MAD Courses

Using interactive video technology, MAD Courses connects classrooms to communities, enabling students to discover global issues through a local lens.  

MAD's mission is to help raise a new generation of global citizens – from wide-ranging backgrounds - who are aware of the sustainability challenges facing the planet, and are empowered to make a difference in their own – and others’ - lives.

We will pursue this mission through connecting classrooms – as well as offices and individual learners – to communities around the world via interactive, gamified video experiences. These experiences will enable users to learn in an exciting, meaningful way. Applying the latest interactive video technology, these ‘choose your own adventure’’ experiences will immerse users in different communities around the world, enabling them to learn about global issues (especially the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals) through the eyes of local people.   

In order to learn more about these courses, watch this short video link: https://drive.google.com/file/... 

This innovation has the potential to level the playing field and have a far-reaching impact on how global citizenship & sustainability is taught around the world. Most notably, it can: 

- Enable participants to have global learning experiences & exposure in a responsible, accessible way (without the need to take flights and cause additional CO2 damage) 
- Through sponsorship programs, high quality learning experiences can be made available to less-well resourced schools & individuals, ensuring equal access
- Empower communities around the world – formerly considered ‘beneficiaries’ – to earn as educators  
- Create a new global community of engaged, empathetic and connected citizens

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ways in which students and communities in emerging economies can connect in this socially distant world. 

These effects can be felt differently by various stakeholders - MAD's solution looks to address all of the challenges felt below:

For public schools, COVID-19 has placed a sudden reliance on online learning at a time when learning materials and resources are not yet in place. As a result, the learning gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' has further widened. In particular, MAD's programmes seek to improve access to learning opportunities for those students whose talent and dedication already sets them out as SE Asia's future social entrepreneurs and innovators - but whose access to opportunities may prevent them from realising their potential. 

For affluent schools, it has resulted in the abandonment of international travel (and therefore field trips), resulting in increasing levels of disconnection from the 'real world' outside their classroom. Meanwhile, even before COVID, teachers were often in search of more engaging local case study material. 

For Community Organisations, COVID-19 has increased levels of inequality around the world, and left many community organizations and social enterprises facing declining revenue streams and increasing levels of isolation from the global community. These organizations – especially those based in emerging economies – are urgently seeking new ways to tell their stories, connect with new partners and earn additional revenue streams.

The interactive courses created by the MAD Courses will provide such opportunities.

Courses can be adapted for a wide range of age groups (from primary to university) and learning objectives (geography, social sciences or business studies). 

Student Impact:

Until now, the primary target market (for revenue generation) has been universities and schools, especially private institutions and schools following the IB (international baccalaureate) curriculum. While the main revenue stream will always come from a more affluent base, as a social enterprise MAD is also committed to providing course access – via a combination of financing mechanisms - to less well-financed groups too.  

To this end, MAD wishes to make its courses available to the most promising young leaders across Southeast Asia – enabling outstanding individuals from different countries to connect to communities across the region, discover innovative solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals, and gain inspiration as well as a network in order to establish their own social enterprises in the future. 

Community Impact:

Meanwhile, by engaging with local communities as educators, not beneficiaries, MAD is also able to create considerable impact for communities & social entrepreneurs (over 25,000 USD over the past year). Indeed, MAD has been working with two communities in the Philippines, one indigenous (Aeta) community and another community - Silver Heights - which was established by a local NGO, Gawad Kalinga. 

In addition, MAD has engaged with a further 25 social entrepreneurs across South-East Asia to create course content, including (among others): 

Philippines:

Messy Bessy, Bambike, Upskills Foundation, Philippine Reef Foundation (Danjugan Island), Magwai, Pure Oceans. 

Malaysia:

Dignity for Children, Picha Eats, Native

Vietnam:

Eco-Vietnam Group 

If we are to effectively prepare learners for some of the most serious challenges we face during the 21st-century, then it is crucial that we have effective ways to engage students in the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals. 

