This is my post as the shortlisted participant for the Sndbox Summer Camp organized by @anomadsoul and @guyfawkes4-20 for @sndbox. For this final quest the tasks went for another dimension from the previous tasks; to work with others people, developing a 'real life' project.

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The first task was to choose a project developed by the other participants listed to form the grouping with few rules in mind; no one should be from the same country, and the team should involve participants from a different categories (expertise) in which we were chosen from to be part of the final quest.

The second task require us to make a plan with a team and document the process into series of posts from everyone.

This post will highlight the process of in which i am involved with through the challenges, my roles and my personal vision through the initiative, in a dramatic way. ;P

We were given a 24 window to choose a project from the 8 listed projects. And honestly it was a rather big dilemma for me as i personally hate to make a choice especially when it comes to choose from a list of great big potential ideas because for me to choose just one is to let go the other 7. I would rather prefer to be given anything to make full use of it. But oh well life is about making the best choices right?

It was about 4.30 am here in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia when the list was launched and i have not yet sleep doing some works on my research paper.

*tick tock tick tock....

After a thorough reading of some of the proposals available, i was contemplating to choose and the pressure is real when the others were so fast in making theirs! Just through the first hour one by one projects were already off the list. So i thought i could just sleep first and woke up until the very last one available or just make a leap, to choose one. Something rings in my head when i saw this image in one of my browser tab;

initial image of the Project Giving initiative when first outlined by @tristanoliff

And finally i chose the 2nd option after i felt so anxious i couldn't even sleep. This image keeps lingering around in my head as it calling me to make the choice. And i logged in back through my phone, and made that choice, luckily its still available to me or else im afraid it might haunt me for the next few weeks.

Challenges running an NGO and sustaining the spirit to keep going.

Honestly, being part of an NGO is already too familiar to me and on my first glance at the Project Giving proposal image above reminds me a lot of my previous visit with KLSketchnation, my own NGO group to the wellfare houses of protected children in Kuala Lumpur where they kept and protect children (age 3-12) of those parents who were sentenced refraining orders by the court. We were there there to introduce arts to them so that they can cope better with life and get their minds off from their problems.

The challenge of running this humanitarian acts are not much on the implementation and going there to run the event, but the biggest challenge is to have the sustainability of the organization; spiritual-wise and monetary part of it. Often, these kind of NGO initiatives are always under appreciated.

I can still remember our Seed for Deeds effort to raise funds to fight for education inequality for underprivileged students in the rural area by selling postcards made with the orphanage house, was not easy at all. The looks on the people's face to us as in we were asking money for our own self, and to have ourself monologuing talking to hands were always heartbreaking.

To ask for sponsors in the other hand, needs a very proper structure of organization to present, time and energy drained from the process, often made most of us stopped fighting to do good deeds and help the unfortunates.

Overview of Project Giving.

Please refer to our main comprehensive introduction post in our newly created @projectgiving account for the full read on the initiative.

So why Project Giving?

It really feels like a calling. Through experience and struggle, i do believe that the project is very relevant, a very vital component to fuel and connects those who are in the same boat.

Firstly, the project have a very big potential to become a platform to gather NGO initiatives across the globe as a support system for us to push our collective potential and includes the whole Steemit blockchain community to be part as a bigger entity to help support each other spiritually. By sharing our writeup in steemit about our initiative, words and efforts were not be in vain. The Steemit community value good contents and i really believe it could be a support system we need to keep us going.

Secondly, through this blockchain system that have the capabilities to generate money, these funds could definitely be channelled to those who have worked hard for them to use for their projects through a systematic accountable system where its transparent and everyone can be informed on each initiative and ultimately everyone can see each smiles on those who have been helped; the most satisfying feeling.

I believe this is a very big opportunity to include my own NGO initiative that connects arts and volunteerism that ive been running since 2014, as part of the global force. For me personally, ive decided to involve in this project beyond just a quest, but as a real initiative towards the world balance.

Creating the presence : My role in the team.

I am really blessed with the best team i could imagine. Having @tristanoliff, @dedicatedguy, @imaginedragon, @raj808, @golddeejay, @mnallica, @travelling-two and @anna-mi through the process, it beats the challenge of working in a different time zones.

When i first got into the dischord group, it was overwhelmed with the presence of amazing people, reading through their entrees that won them into the final challenge. Wondering which part of job would i'll be able to pull off to contribute to the initiative, the profiles shared by everyone and my own capabilities have lead me towards working on the 'face' of Project Giving. Ive volunteered myself to work on branding the initiative to maximise the power to make marks through visuals of the contents.

Empowered by my research and expertise in visualizing concepts through psychological and anthropological understanding and the brilliant ideas of the other members, we have collectively deviced a powerful campaign concept for Project Giving.

You can read about my PhD research in my Sndbox entree here - https://steemit.com/sndboxquest/@kymio/sndbox-summer-camp-art-task-01-the-art-of-sketching-walking-the-lines.

Creating the logo.

The original concept was proposed by @anna-mi,

sketch by @anna-mi.

the idea of a burning heart inspired by 'the legend of Danko, who ripped his heart in the light of others' which captured my interest.

then the idea was also translated by @mnallica and have came out with amazing graphics and options in which it could be portrayed.

but of all those designs, ive fell in love to this one. :)

and i decided to develop further on this one.

I really love idea of the simplicity of this image portrayed.

and ive introduced few more elements to compliment it as a whole official design;

some notes on the final developed design.

can be put against any colour of background to diversify into different types of projects in the future to keep it fresh.

The blockchain ring circling the heart and hands put some futuristic feels to it as it will be empowered by blockchain.

The bold red heart resembles the love given by the users of Steemit to raise funds and support initiatives that will be featured by @projectgiving in the future. The derivation of this design into an iconic symbol can be widely use to spread the image of this initiative as part of the campaign of the cause.

the original concept idea was "big heart of blockchain. we underline what matters". emphasizing on the word 'heart' with a bold underline.

The big revolving red hearts resembles the people; which developed towards the official simplified slogan of @projectgiving "big hearts on blockchain".

I imagined the initials and logos can be further developed into our branding in the future to raise more awareness on the initiative in the real world toward empowering Steemit as a humanitarian aid platform to encourage more big hearts to be in Steemit.

Advertisments.

Apparels.

Merchandise.

I do believe through this process of branding, a lot of different bodies will benefit from it. Spreading the positive vibes @projectgiving and @sndbox have to offer, i believe this initiative will become a game-changer in the field of humanitarian aids efforts.

This is just the beginning. we have put all our efforts and thoughts in making this platform, the rest of it is all on all of us in making the spirit of helping others perpetual, for a better tomorrow. :)

by,
one of the big heart on blockchain,
a proud member of @projectgiving,

Hakym Ahmad, @kymio. :)