Be Alchemystical (BEAM)

COVID-19 has caused a catastrophic educational disruption for two-thirds of the world's population, leading to an exponential increase in reports of psychological distress amongst adolescents who are particularly vulnerable and at risk. The world is on the precipice of an unprecedented mental health crisis. 

Be Alchemystical (BEAM) revolutionizes mental healthcare by empowering every child, anywhere in the world, to cope with challenges of COVID-19 through mindful activity. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, BEAM harnesses augmented reality (AR) technology to gamify somatic self-care practices. Players immerse themselves in exciting inter(active) quests that teach mindfulness through strengthening the mind-body connection, with additional features encouraging collaborative journeys. 

Scaled globally, BEAM is a vital tool that makes mental health and psychosocial support widely accessible to every child. Simultaneously, BEAM serves to empower children, equipping them with skills to navigate the uncertain terrain caused by COVID-19, pushing frontiers of mental healthcare worldwide through somatic self-care education.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 71% of 130 countries surveyed reported disruptions in the provision of mental health services to children and adolescents due to COVID-19. A dismal 1% of international aid is earmarked for mental health. Globally, mental health has long been viewed as secondary to academic success, with current efforts focused on remote and hybrid teaching and learning. 

Currently, there does not appear to be cohesive, organized efforts by schools worldwide to offer mental health and psychosocial support systems to students who conventionally rely on schools to address these needs. Enforced isolation of children necessitates innovative technological solutions, for without these services, COVID-19 has the potential to cause cumulative trauma for children globally. 

Though self-care apps have long been in existence on the market, many focus on cultivating mindfulness through stillness. Much emphasis has been placed on meditation, which is an inward-looking, solitary practice which potentially exacerbates the social isolation and loneliness experienced by children worldwide due to COVID-19. Largely didactic, these apps fail to sustain adolescents' attention and motivation. 

Based on a global population of 7.8 billion, global smartphone penetration rate reached 78.05% in 2020 and is forecast to increase exponentially. Tapping on the pervasiveness of mobile devices, BEAM serves as an effective self-care tool that drastically expands on the accessibility of mental health education for young learners worldwide.

Adopting principles of behavioral psychology and design, BEAM offers an educational AR self-care app that offers a personalized mindfulness journey map for young students. Students engage in individual and collaborative challenges built upon mindful activities termed as 'quests' which encourages students' ongoing engagement. Instead of motivating players to catch ‘em all when they see their friends posting their spoils, BEAM expands on the therapeutic and educational potential of AR mobile games. Students are compelled to challenge one another to gain points after completing activities meant to strengthen their mind-body connection. This serves as a constructive experience which encourages students to stay mindful in the present reality, engaging with their natural environment instead of getting lost in a virtual world.

Harnessing the innovative potentialities of augmented reality (AR), BEAM serves to provide an immersive, inter(active) and collaborative experience for young learners, empowering young learners to adapt mindful activity as self-care.

Children and adolescents are exceptionally vulnerable and at risk of both physical and mental health issues arising from the pandemic. Employing innovative use of AR, an immersive, inter(active) and collaborative experience is created for young learners, shifting the focus of self-care practices from mindful inactivity to activity. BEAM serves as an innovative technological solution to target both problems, providing educational self-care through augmented reality that empowers every BEAMer; making mindfulness fun, inter(active) and collaborative.

1. Vulnerability and dependency of young learners urges a turn to the accessibility of technology as an equalizing force. Children and adolescents are exceptionally vulnerable and at risk in these times of social isolation, which has a compounding effect on their fears and anxieties. Heavily dependent on adult caregivers, the pandemic exacerbates educational inequalities, depending on their family and social circumstances they are born into. By sustaining students’ engagement and motivation through fun and games. BEAM empowers students to effectively incorporate important self-care habits into their daily routines. 

2. Sedentary lifestyle, increase in screen time and unhealthy dietary habits necessitating innovative intervention. As kids are confined to their homes, lifestyle comorbidities have possibly increased, brought on by the need to fill empty pockets of free time, online learning and limitations on outdoor activity. BEAM taps into students’ love for mobile games to encourage greater inter(activity) while imparting mindfulness as a coping strategy to build self-reliance and resilient in the face of challenges. 

3. Feelings of loneliness and isolation in young learners, especially adolescents who thrive on social connection and peer validation. BEAM amalgamates a variety of self-care strategies that shifts mindfulness from a solitary practice to collaborative mindful activities, allowing students to stay in touch with their peers whilst providing an important developmental opportunity that imparts valuable skills of adaptability, self-reliance and resilience.

To understand and gain deeper insights into the needs of students during times of pandemic to ensure that BEAM achieves its desired outcomes:

• Rigorous academic research is currently being conducted to review the findings of the pandemic's impact on young learners in Singapore and globally. 
• Surveys and interviews will be conducted on a range of Singapore's student population in order to allow young learners to voice their needs and share concerns.
• Upon rolling out a pilot program with an initial prototype for users, app developers will continually adapt the design of BEAM based on feedback from students, in line with their suggestions for areas of improvement.
• Focused group discussions will also be conducted to gather feedback and responses to ensure that the development of BEAM continues on a trajectory that is aligned with young users' needs, while achieving the intended outcomes of supporting and empowering young learner through fun, inter(active) and collaborative mindfulness activities.