For this, it is crucial that we create different modes of learning which bring people from a wide range of backgrounds together (students of all demographics, nationalities and cultures) in order that they: 

explore & reflect on issues together

understand them through different perspectives

become inspired by each other's ability to create solutions. 

Meanwhile, we need to look at local communities not simply as 'beneficiaries' who need our help, but as educators – because it is only through seeing challenges through their eyes that we will be able to find solutions which create shared value to all. 

The MAD Courses interactive video programs enable us to address the needs of all stakeholders in one course: our courses can create an engaged, responsible community of global citizens, while at the same time working alongside local communities, for whom the courses will provide an added source of revenue and exposure.  

Thomas Graham, Co-Founder of MAD

The Difference of Interactive Video content:

Thanks to interactive video, participants will not simply watch video content passively, but be able to explore a local community on the other side of the world as if they were there in person. They will be able to make their own decisions as they watch, such as “who will I meet?” or “what questions will I ask?”. Participants will also be faced with fun challenges, ranging from cooking challenges to dance-offs, which they will have to record and submit onto the platform to complete the challenge. 

Live interactions

Offered as an optional add-on, these are also available to enable students to achieve deeper reflection and learning. These live interactions can be in the form of live workshops which feature communities and social entrepreneurs, or through feedback and mentorship. 

Education right now is impersonal and un-actionable 

By contrast, MAD's programs enable students to work on projects and create direct impact in local communities

MAD connects directly to communities which provides profit sharing model but also allows quality education at scale

This is explained more in depth later in the application. 

MADs programs spawn more entrepreneurs of all kinds

Through having the chance to immerse directly in the world of a range of changemakers living across Southeast Asia, our courses plant a seed in young persons' minds that they too can become social entrepreneurs & innovators. 

Marketing local NGOs and social enterprises

MADs programs allow other social enterprises to forge new partnerships & create new revenue streams. 

Before we developed interactive video technology, we have already worked with a number of international schools in South East Asia, including: the British School of Manila, the International School of Manila, the International School of Kuala Lumpur, the Singapore American School, as well as the Singapore University of Social Sciences.  

In addition, we have also worked with a number of AACSB accredited business schools (listed in the section "Provide evidence that your approach and technology works"). 

Please note, while our programs have thus far focused on better resourced schools (due to economic necessity), we hope now to make them accessible to student leaders from public schools and universities across SE Asia. Through effective screening of scholars, we are confident the programs will be received just as well - if not even better. 

This opportunity is one of our main motivations for applying for the MIT Solve Program.    

MAD is able to create this innovative content at a low development cost thanks to its partnership with Wirewax, a global leader in interactive video technology (helping to produce “Bandersnatch”, an iconic episode from the popular Netflix series, ‘Black Mirror’).    

The use of interactive touchpoints (hotspots & overlays), as well as the adding of pause, loop &skip functions, will facilitate the gamification of the experience. Meanwhile, the creation of a feedback mechanism will enable communities (as well as mentors) to provide pre-recorded as well as live feedback to participants.   

How interactive video can promote learning:

First of all, interactive video is a unique and innovative way to engage learners. According to a study from Magna, a media strategy group of IPG Media Lab, viewers spent 47% more time on interactive video, and found this type of content 32% more memorable. In the context of exploring local communities, interactive video will enable participants to immerse in a way which is usually only possible via live experiences. 

Please see a link to the MAD Theory of Change, here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1US4nynGAv9SFUdZKVLhLenLJkMem7Y82eZVV7oYUaiE/edit?usp=sharing

This document is the guiding principle for all of the courses we develop. It was developed having studied some of the most important elements of curriculum requirements at both high school and university level – especially looking into how they teach service and sustainability in a school or university environment. As we develop new programs and look to adapt them to the public school environment, it is expected that we will need to make certain changes according to different abilities, ages etc. Nonetheless, we will look to remain consistent with the broad flow of the learning journey. 

