dRep Educational Summit – fostering community participation

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

To host an educational summit on the concept of dRep, highlighting its significance in project catalyst to increase community participation.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

This is an online event. Therefore the report on the event will be completely open sourced

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

N/A

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The role of dRep in project catalyst is rapidly evolving to become an integral part of the governance phase. Its primary objective is to enhance the current voting process. DREPs, or delegator representatives, are community members who have been elected by other community members to represent them in the Project Catalyst governance process, and have the responsibility of advocating for the interests of delegators. dReps are responsible for reviewing and voting on proposals that are submitted to Project Catalyst, and they also play a role in promoting community participation in the governance process. Though novel, Catalyst community still struggles to grasp the concept of the drep role, largely due to the lack of comprehensive education on its significance to the governance phase of Project Catalyst.

Another reason for the lack of awareness of the drep role is the absence of comprehensive education on the topic. There are a few resources available that explains the drep role, but they are scattered and not always easy to find. As a result, many community members are simply unaware of the drep role, or they have a limited understanding of it.

More importantly, with each voting cycle, the number of proposals capturing voters' attention continues to grow. This necessitates an outlook for the dRep role that ensures that every proposal receives equal consideration from voters. Moreover, the influx of proposals can inadvertently lead to overlooked projects with immense potential and opportunities. Introducing liquid democracy into the Cardano space through the catalyst community will not only promote technology integration but also enhance the governance framework of project catalyst.

The responsibility of dreps will not only ensures quality and efficient review and voting of proposals in the governance phase of Project Catalyst, but also to play a vital role in ensuring that the process is fair and transparent. If community members do not understand the drep role, they may not be able to effectively participate in the governance process.

Unfortunately, existing platforms that should offer comprehensive education on the dRep role to the catalyst community are currently insufficient. Therefore, we firmly believe that, like all other roles within the ecosystem, the dRep role also necessitates a dedicated platform for comprehensive education especially in emerging catalyst communities in Africa, where the catalyst community base is gradually increasing. Our proposal aims to address this need by establishing an educational platform to create awareness specifically for the African catalyst community.

To address the lack of awareness of the drep role, our initiative aims to embark on education and training summit, with the aim of creating awareness and more comprehensive education on the topic. This would be a dedicated initiative to serve as an educational resource platform for educating and empowering catalyst community members in Africa to boost the participation of the community in governance phase of project catalyst. This would be helpful to provide more training opportunities for community members so that they can learn about the drep role and how to participate in the governance process.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

• Introduction to the Cardano ecosystem: An overview of the Cardano protocol and its governance mechanisms.

• Understanding DREPs: A deep dive into the role and responsibilities of DREPs in the Cardano ecosystem, their interaction with stake pools, and the impact of their decisions on delegators.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

BENEFITS/IMPACT OF THE PROJECT TO CARDANO

The proposal for the DREP Educational Summit aims to benefit the Cardano community in several ways:

Enhancing the Voting Process: The primary objective of the DREP role is to enhance the current voting process in the Project Catalyst governance phase. By educating community members about the significance of DREPs, the proposal aims to improve understanding and increase active participation in the governance process. This will result in more informed and thoughtful decision-making during the voting on proposals.

Promoting Community Engagement: The DREP Educational Summit seeks to address the lack of awareness and understanding of the DREP role. By providing comprehensive education and training, community members will be empowered to actively participate in the governance phase of Project Catalyst. This increased engagement will foster a more inclusive and representative decision-making process.

Ensuring Fairness and Transparency: DREPs play a vital role in ensuring that the governance process is fair and transparent. By educating community members about the DREP role, the proposal aims to create a better understanding of their responsibilities in reviewing and voting on proposals. This will contribute to maintaining the integrity of the governance framework and ensuring equal consideration for all proposals.

Training Opportunities: The DREP Educational Summit offers training opportunities for community members to learn about the DREP role and how to effectively participate in the governance process. Through online learning modules, webinars, and in-person workshops, participants will gain a deep understanding of the Cardano ecosystem, the responsibilities of DREPs, and their impact on delegators. This will equip community members with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to the governance phase of Project Catalyst.

