Please describe your proposed solution.
We will translate educational material to Portuguese covering the basics of blockchain technology and how Cardano fits into it. The education content is targeted for a workshop spanning between 4 to 8 days where the basics are covered for those who don’t know what a blockchain is and up to the point where the more tech-minded participants set up a Cardano node and learn how to interact with it and run smart contracts.
The basics of blockchains and their various use cases are covered. This prepares the participants to appreciate what Cardano brings to the table and what sets it apart from other blockchains. All participants will leave knowing what is a blockchain and what is Cardano.
Educational material is split into 2 parts. The first part runs over the first 2 to 4 days and will be for the general public covering the basics of the blockchain and how Cardano fits into it. The second part will run over the second 2 to 4 days and will be more hands-on, for those who want to learn how to interact with and build on Cardano.
The work to design and develop the workshop in English was funded in Fund 8 with delivery scheduled for the end of September 2022. We are submitting this proposal in Fund 9 to build on what was prepared in Fund 8 and propose to deliver the following:
- Translate the content of the workshop into Portuguese
- Open-source the translation so other communities can use it in Portuguese-speaking countries
- Organize a physical workshop in Luanda, Angola
- Attract local sponsorship and Deliver the Workshop
The following is a schedule of the workshop running over 4 days. The material for each of the timeslots will be translated from English to Portuguese.
<u>Day1 - Introduction to Blockchain Technology</u>
8:30 - Reception and sign-in of participants
9:00 - introduction to blockchain. What a blockchain is, what are blocks, what are transactions, who upkeeps the blockchain and how is it different from a centralized infrastructure
10:45 - Coffee Break
11:00 - Use cases for blockchains. What blockchains are currently being used for (DeFi, Lending, Identity management, Logistics) and Industries for large-scale adoption
12:30 - Lunch
14:00 - Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, and other blockchains. Similarities and differences
15:45 - Coffee Break
16:00 - DeFi, Lending and Remittances. A deep dive into how they work
17:30 - Q&A, Refreshments, and Socializing
<u>Day 2 - Cardano Ecosystem</u>
8:30 - Reception and sign-in of participants
9:00 - What is Cardano and how is it different from the other blockchains? The roadmap and the key deliverables at each of the phases
10:00 - The trilemma of Decentralization, Scalability and Security - where does Cardano fit in
10:45 - Coffee Break
11:00 - Building blocks of Cardano - node, stake pools, wallets, UTXOs, smart contracts, onchain vs offchain
12:30 - Lunch
14:00 - Projects Building on Cardano and how to get involved
15:30 - Coffee
16:00 - Summary of the two days followed by the speech from organizers
17:30 - Q&A, Refreshments and socializing
<u>Day 3 - Cardano Hands-On</u>
The third day is geared towards the more technical participants who want to understand how the Cardano ecosystem works. The intention is that after this day the users will be armed with the necessary knowledge to start exploring the Cardano ecosystem by themselves.
For this, a computer lab will be required, or the participants need to come equipped with a laptop.
Participants will need to preregister to participate on the third day and will need to demonstrate basic knowledge of how computers work and experience working with a terminal. Those who struggle working with a terminal, but still want to participate will be given a series of tutorials to work through prior to registration.
8:30 - Reception and sign-in of participants
9:00 - Discuss the plan for the day and what we aim to achieve at the end.
9:30 - Launching the virtual machine and making sure the packages are installed
10:30 - Compiling the Cardno node, launching and setting the topology information to connect it to the rest of the network (testnet). Monitor that transactions are being processed
12:00 - Create an address and fund it with tADA. Discuss what the different keys are and how they are generated
12:30 - Lunch
14:00 - Discuss web wallets and the differences between Daedalus and web wallets. Advantages and disadvantages of each. Install a web wallet and send transactions to and from the address created in the morning
15:45 - Coffee Break
16:00 - Native assets and NFTs. Mint tokens and mint an NFT with the favorite picture from each participant
17:30 - Q&A, Refreshments and socializing
<u>Day 4 - Cardano Hands-On continued</u>
8:30 - Reception and sign-in of participants
9:00 - What is a smart contract? Build and run an “always succeeds” contract, send some ADA and then redeem. Explain what UTXO, Datum, Redeemer and Context are.
10:45 - Coffee Break
11:00 - Go through the available resources for participants so they can start exploring themselves. Cardano Forum, Stackexchage, Discord, Telegram channels, Explorer, Plutus Pioneer program
12:30 - Lunch
14:00 - Assignment and time to explore and ask technical questions. The assignment is to create an address, fund it with tADA, build an always succeed script, send ADA to it and then redeem it from a web wallet
17:30 - Hading out of certificates of participation and Closing remarks
We will make the translation to Portuguese available on our website for the community to use under the Creative Commons License on our website.
We will engage local businesses to participate in the workshop through local social media and existing contacts on the ground. Both Dalmo and Ricardo are local businessmen with over 20y experience in the fields. Over the years they have accrued contacts in Telecoms, Natural resources, the Financial sector, Big 4 Consultancies, and Marketing. They will use their contacts to promote the event.
Please describe how your proposed solution will address the Challenge that you have submitted it in.
Delivering the workshop increases the awareness of what blockchains are in general and Cardano in particular. The first 2 days of the proposal give a general introduction to blockchains and Cardano and the second 2 days give a hands-on experience of how to interact and build on Cardano. This workshop gives the tools to participants to start exploring and further progress their knowledge of Cardano. This addresses the challenge success question of “… A clear roadmap that points to increased adoption”
The training will be organized locally and delivered by a professional with over 20y professional experience in the tech and finance industries. A local company will support the workshop’s delivery, it will arrange the logistics, marketing, and engage local sports to provide additional support for the event and longer-term engagement.
Engaging the sponsors early in the process we will aim to demonstrate the capability of the Cardano blockchain to solve business use cases and connect the participants in the workshop with potential employers. A physical workshop will demonstrate the presence of a Cardano community in the local economy to the large corporations.
We will increase the adoption of Cardano in Africa by discussing the use cases for blockchains and Cardano with participants and local businesses.
The workshop will onboard new developers into the Cardano ecosystem and create a base of local experts that local businesses and consultancies can rely on.
Project Catalyst will be discussed during the workshops and the opportunities that exist within for the locals to participate as proposers and/or accessors.
The second part of the workshop is a hands-on experience to launch a cardano-node, interact with it, create NFTs and interact with smart contracts. This forms the basis for the participants then to go and launch their own projects. Dmitry Shibaev who will deliver the workshop has projects funded through Catalyst and therefore will be able to give practical guidance.
Our two local partners will engage local businesses, large corporations and institutions well ahead of the event. Dalmo Silva and Ricardo Silva have deep connections in large corporations and local institutions gained over the decades by running their businesses and operating the local economy
What are the main risks that could prevent you from delivering the project successfully and please explain how you will mitigate each risk?
There is a risk that delivery overruns the proposed schedule due to unforeseen circumstances such as Covid, War, or other Force Majeure - in which case delivery will be rescheduled to a later date.
There is a risk that there is a lack of uptake of the event in Angola. Mitigating action - the event will be planned and communicated at least 2 months in advance with support from the local marketing company based in Angola with over 20y experience.
Covid and other travel restrictions may prohibit the trip to Angola. Mitigating action - the event will then be rescheduled for the next available slot in coordination with the local marketing company, sponsors, and participants.