Introduction

The $GETS Token ecosystem is designed to address pressing global challenges, including the student debt crisis and the lack of accessible credentialing for workers and learners worldwide. By leveraging blockchain and DeFi markets, $GETS creates innovative solutions for financial equity and transparent credentialing.

Problem Statement

• Student Debt Crisis:
  • United States: 40 million people collectively hold $1.7 trillion in student loan debt (US Department of Education, 2024).
  • This financial burden limits economic mobility and opportunities for millions of individuals.
• Global Credentialing Gap:
  • Over 2 billion workers globally lack verified credentials, restricting access to skilled jobs (World Economic Forum, 2024).
  • 90% of learning worldwide remains undocumented, leaving billions excluded from formal education systems and job markets.
• Teachers Without Certification:
  • 40 million teachers globally work without formal teaching certificates, impacting education quality.
  • An additional 40 million new teachers are needed to meet global educational demands by 2030 (UNESCO, 2024).

Vision and Mission

The $GETS Token ecosystem aims to create a decentralized, equitable financial and credentialing system that empowers:

• Students burdened by debt to reclaim financial freedom.
• Workers and learners worldwide to access verifiable, portable credentials recognized across borders.

Key Features

1. Collective Tokenized Bargaining

Token holders can stake $GETS Tokens into the Student Freedom Fund. These tokens are invested into crypto DeFi markets by financial experts, and the generated yield is converted into USD to:

• Negotiate, buy, and erase student debt.
• Provide a transparent, reusable funding mechanism.

Empowerment of Donors:

• Donors retain ownership and transparency, avoiding blind donations.
• Tokens can be reused for other debt relief programs or withdrawn after a year.

Empowerment of Beneficiaries:

• Beneficiaries of debt relief must complete a free crypto-finance course, learning to manage and stake digital assets.
• This ensures beneficiaries “pay it forward” by supporting future participants.

2. Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Credentialing System

The $GETS Token ecosystem introduces a decentralized credentialing system to address the global credentialing gap:

• Proof of Skills and Achievements: Enables individuals to create and verify credentials on the blockchain, ensuring they are tamper-proof and accessible worldwide.
• Fair Opportunities: Employers, educational institutions, and other stakeholders can verify credentials transparently.
• Global Mobility: Decentralized credentials empower individuals to seek opportunities across borders and sectors.

UNESCO RVA Alignment and Tokenized Digital Badges

The $GETS Token ecosystem aligns with UNESCO’s Guidelines for Recognition, Validation, and Accreditation (RVA) of Non-formal and Informal Learning. The tokenized credential system fulfills these framework guidelines by:

1. Bridging Formal and Informal Learning: Recognizes skills acquired through work, online courses, or community engagement, creating pathways for non-traditional skills to contribute to formal qualifications.
2. Promoting Lifelong Learning: Rewards individuals with tokenized badges for ongoing skill development and establishes gamified systems to incentivize continuous improvement.
3. Fostering Inclusivity: Validates diverse learning experiences, empowering marginalized groups lacking traditional credentials.
4. Standardizing Recognition: Uses blockchain to develop consistent, tamper-proof mechanisms for global evaluation of non-traditional learning.
5. Leveraging Technology: Encourages decentralized, transparent credentialing through immutable records and peer-to-peer endorsements.

Roadmap

1. Phase 1: Launch the Student Freedom Fund and implement the crypto-finance education program.
2. Phase 2: Develop and deploy the decentralized credentialing system.
3. Phase 3: Expand partnerships with employers, educational institutions, and DeFi platforms.

First Token Allocation

• 10 million $GETS Tokens will be in circulation initially, with another 10 million in the staking pool.
• 70% of tokens will connect to badges, incentivizing widespread adoption.
• 1 billion tokens will be minted, with their value dynamically determined by market factors.

Token Distribution Table

Social Impact

1. For Students:

   • Debt relief for 40 million people burdened by $1.7 trillion in student loans.
   • Increased financial literacy through mandatory crypto-finance education.

2. For Workers and Learners:

   • Recognition for over 2 billion unverified workers worldwide.
   • Accessible credentialing for 90% of undocumented learning.

3. For Teachers:

   • Credentialing for 40 million uncertified teachers, improving education quality and recognition.

4. For Donors:

   • Transparent, impactful contributions using reusable digital assets.

Appendix 1. Excerpt from US Patent-Pending 17/842,299 – Tokenized Credentials

“The present invention relates to a validated indicator of specific scholarships,
accomplishments, knowledge, skills, and competencies that can be earned in formal and
informal learning environments, either in the past or future.

“The object of embodiments of the present invention is to ensure immutability and
transferability of an accomplishment while operationalizing education funding directly to
individuals or groups through digital assets. The method and system in the present invention:
(i) creates the possibility for digital and digitized assets to be linked to accomplishments
through a credential (ii) allows users to design, issue, and apply for verifiable credentials,
and (iii) tokenizes accomplishments for micro-scholarships and education financing.” para
[0003]
“… The inventive step is not the outward-facing design illustrated by the several
NDBs, but rather that these digital credentials upon creation and issuance are linked to
fungible tokens via a peer-to-peer network, thus verifying the credential with non-fungibility,
absent of third-party permission, technically adding to the credential tradeable value.” para
[0052]
“In FIG. 1A ‘Get Smart’ is the exemplary name of the software application (program
product) that enables the method and process to create and issue tokenized credentials…” para [0040]

Appendix 2