Overcoming Information Scarcity: The proposal acknowledges the current lack of comprehensive resources and educational materials on the DREP role. By establishing a dedicated educational platform, specifically targeted at the African Catalyst community, the proposal aims to address this information scarcity. This will provide community members with easily accessible and centralized resources to learn about the DREP role and the governance process.

The success of the DREP Educational Summit project can be measured using various indicators and metrics. Here are some key measures to consider:

Attendance and Participation

The number of community members attending the educational program, such as online learning modules, webinars, and workshops, can be an indicator of the project's success. Higher attendance rates would suggest increased interest and engagement from the community.

Feedback and Satisfaction

Gathering feedback from participants about the educational program is crucial. Conducting surveys or feedback forms to assess participant satisfaction, perceived value, and the relevance of the materials can provide insights into the effectiveness of the initiative. Positive feedback and high satisfaction scores would indicate a successful project.

Knowledge and Understanding

Assessing the knowledge and understanding of community members regarding the DREP role and the governance process before and after the educational program can help measure its impact. Pre- and post-program assessments or quizzes can be used to gauge the increase in knowledge and comprehension levels.

Increased DREP Engagement

Monitoring the number of community members actively participating as DREPs in the governance phase of Project Catalyst after attending the educational program can be an important measure of success. If there is a noticeable increase in the number of DREPs and their level of involvement, it indicates that the program has effectively encouraged community members to take on the role and contribute to the governance process.

METRICS

Given these specific metrics it's important to establish specific targets or benchmarks for each KPI and track progress over time. By evaluating and analyzing the data collected will provide insights into the project's impact and help identify the success of the program and areas for improvement. Additionally, qualitative feedback and testimonials from participants can provide valuable anecdotal evidence of the project's success in achieving its objectives. The end goal here is that, after a successful implementation of this project, we seek to achieve the following milestone targets after the event;

• To have a minimum of 100(30/event) participants registrations for the event.

• Collect feedback from at least 30 participants to evaluate the impact of the event on their knowledge, skills, and motivation.

• Establish an online community or forum for at least 30 participants to form a dRep hub.

Output of the results from the project.

Upon meeting our targets as indicated in the project, we expect a wider collaboration with other community members across the ecosystem on partnership that will foster the education and awareness creation among the African communities.

In spreading the project into a timeframes that is more efficient, we intend to segment the project into two phase, taking a four month duration.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

ROADMAP

The summit will be segmented into two phases,

The following activities will be undertaken upon the approval of funding will be done 

Planning phase – 1 week

Team Setup 

Drafting of detailed plan and activities.

Assigning roles and responsibilities

Speaker Selection Phase – 2 week

identify and invite relevant experts in the catalyst ecosystem, with the needed expertise 

Consider experts who can provide practical knowledge and skills, focusing on specific areas of interest to students and entrepreneurs.

Confirm speaker availability and coordinate their participation.

Event Promotion Phase — 3 weeks

• Deploy social media platforms, and targeted advertising to reach the target audience 
• Creation of awareness in catalyst affiliate social media platform
• Event Execution

Event Execution– 6 weeks post funding

Post event Review Phase

After a successful event execution, our team will undertake an online survey to gather feedback from event participants regarding areas of interest and improvement for future events and their plans for applying the knowledge acquired.

CAPACITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Our team have been active in the catalyst ecosystem since fund 7. As a project lead, our team member has been engaged as challenge team members in the development and infrastructure. since fund 7, we’ve been active community Advisors, voters and proponent with three community funded and executed project. From these credentials, it’s worth noting that our contribution to the ecosystem has been immerse especially in spearheading the community goal of catalyst. 

