The world's first NFT collection featuring digitalized artworks created by DSA children to fund speech therapy and pedagogical workshops
"R U WITH US?"
The name of the NFT collection is "Are you with us?" in English. It's an idea that takes shape with the aim of making children (with a diagnosis of DSA or BES) the protagonists. These children are engaged in a weekly learning and language enhancement program with the Speech Therapist Claudia Palmieri.
The "R U WITH US?" initiative is the first of its kind in Italy (and based on our research, also worldwide) that connects the world of NFTs with Speech Therapy and Learning Disabilities (DSA).
Each child has created one or more drawings, which have been digitized and turned into NFTs (non-fungible tokens). The sale of these NFTs will allow parents to cover part of the necessary expenses to undergo an effective program in order to achieve all the established goals.
The proceeds from each sale will be used exclusively to finance speech therapy and educational activities for the children who created the NFTs, as well as cover legal and marketing expenses. Therefore, there will be no profit percentage for the project creator from the sale of NFTs, except for the income from speech therapy sessions or workshops that parents would have had to pay for. Now they can receive a 50% discount or have them offered for free (see the section on BUDGET ALLOCATION).
HOW DOES THE IDEA ORIGINATE
The allowance for attendance according to Law 170/2010 (when recognized) in Italy barely covers 8 monthly sessions (at a low cost), which on average are the ones attended by a child with learning disabilities (DSA). But is this quantity sufficient?
Often, it is necessary or beneficial for the child to also participate in other types of sessions related to their difficulties, such as neuropsychomotor therapy, tutoring, and psychological counseling.
The idea of this project, therefore, arises from the inability of many families to cope with the expenses of these additional types of sessions (including psychological and educational consultations for themselves), which are essential for improving the emotional well-being of both the child and the family environment. Additionally, workshops would be highly functional in uncovering the children's abilities and talents, promoting collaboration, autonomy, trust, flexibility, and self-esteem. These are all valuable dimensions for a child's growth and well-being.
Not to mention that, often, sports, which are fundamental for relationships, personal growth, and emotional development, are sacrificed to afford such expenses.
Thanks to this project, every child will be able to receive all the necessary attention to achieve full autonomy at school and at home, by selling their digitized drawing as an NFT. This will allow them to choose their own path as adults based on their interests and abilities, rather than their limitations.
BUDGET ALLOCATION
How is the proceeds from the sale of each NFT divided?
For each drawing created by each child, 5 NFTs have been created, five different digital versions created from the original drawing.
From the sale of these 5 NFTs, each valued at approximately 400/500 euros the value of each of which varies between €300.00 and €450.00 (0.18-0.25 ETH), the proceeds are allocated according to the following percentages:
- 85% Contribution towards half of the cost of speech therapy for 48 sessions (a 6-month cycle).
With the percentages related to the expenses of this project deducted (see percentages below), all the remaining proceeds (specifically 85%) will be used to cover half of the cost of all the speech therapy sessions for the child who created the drawing transformed into an NFT.
Considering that a child has two sessions per week, the initial revenues from the sale of NFTs (estimated for the first two NFTs sold) will be almost entirely used to cover 50% of the cost of the speech therapy borne by the parents of the child.
Once the costs of the 48-session cycle are covered, the entire 85% of the new revenues (estimated from the sale of the 3rd NFT onwards) will be used to support the cost of educational workshops that will be organized over the course of one year.
- 5% Legal and creation expenses
These expenses refer to the commissions for creating the collection on the OpenSea platform and for uploading the NFTs. Additionally, legal expenses related to the creation of contracts are also included in this percentage.
- 5% Marketing expenses
Included in the marketing expenses are the costs of website development and graphic digitization of the drawings, as well as expenses related to advertising and promoting the project.
- 5% Educational materials and games
This percentage will be used to purchase games and materials that Speech Therapist Claudia Palmieri will use during the weekly sessions with the children, as well as materials considered important for carrying out activities and games at home.
THE CREATION AND DIGITIZATION OF THE DRAWINGS
In March 2023, group meetings were organized with children with learning disabilities (DSA) for the creation of drawings "live" on A4 sheets using colored pencils. The children were aware of the project and were enthusiastic from the very beginning at the idea that their drawings would be transformed into digital artworks. Naturally, all the parents of the children were informed and authorized the implementation of the project by signing a specific contract that included the project description and all legal conditions.
In a second phase, the drawings were photographed, and the corresponding files were delivered to a graphic designer who digitally converted the drawings. Specifically, the graphic designer used a graphics tablet to redraw the original features of the drawings, faithfully highlighting their traits.
Subsequently, different versions of the first NFT were created, with variations in colors and elements, to produce high-quality artworks with distinguishing features, as commonly seen in NFT collections.
The children who created the drawings for these first 30 NFTs (which will grow in the future to reach 100 NFTs) are Cristian, Jacopo, Taty, Flavio, Thomas, and Daniele.
Below are demonstrative images of the process of creating the NFTs from the drawings.