This Theory of Change has been developed in partnership with two PhD candidates (Vicki Cabrera and Eloisa Ramos) from Claremont Graduate University, California. We have been working on this model since the beginning of the year, and it was the subject of evaluation by Vickie and Eloisa in July 2021.

Please see a summary of their findings in this report: https://docs.google.com/presen... 

In terms of the impact created with local communities, this will be subject to a needs analysis and discussions with communities on a case-by-case basis. At the very least, it will include a guaranteed revenue per course sold (approximately 5USD), with this revenue being used to generate responsible activities and programs that benefit the community. 

We measure impact in the following ways:

Number of students (paying) taking our courses

Number of students (scholars)  taking our courses

Post – program feedback from students & other participants

Revenue generated for our community/social enterprise partners (the educators)

Other indirect benefits, such as partnerships forged. 

As has been outlined elsewhere in this application, we have already demonstrated that we are able to run inspiring, engaging and rich educational programs connecting students to communities across Southeast Asia. 

However, until now, most of these programs have been run live, and this limits the scale of impact that we can create. Therefore, over the coming three years we hope that by moving towards a more self-guided – interactive video model, we will be able to make our courses available to a far larger number of students. By offering a 1-for-1 model (one scholarship offered for every one paying student), we hope to be able to reach a far greater number of students. Please see below a list of the numbers of students we hope to reach by years 1,2 and 3

year 1: 6500 (2000 scholars)

Year 2:  13000 (4500 scholars)

Year 3: 17000 (7000 scolars)

Financing

At the moment, it is difficult for us to launch our scholarship program until we get financing, either through sponsorship from corporations, grants or impact investment. This is because, although we have long-term goals to be able to support scholarships through profit sharing (we need support in the short term in order to be able to launch these programs. 

Make A Difference (MAD) Courses is the product of years working on-ground with local marginalized communities and social innovators who inspire positive change in these communities. Having worked closely with a diverse range of local partner communities to organize meaningful experiences for educational institutions around the world, our team has developed the expertise needed to bring these lessons to life online. Our big mission is to raise a new generation of global citizens who are empowered to make a difference in their own lives and in others.

The MAD management team currently consists of members from diverse backgrounds who are experienced and dedicated in this field. 

6 persons in total:

Tom Graham CEO, 10 years of teaching experience.TEDx speaker and the author of “Genius of the Poor”. 

Raf Dionisio Head of Community Partnerships. TEDx speaker. 

Suji DeHart Head of Curriculum at MAD. 12 years+ experience in international schools.  

Also: 

Andrea Legaspi, Aline Thuault, Sophie Peccaud

I believe that for the past 18 months, since the onset of Covid, has been a great training ground for us in delivering innovative solutions. Having previously founded a pioneering social enterprise in the Philippines in the field of sustainable tourism, COVID-19 left us with no choice but to radically pivot our business model into the field of digital education. 

Fortunately, our many years' experience working alongside communities left us in good stead to develop the solutions we present today – since we were able to gain on the ground experience, relationships with community partners which go back several years already, as well as strong connections to a network of international schools and universities across Southeast Asia and beyond. 

We are currently working with 18 universities and schools across Southeast Asia and beyond. The list of schools has been detailed elsewhere. These connections have all been built over the past 18 months 

We are extremely eager to be considered for this competition for the following reasons:

- the $50,000 prize money would be extremely helpful in enabling MAD to test a range of scholarship programs  

- access to the network of resource partners, mentors,  and coaches across the education sector in particular, both on the paying (client) side, and also receiving mentorship & guidance for the development of the scholarship program. 

- impact and evaluation methodology - extremely important as we look to apply for more grants, funding etc 

- we look forward to connecting to like-minded peers during the program, and potentially building shared-value partnerships with them

We would be particularly happy to explore partnerships with educational institutions in markets across Southeast Asia, as well as the United States and Europe. 

We would also be delighted to connect to financing institutions who could assist us in providing access to our courses free-of-charge for scholars (young leaders from across Southeast Asia