertwined so that every Hero in The Heroes Universe affects every other Hero:

Give Life/

Live Life

Tell Story/

Create

Empower/

Support

Recognize

Give Life/

Live Life

Tell Story/

Create

Empower/

Support

Recognize

Give Life/

Live Life

Tell Story/

Create

Empower/

Support

Recognize

Give Life/

Live Life

Tell Story/

Create

Empower/

Support

Recognize

Give Life/

Live Life

Tell Story/

Create

Empower/

Support

Recognize

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Passers-by The entry to The Heroes Universe is through the Supporters Planet. Here, passers-by will be able to see how their favourite celebrities and organizations have been affected and inspired by D4L and the Heroes, either by providing services or by creating limited edition, unique items that have been given as awards. They can see which Heroes received the awards, why they received them, hear their stories and music, see their work, and ultimately understand why the Supporters were inspired and why The Heroes Universe is an accurate name for this collection of people carrying on the D4L dream. Perhaps the passers-by can be inspired as well – if not to become a Hero, in the very least to support them. Passers-by can bid on the limited-edition creations or follow the items history to see how their value has increased in the eyes of bidders from all around the world. Finally, merchandise can be purchased as well. Not all creations from supporters necessarily have to be limited-edition awards. They can also be creations related to The Heroes Universe, such as:

− Calendars or photo albums − Special music tracks or re-mixes by famous DJs compiled from music in The Heroes

Universe or perhaps just inspired by them − Tickets to special events inspired from The Heroes Universe. Perhaps a new remix will

debut there or perhaps an event in The Heroes Universe can be recreated in the real world, attended by celebrities or in a particular city, etc.

Supporters Supporters can be anyone from individuals to organisations, corporations, even countries or NCO’s themselves. Those who want to support The Heroes Universe can do so in many ways:

− Creating limited-edition awards − Creating and compiling special content–related items, such as:

o music complications o photo/story books o calendars o organizing themed events, etc. o

− Providing support services, such as: o translations o technology and media so that information can reach those without internet

access o delivery services for awards and media

In each case, the association of their names and brands to such a worthwhile initiative will make it very attractive to them. And the same way the Heroes would sport their awards with pride, the Supporters would do the same thing on their own websites, local communities, quarterly reports, etc. This would indirectly bring even more attention to The Heroes Universe to an audience that might not have been reached and may want to participate as well. This goes to show that sometimes peer pressure can be a good thing!

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Heroes in the Making “Heroes in the Making” are what we call those youngsters who have attended the D4L sessions but have not yet decided to go on to do the Skill4Life. After attending D4L at their school or community, each of these potential heroes are given a special token to be allowed to be a “Hero for A Day”.

These tokens – which should be very similar in concept as the Heroes awards so the connection can be made – have a special code that allows the Heroes in the Making to log on to The Heroes Universe and see what it is like be part of that group. These tokens should be linked to the profile of an existing Hero, who acts as a guide and mentor. The token does not allow the potential heroes to change anything, but they can see what it means to be a Hero from their mentor’s point of view. If logged in at the same time, the potential hero and their mentor can chat/write with

one another online; otherwise, messages can be left and answered later. Ideally, the potential hero and their mentor would have a real interaction in the physical world so the mentor can show the work that is being done and how The Heroes Universe supports and compliments it.

Everybody One of the ways of raising awareness and value of The Heroes Universe is to extend it beyond to all kinds of heroes in all walks of life. Instead of The Heroes Universe being commended elsewhere, it becomes the standard for greatness and Heroism. This is done with the “Honorary Hero”. Once a year, the top 5 awarded Heroes in The Heroes Universe are allowed to pick one person who was inspiring and instrumental to them for being able to achieve what they have done. These could be anyone: teachers from the local school who encouraged and supported them to internationally-renown celebrities, doctors, researchers, campaigners who inspired, raised awareness or made breakthroughs in their cause. As time goes on and The Heroes Universe becomes synonymous with greatness, being named an “Honorary Hero” from such an exceptional group of people working for such an important cause will be held in as great esteem as the Nobel or World Peace prizes.

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Communication Much of the communication for The Heroes Universe happens through indirect channels and words of mouth.

International Communication The largest network is for mass communication comes through the Supporters. The first method is through the limited edition awards. Due to the celebrity status or fame of the supporters, their new creations, their involvement and popularity of the auctioned items, many news channels will carry the stories and link them back to The Heroes Universe. The same media spread will occur as a result of special content or events created or hosted by famous supporters. At the same time, supporters would want to tell about their involvement in such projects through their own media channels and thereby reach an entirely different audience. The Honorary Hero program will bring more direct awareness to the work of the Heroes 4 Life as The Heroes Universe becomes more recognised and the award is held in greater esteem.

Local Communication There is still a need to make sure that The Heroes4Life are recognised in their local community. Here, the NCO’s play an important role by actively going out to well-known and highly-regarded locals to tell of the positive influence of the Hero has made and lend their support. These stories/photos, along with those of the Heroes themselves should be placed in local media (newspapers, radio, TV, etc.), in addition to including them in The Heroes Universe. As The Heroes Universe receives greater recognition, and the local Heroes obtain awards, people inevitably will want to associate with someone who won an award given by Bono or whose story was part of book or mentioned in an event attended by famous/respected people. At that point the Heroes and what they represent becomes the main communication channel.

The Platform The Platform for The Heroes Universe is portrayed just as that: a universe. This notion of being a Hero is more than just doing some work in one’s community, it encompasses everything about them. Thus the platform should be portrayed to encompass everything - more than just a single place, or a virtual world, but a whole universe.

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In this universe Heroes can quickly navigate between “planets” of other Heroes, music, stories and content, photos and Supporters. New planets can also be created to specific aspects: an event, a community solving a particular problem together…or making music together, or collecting information together or… Thus, The Heroes Universe directly supports the vision by providing a means to grow, support and recognize fellow heroes in their important work but also how they live their lives. The “common language” is that of the “hero’s powers” through which results can be achieved, awards bestowed and status applied to the members. And finally the links between planets and various filters that can be applied are a metaphor for bridging distances & cultures. All the different planets are hyper-linked together through the Heroes Planet. Everything stems from the Heroes (content, stories, awards, forming communities, etc.). Although it is not necessary to always pass through the Heroes planet (for example, in the music planet one can go from on piece of music to another) it is always understood that the music is there through the involvement of the Hero. Everything about the Heroes are shown in the passports, and each item in their passport links to the other planets where they are involved.

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Technology The main technology for The Heroes Universe Platform is Web 2.0 and makes use of all the interaction, community membership, idea sharing and co-creation possibilities. Those with limited internet access can still participate through the help of NCO’s and supporters by translating and delivering the information into a medium that makes sense for the Hero. The following examples could be considered:

− CD/tape to hear recent stories/requests for help/events in the universe − Regular radio broadcasts − Special newsletters − Portable laptops with software to allow viewing and uploading content while offline.

Other aspects must also be addressed by alternative channels in order that the Heroes can fully participate include:

− Registering and uploading information/content to their profile − Voting offline or by mobile phone/SMS

At the very least, the Heroes should have some kind of monthly interaction with The Heroes Universe so they can effectively participate in voting as well as giving time to ask questions for support, provide answers or add content. Perhaps other Heroes can be used as a network by the NCO’s in addition to local supporters for delivering and capturing information from Heroes without adequate Internet access.