BEAM provides innovative technological solutions to educate and empower young learners whilst advocating the urgent need to include mental health in education curriculum globally. Mental health has long been placed on the backburner in healthcare systems, with the UN declaring mental health as one of the most neglected areas of health. A failure to take people's mental wellbeing seriously has cataclysmic long-term social and economic impact. WHO reports that the global economy loses more than US$1 trillion yearly due to depression and anxiety. The current mental health crisis necessitates urgent redress for the children are the future of humanity. 

BEAM is in an early stage of ideation with multiple iterations which have been explored through rough sketches, paper models and simple storyboards. These low-fidelity prototypes have been used to identify major problems with the conceptualized solution. The continued iteration of BEAM's design is meant to ensure that the continuum of needs of young learners are fully met. Developed alongside continued rigorous research processes, we are in the process of creating a medium-fidelity prototype in the next month.

There is increasing need to adopt transdisciplinarity in our exploration of solutions to cope with the ever-evolving COVID-19 situation. This requires a paradigm shift from conventional methods, necessitating transnational collective and collaborative efforts globally. 

BEAM predominantly employs augmented reality (AR) technology, integrating the potentialities offered by AR technology, gamification theory in education and somatic therapy. Through  innovative use of AR, BEAM seeks to lead the way in alleviating some of the compounding pressures faced by governments and educational structures that are now struggling with providing support for the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of children through digital means.

• A dismal 1% of international aid is earmarked for mental health. BEAM serves to garner international attention on the importance of including mental health in education curriculum. There is an urgent need to empower learners to build self-reliance and resilience in challenging situations instead of relying on externally-derived solutions. 
• Being at the frontier of innovative technological solutions that serve as preventive measures to prevent for the exacerbation of mental health and psychosocial distress caused by the pandemic, BEAM will fuel global impetus to find innovative technological solutions which address mental healthcare needs of other particularly at risk and vulnerable groups.
• BEAM seeks to highlight the untapped possibilities of technology in providing equal educational opportunities for all young learners - regardless of nationality, socio-economic circumstances and ability - allowing them to gain access to relevant, high-quality and effective self-care tools without having to worry about financial ability to seek help for mental distress.

Current number of people BEAM serves: 

• As BEAM is in its early stages of development, much focus is now placed on conducting rigorous consumer base research through surveys, interviews and focused-group discussions.

The number serving in a year:

• With 4.92 million internet users and a population of about 5.83 million people, Singapore has one of the highest internet penetration rates in the world at 84%. 
• A recent news report highlighted that two-thirds of children aged seven to nine in Singapore use smartphones every day, and are active on social media. More than 40 per cent of them have their own Facebook accounts, while a quarter are on Instagram. 
• The Ministry of Education (MOE) had announced earlier this year that as part of the National Digital Literacy Programme, every secondary student would have their own Personal Learning Device (PLD) by end 2021.
• Considering how e-learning has now become the new norm in education, BEAM hopes to target a huge majority of the 500,000 student population ranging from primary to secondary schools in Singapore.

The number serving in five years:

• The global smartphone penetration rate is estimated to have reached 78.05 percent, based on a global population of 7.8 billion. BEAM is a mobile phone application so it will be easily accessible and downloaded from mobile app stores. According to WHO, an estimated 10-20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions. If only 1% of the 1.2 billion adolescents with smartphones use BEAM, that will be 1.2 million helped.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression affects 264 million people in the world. Echoing this sentiment, the UN declared that mental health is one of the most neglected areas of health. Recognizing the urgent need to address this threat, countries such as the United Kingdom and Japan have even appointed Ministers of Loneliness. BEAM focuses specifically on our children who are our leaders of tomorrow to prevent them from being Ministers of Loneliness in their current capacity. By making every child a BEAMer, a concrete change can be made for humanity's future trajectory.

All are welcome to join, for Alchemystical Being (AMB) strongly believes in creating an organizational culture that celebrates diversity, equality and inclusion, providing individuals of all backgrounds with equal opportunities. 

AMB believes that every individual has unique strengths and talents, and our focus is on creating an organization culture that balances our social and economic objectives by:

• Facilitating clear identification and communication of our mission, conveying the importance of a healthy balance between commitment to both social mission and effective operations.
• Focusing on the selection, development, and management of employees who are capable of recognizing and pursuing social and economic value.

Hiring a differentiated combination of people from disparate backgrounds is a strategy we will adopt to better balance our social and economic objectives, with key induction and training programs in place to promote greater understanding, non-judgment and empathy amongst individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

As a Founder of Alchemystical Being, I will be pursuing my Masters in East West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). This course of study will allow me to understand the perspectives of individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures, allowing for deeper understanding, empathy and effective collaboration between individuals leading seemingly disparate lives. I will create a truly inclusive culture that recognizes that strengths lie in every individual. Alchemystical Being will serve as an advocacy of diversity, equality and inclusion.

