HELP BUILD STRONGER COMMUNITIES Competition
New Anacoin Announcement: Tech Against Hate Competition
Tokens allocated for competition: 50,000 tokens
The Ananas Foundation is an independent charitable foundation that believes that ideology can bring people together to achieve wondrous things, but when perverted can lead to huge amounts of suffering and pain. Our objective is to explore and deconstruct key ideologies using modern technology, from political to religious to social and create easy to use tools to help avert processes of radicalization and hatred.
To give one example of how things go wrong when ideology is perverted: ISIS is just the latest mutation of al Qaeda, against whom the West has been fighting a “War on Terror” for 16 years since September 11th, 2001. Both are grotesque mutations of Islam.
This war has claimed the lives of 2 million civilians and cost $1.6 trillion, yet the number of jihadists has risen from under 1,000 to over 100,000 in this period.
We are losing this war and need a new approach to combatting extremism of all types.
After three years of research, funded by private individuals so as to be independent and unbiased, we believe the best approach to tackling extremism and promoting understanding has the following elements:
An easy to access app providing an interface to texts at the core of each ideology (e.g. the Quran for Islam)
Easy to navigate tools and primers providing contextual information and resources to promote understanding to combat the illusion of superiority that is at the heart of all forms of extremism.
A community engaging with the texts, asking questions and sharing knowledge in a non-judgmental setting
Although these are our best ideas, the Ananas Foundation is open to suggestions. We are pleased to announce a competition for the best ideas and suggestions to help fight extremism and hatred.
We want to make sure these problems are addressed and we believe that a community collaboration is important, as it takes a community to drive a social change for good.
1. Competition details
We are inviting anyone interested to develop and conduct an original, creative, and achievable activity that can mobilize support and popularize the Living Texts initiative. Our first text, the Living Quran is aimed to help reduce extremism and Islamophobia. This is an opportunity to have your voice heard, and to be a part of a global impact initiative that could prevent people from taking lives.
Help the world to encourage the understanding of the different ideologies around them for a pluralistic society. One with care that doesn’t involve the harsh atrocities that happen so often now.
Candidates are asked to submit entry proposals that clearly explain the process of their activities. The best proposal will be awarded 25,000 tokens.
The overall objectives are:
1. To figure out the best way to prevent extremism and issues with/differing ideologies.
2. To engage with the general public effectively to inform, educate, and help them better understand ideologies and the root of where they come from.
3. To provide opportunities for everyone to have a voice and an outlet of information.
2. Background
Ideologies and belief systems have allowed humans to go beyond other species by joining them together in groups beyond the local tribe to achieve large goals by having a common language and set of principles with which to work together. Everyone has layers of belief systems, things that they hold to be true and that allow them to be a part of a larger community. For example, one might be a buddhist, capitalist, ethereum-loving Manchester United-supporting Republican who uses Emacs.
Each of these is a layer of identity and beliefs that allows that individual to be a part of a larger community, speaking a common language of ideals. Where ideology and belief systems become dangerous and turn to extremism is when there is an illusion of superiority of one group over another in terms of basic humanity. This can happen to the most seemingly sensible of individuals and groups.
For example, few would deny that Germans are, as a nation, generally quite a sober and reasonable group. However, it cannot be denied that the Nazi party grew amongst the Germans and took power, murdering millions out of a false belief of racial and societal superiority. Those that do deny this generally do so out of a deep-seated rejection of authority and often built up hatred, leading them to extreme stances.
Almost all of those who participate in these heinous acts are not actual psychopaths, the incidence of which is thankfully low amongst humans, but rather do it for the “greater good,” something that Lord Rabbi Sacks termed “altruistic evil” in a recent book. Some do this “on orders,” others out of a sense of pride. Almost always it comes about due to an illusion of superiority caused by imperfect knowledge.
3. Guidelines
Your proposal can be submitted as an individual or as a group, company, or institution. Suggestions can be creative as long as they aren’t offensive, harmful, extreme, or radical in anyway. Suggestions cannot ostracize any group, nor can they advocate any specific group over anyone else.
The Foundation upholds core values of trust, empathy, and knowledge. We trust that entries will be coming from a good place in people's hearts. We believe that everyone has the ability to empathise and come together for a stronger world. We also believe knowledge is everyone’s greatest asset and we hope you all can share what you know with our team.
The proposal plan should clearly elaborate the process to achieve the three objectives listed above and explain why their concept is a sufficient solution to the problem we all face.
We ask all entries to have a clear methodology on how to engage with the general public.
The proposal must:
1. Focus on and explain the current status of extremism and hate.
2. State clearly what suggestion the submission entry is for and how it will work in practice.
3. Outline and analyze any strengths and weaknesses of the suggestion or idea.
4. Address Ananas’ current concept and where the suggestion could be placed.
5. Explain why you believe your suggestion or idea is the way forward.
6. Provide supportive evidence for your reasoning and any research you have compiled for your suggestion/idea.
7. Outline what investment would be needed to bring your idea to life
4. Timeline
28th July: Launching Competition
29th July - October 10th : Open for submissions
10th October: Applications close
16th of October - 20th of October: Selection process
3 November: Announcing the two winners
3 November: The winners receive their tokens as well as recognition on our website, social media channels, blog, and press (possibly).
5. Eligibility and Requirements
The competition is open for anyone older than 18 years old.
· Proposal can be submitted under an individual or group name.
· Groups cannot be radical, extremist, or political.
· Proposal must be the original work of the applicant(s).
· Proposal must be in English in Word format, A4 paper size, Times New Roman, Font size 12, Line spacing 1.5.
6. Prize
The winner will be awarded with 25,000 tokens and will be called to schedule meetings for collaboration and the chance to speak to our team directly to implement their entry.
7. Selection Criteria
Content
· Demonstrate an understanding of extremism, hate, ideologies and how they work.
· Ability to clearly explain how proposed suggestion will help to reduce extremism and hate, while encouraging the public to learn and take action for the cause.
· Creativity on how to engage, mobilise and implement suggestion or idea.
· Originality and practicality
Supporting evidences
· Research and (data if you can provide it)
· Convincing arguments supported with relevant examples/case studies
8. Proposal Submission
The deadline for submission is the 10th of October 2017. The final announcement will be on 8th of October 2017. Only the winner will be contacted individually by email and phone.
Interested applicant(s) can either submit their work online (preferred) to email address:
information@ananas.org.uk , under “Subject” put in “Help Build Stronger Communities Proposal 2017”.
For more information, please contact
zeena@ananet.co.uk 