Apart from our active involvement in the catalyst space, our team brings not only extensive experience but also a profound level of engagement in the Cardano Catalyst space, specifically in terms of project implementation. We have led several initiatives that received funding from the Catalyst community. Through our active involvement in the Catalyst community, we have successfully executed three major projects, all of which are open source and available for community verification. By making these projects transparent, the community can verify our capacity to deliver on the current project. For reference, below are links to our projects:

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/103552

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64358

https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/64441

Again, our milestones provide specific quantity-based targets to measure the impact of the event on students and ensure that a significant number of students are reached, educated, and empowered through the Web 3.0 summit. In ensuring our team’s accountability and transparency to the cardano ecosystem, all the needed documentation from start to finish of the event will be presented to the community including video recordings where necessary. These documentations will be presented, in addition to our monthly report to the catalyst community. The documents will be posted on all catalyst affiliate social media platforms.

finally, In accordance with the project completion procedures for Project Catalyst, we always submit a report for community verification, allowing the community to validate the outcomes of our projects. We are dedicated to scaling up the advancement of the Catalyst goal, and our commitment to credibility has consistently been paramount throughout our past project completions. Our ultimate aim is to create a meaningful impact within the Catalyst space.

GOAL

The primary objectives of this educational program are:

• To provide a clear understanding of the role and responsibilities of DREPs in the Cardano ecosystem.

• To ensure that DREPs have a basic understanding of the underlying technology, the Cardano protocol, and its governance mechanisms.

• To help DREPs develop critical thinking skills to make informed decisions that align with the best interests of their delegators.

How to validate the feasibility of our approach

We intend to validate our approach by following a few steps. By these steps, the project can validate the feasibility of its approach, ensure that the educational program meets the needs of DREPs, and make necessary adjustments to enhance its effectiveness. Regular monitoring and evaluation will provide valuable insights into the project's feasibility and allow for ongoing improvement and adaptation to meet the goals of empowering DREPs and supporting the growth of the Cardano ecosystem. To validate the feasibility of the project's approach, the following steps can be taken:

• Conduct a Needs Assessment: Gather feedback and input from the Cardano community, particularly DREPs, to identify the gaps in their understanding and educational needs. This can be done through surveys, interviews, and engagement with relevant stakeholders.

• Expert Consultation: Consult with experts in the Cardano ecosystem, including developers, community leaders, and experienced DREPs, to ensure that the proposed educational program covers the essential topics and addresses the key challenges faced by DREPs.

• Pilot Testing: Before launching the full-scale educational program, conduct a pilot phase with a smaller group of DREPs to test the effectiveness of the educational materials, delivery methods, and overall approach. Gather feedback and make necessary adjustments based on the pilot results.

• Continuous Evaluation and Feedback: Implement a robust feedback mechanism throughout the educational program. Collect feedback from participants, track their progress, and evaluate the impact of the program on their knowledge, skills, and decision-making abilities. Regularly assess the effectiveness of the approach and make improvements as needed.

• Monitoring and Reporting: Establish mechanisms to monitor the project's progress and measure its outcomes against the defined goals and milestones. Keep detailed records of participant engagement, feedback, and achievements. Generate regular reports to share with the Cardano community, demonstrating the project's feasibility, progress, and impact.

[Project Milestones] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

• Participant Registration for the Event

Milestone Output:

• Successful registration of community members for the educational summit.

Milestone Acceptance criteria

• Deliverable: Links to the registered participants for the event.

• Feedback Collection from Participants

Milestone Output

• Comprehensive feedback on the impact of the event on participants' knowledge, skills, and motivation.

Milestone Acceptance crirteria

• To have Feedback collected from participants

• close out report
• close out video

Milestone Output

• To have a close out report
• To have a close out video

Milestone acceptance criteria

• Evidence of close out report
• Evidence of close out video

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Team members and Roles for the project

Below are our team members with their accompanying roles:

Innocent Norvinu - Facilitator

Background of team members

Innocent Norvinu 

A marketing expect with over 4 years of experience as a marketing and communication director at Young Africans for Opportunities (YAFO), a nonprofit organization. is a cryptocurrency enthusiast with a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Professional Studies in Ghana. He is the Cofounder of gateway to blockchain. A former marketing specialist at Tech markets solutions. His over 7 years of experience within the finance industry as a risk and compliance officer has been key in ensuring that Unique Step Microfinance survive financial sanctions emanating from lack of regulatory compliance and also helping banks and micro-finance institutions survive various financial clean-up exercise in Ghana. He is a fund 7, 8 and 9 community Advisor, a voter and a proponent with two community funded and executed project. He also a fund 10 challenge team member.