An educator at heart, I also hope to encourage transdisciplinary modes of thinking as a way to approach innovative technologies of the future.

As an educator, I experienced firsthand the disruptive effects of COVID-19. The rapidly evolving pandemic situation upended our lives, having to cope with juggling new modes of instruction, alternative technologies and pedagogies while meeting the mental and psychosocial needs of our students. Today, my ex-colleagues are still toiling hard to ensure minimal learning disruption for students, at the expense of their own health. Students are similarly at a loss, unable to comprehend the full implications of the pandemic. 

Compelled to seek effective solutions to evoke greater changes, I left my role two months ago and founded Alchemystical Being. I firmly believe that technological solutions have the potential to combat the psychological distress caused by COVID-19, preparing educators and students alike for similar crises in the future.

This serves as an opportunity for me to learn from entrepreneurs who similarly desire to effect positive changes in society. I believe that I currently lack the business experience, technical knowhow and financial capabilities to realize my vision. This is why getting selected will help allow me to fulfil my goals while advocating an urgent need to shift global efforts towards preventive measures, starting with mental health education of young learners. 

This challenge provides me with valuable access to a vast network of expertise, knowledge and skills. I look forward to the opportunities of learning from world-renowned academics, business mentors and partnering with institutions which can help me develop technological solutions that will drastically impact the lives of young learners and educators globally.

• Funding purposes: The grants and prizes will serve as an important sources of start-up capital.
• Mentorship purposes: To gain mentorship in the development of a business model that will allow Alchemystical Being to grow into a strong, self-sustainable organization in years to come. I would also like to learn skills to help me navigate through the socio-cultural challenges I may experience due to my work. 
• Exposure for awareness campaigns: To leverage on the reputation and reach of MIT to gain exposure in the media and at conferences, with this challenge serving as a vital platform to raise awareness about the importance of including mental healthcare (as part of holistic health) in current education curriculum.
• Support network: To gain opportunities to seek guidance and inspiration by bouncing off ideas with other Solver teams who share similar passion with furthering causes for the wellbeing of students and educators. This will allow greater collective efforts and collaborations to effect greater social impact cross-culturally and internationally. 
• Monitoring and evaluation metrics: To seek assistance and guidance in building a measurement practice through MIT's wide network, receiving technical and scientifically-based support for monitoring the impact of our projects.
• Legal: To seek mentorship on methods to collaborate closely with government agencies that regulate health and wellness apps, ensuring clear understanding of regulatory requirements and best practices principles. This is to ensure that development of BEAM will remain legally compliant and operating according to community values and expectations.

I would like to partner with many organizations as there is so much to be learnt. I have narrowed it down to these key entities:

• MIT to tap on their expertise in mechanical, scientific and engineering creativity and expertise. This serves as a vital learning opportunity for Alchemystical Being (AMB) to expand on current knowledge base and skills, increasing capabilities to improve on our use of innovative technologies.
• Previous SOLVER teams, in particular Mimerse and TOMO, who have initiatives that are aligned with our goals of revolutionizing the use of technology. By collaborating and sharing best practices, this allows AMB having the opportunity to coordinate efforts to effect wider social impact on other vulnerable and at risk groups.
• Nintendo and Niantic to understand how their successes have been engineered. A collaboration with them would allow a greater impact on shifting the existing focus in the market of mobile phone games to tap on their educational potential for the young. Interestingly, Pikmin App serves as a vital innovation that encourages mindful activity, hence promoting mental health and wellbeing in a mission that is closely aligned to AMB's.
• Healium, to learn from their dearth of experience, technological and scientific knowhow. A potential collaboration would drastically speed up the development of technological solutions that serve as effective mental and psychosocial support and educational tools for children worldwide, garnering greater global attention on the need to focus on mental health issues.

The mission that we have is strongly aligned with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's. We believe that the children of today provides glimpses into the future of tomorrow. Alchemystical Being (AMB) began with a goal in mind to ensure that all children gain equal opportunities to holistic care and development in schools. We intend to address the holistic healthcare gaps in current education systems, leading the frontier through innovative technological developments.

In furthering our efforts to promote holistic wellbeing as an integral part of life, we believe this needs to begin with advocac mental healthcare in education. BEAM serves as a catalytic technological innovation that will serve to propel changes in perception of the severity of mental health issues. We hope that BEAM serves to role model the imaginative possibilities of technology which could spark the developments of vital digital mental health and psychosocial support systems in the future. 

AMB will use the prize money to fulfil their long term impact goals of:

1. Scale up media campaigns to spread awareness and promote dialogue on the importance of holistic wellbeing as a tenet of education globally.
2. Finetuning the development of BEAM while considering the integration of new and innovative technologies which will drastically increase learner engagement and motivation through mindful activity. BEAM could potentially rolled out in phases beyond local boundaries.
3. Create collaborative platforms that includes regional and global entities to share holistic health resources, best practices whilst advocating the importance of holistic care and development of children worldwide.