Email: jessejunior6448@gmail.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/innocent-norvinu-a096931a9

David Mensah

David Mensah is a highly motivated professional with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Studies and Economics Education from the university of Education, Winneba. He has worked as a social studies teacher, research assistant, enumerator, and cocoa purchasing clerk at PBC Ltd. This diverse experience, along with the extensive knowledge of blockchain technology have shaped the foundation of my professional framework and allowed me to approach blockchain advocacy from a holistic perspective. Additionally, I am a member of WADA, an NGO spearheading innovative digital technology and blockchain advocacy in Africa. He is currently the Co-founder of Gateway to Blockchain, an online incentivized learning platform for blockchain technology. My passion lies in advocating for blockchain technology and its potential impact on various industries. My strong background in education and social services has provided me with the necessary skills to effectively communicate and educate others about the benefits of blockchain.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Budget Allocation

• Administrative costs (Internet data subscription, electricity subscription, YouTube subscription, Zoom subscription, G-Suite subscription, social media platform & subscription): 1857

• Equipment and course materials 2000
• Internet data subscription: 1786
• project management tools

Overall Incentives for the summit

• Participants cost : 4000 (2000 per event-2)
• speakers for 2 events: 4000(2000 per each event)
• Miscellaneous costs: 2307

Total: 15940 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

COST OF THE PROJECT

Ensuring cost-effectiveness and maximizing value for the Cardano ecosystem is at the forefront of our project proposal. With meticulous consideration of prevailing market prices, our budget breakdown reflects an accurate representation of the resources required. We understand the inherent volatility of ADA prices and have factored in this fluctuation when devising our budget, guaranteeing its adaptability to changes in the price levels of ADA. By incorporating strategies that are mindful of cryptocurrency market dynamics, we have pegged our allocated budget amount to a price between 0.15 and 0.2. Therefore, we believe the budget remains resilient and capable of supporting the successful implementation of our project, regardless of any variations in the price levels of the Cardano coin. 

INHERENT VALUE ADDITION TO THE CARDANO ECOSYSTEM

Overall, the cost of the project represents value for money by promoting education, awareness, and active participation in the Cardano ecosystem. It aims to create a knowledgeable and engaged community that can contribute to the ecosystem's growth and long-term success. The cost of the project represents value for money for the Cardano ecosystem in the following ways:

Enhancing the Voting Process: The primary objective of the DREP role is to enhance the current voting process in the Project Catalyst governance phase. By educating community members about the significance of DREPs, the proposal aims to improve understanding and increase active participation in the governance process. This will result in more informed and thoughtful decision-making during the voting on proposals.

Promoting Community Engagement: The DREP Educational Summit seeks to address the lack of awareness and understanding of the DREP role. By providing comprehensive education and training, community members will be empowered to actively participate in the governance phase of Project Catalyst. This increased engagement will foster a more inclusive and representative decision-making process.

Ensuring Fairness and Transparency: DREPs play a vital role in ensuring that the governance process is fair and transparent. By educating community members about the DREP role, the proposal aims to create a better understanding of their responsibilities in reviewing and voting on proposals. This will contribute to maintaining the integrity of the governance framework and ensuring equal consideration for all proposals.

Training Opportunities: The DREP Educational Summit offers training opportunities for community members to learn about the DREP role and how to effectively participate in the governance process. Through online learning modules, webinars, and in-person workshops, participants will gain a deep understanding of the Cardano ecosystem, the responsibilities of DREPs, and their impact on delegators. This will equip community members with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to the governance phase of Project Catalyst.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund Rules and also that data in the submission form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.