Welcoming all Kujirans to the first episode of our new series, Academy Insights.
There’s no doubt about it, Kujira Academy has burst onto the scene faster than Micah Richards, and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
In today’s episode, we will take you through Kujira Academy’s journey so far, stopping along the way to share some key reflections and insights. So, strap yourself in, it’s time for take-off.
Contents
After a productive, and truth be told, slightly hectic summer of outreach, Kujira Academy onboarded its first cohort of students, and we could not be happier.
These students, from around the globe expressed their interest in Kujira Academy, and whilst they had varying levels of experience one thing was clear, they all wanted to contribute meaningfully to the Kujira ecosystem.
The Journey So Far
Preconditions For Take-Off: Onboarding
Following a short application process, we invited selected students to our telegram channel, providing them with all the necessary onboarding materials required to finally begin their journey with Kujira.
Having successfully onboarded students to each of our verticals, we then decided it was time to get the ball rolling.
Introductory Call
Monday 14th November saw us kick off the Ambassador Program in style, hosting a brief introductory call to give the enrolled students a chance to introduce themselves, meet those they would be working with over the next few weeks, as well as an outline of their first task, Workshop 1.
This workshop, developed by Kujira Academy, aimed to assess students’ performance in both a group and individual environment, providing valuable insight into which students possessed the skills associated with a Kujira Student Ambassador.
So, what did this involve?
Ambassador Program Workshop 1: Individual Proposal
Workshop 1 tasked students with developing and presenting an individual proposal for the business case topic below:
“You are given 1000 KUJI to run a user acquisition campaign in your university. Suggest a proposal that meets this objective.’’
A wide range (and quality) of answers were generated, with the majority of students able to provide clear reasoning to support their proposal, as well as successfully identifying potential challenges in the implementation of their idea.
Each student was then assigned an individual score, recorded in our score matrix.
Ambassador Program Workshop 1: Group Proposal
Following these proposals, students were then assigned to groups and asked to collaborate and agree on the proposal they wanted to implement, and how they wanted to implement this.
For us, the group component of this workshop was vital, as it allowed us to assess students’ ability to work under pressure, delegate within a team, and manage expectations.
Each student was then assigned a group score, recorded in our score matrix.
This workshop produced a mixed set of results, with some students taking initiative and others finding it more difficult to contribute to the task
Group 1 was able to agree upon a direction for their proposal, outline feasible steps for implementation, and provide solutions to the potential challenges identified, presenting a well-rounded and strongly supported proposal.
Group 2, on the other hand, found it more difficult to present a proposal, with the group discussion yielding no result.
Special Mention
A quick congratulations to rvr_ocelot for his performance in Workshop 1, who not only produced the strongest individual proposal but also played a key role in developing and organizing the group presentation. Well done!
Feedback
Following the completion of this workshop, the final scores were calculated, with each student attending a 1-on-1 feedback call.
Students were also asked to fill in a form that gave us feedback on the effectiveness of the workshop, wrapping up the first week of the Ambassador Program and providing valuable insight as to where we could’ve improved,
Feedback from Group 2 suggested a lack of clarity/organization of the task as the reason for their difficulty in the group component of the workshop.
Following 1-on-1 calls with each member of Group 2, actionable goals were made to ensure that in the future, students:
- Had sufficient audio/video quality to conduct the call.
- Provided a solution to the business case topic at hand.
- Worked as a group to implement a feasible proposal.
However, this was not all.
We also gave students the opportunity to attend a careers call hosted by JP.Kuji, the co-founder of NAMI, an up-and-coming protocol launching on Kujira.
Ambassador Program: Kujira Academy x NAMI Protocol
At the start of this presentation, JP outlined his progression through life after university and moving into the web3 world.
He provided key insights into what it takes to be a protocol founder and some characteristics that he felt had supported in along his journey to becoming a valued community member within the Kujira community.
At the end of this presentation, we introduced a research task to the Kujira Academy students titled:
“What benefits do token holders receive by not selling the tokens of a project?”.
This task will educate students on how to research the tokenomics of entirely new projects to determine their value proposition, with this research used by JP and his team to deliver the most value to NAMI token holders.
Content Creation
Content Creation is an essential ingredient in our Kujira Academy formula, providing a wide range of accurate, reliable information that informs, educates, and motivates users.
If you don’t know already, WinkHub is the information hub of Kujira, and they have been kind enough to dedicate a page on their website to Kujira Academy.
If you have yet to do so, go check out our page and find all the articles Kujira Academy has written so far. Whether it’s basic DeFi concepts or Kujira-specific investment strategies, we’ve got you covered.
Special Mention
A quick note to thank Cache, Cobe, and rvr_ocelot who have been some of our top contributors so far. Amazing job guys!
The Road Ahead
Ambassador Program: Final Project
This week introduces the final project to the students, tasking them with a group proposal that applies the skills and knowledge gained from the previous workshops and presentations to real-world scenarios!
Students will be given two weeks to come together as a group and generate an initial proposal, with a group review call offered early in week 3 to help develop each group’s proposals and answer any questions they may have.
The Final Project differs from Workshop 1 in that there is no individual element to the proposal. Student’s performance within their group will be assessed relative to the feedback from Workshop 1, with a final group score assigned.
This is arguably the most important part of the program, as the business case topic provided is what ambassadors will be working on, should they be selected.
However, that’s not all, we will also be hosting another ‘Career’s Fair’, inviting an established protocol to come speak to the students.
What protocol, I hear you ask? Well, I hope you like surprises.
Kujira Academy: Careers Fair
This call, arranged for week 3 of the program, will not only give students a deeper understanding of the protocol and its role within Kujira but also the opportunity to collaborate with the protocol through a group project.
We will be announcing the protocol at the end of this week, so make sure to check our Twitter for regular updates.
Upcoming Content
Since our inception, five of our students have produced in excess of ten articles, ranging from basic DeFi concepts to Kujira-specific investment strategies.
However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Over the next two weeks, there are a total of 10 articles scheduled to be released, covering a wide range of Web3 and Kujira-specific topics.
Some topics include:
- Smart Contracts
- USK Mint + Strategies Investor
- DAOs and Governance
- Interoperability
- An Introduction To GHOST
This is an exciting time for both Kujira and Kujira Academy, and I could go on and on, so let me end with this.
The End Goal
To summarize, Kujira Academy’s core aims are:
Core Aims
- To become the Information Hub of the Kujira ecosystem.
- To bridge the gap between universities and blockchain technology.
- To improve accessibility to resources and opportunities for all users.
As we look to establish ourselves as a key player in the Kujira ecosystem, you will play a vital role in helping us achieve this.
Over the coming weeks, we will have enrolled selective ambassadors, outlined their roles moving forward, and provide a wealth of resources that cater to both prospective and current investors, no matter the skillset.
With all that being said, I would like to congratulate our students on their contributions so far, you’ve been nothing short of incredible.
We are yet to reach our final destination. In fact, we are only just beginning, and whilst there are sure to be some bumps along the road, the end goal is in sight, and let me tell you, it’s a wonderful view.
So, to those of you showing support for Kujira Academy, thank you.
I feel proud to call this my home.
Useful Links
Kujira Investor Series: Episode 1 — WinkHUB
Kujira Investor Series: Episode 2 — WinkHUB
Kujira Investor Series: Episode 3 — WinkHUB
Kujira Academy is a platform that aims to bridge the gap between young entrepreneurs and Web3, providing them with tangible education and career acceleration opportunities. Built by students, for students. Learn more about the academy and our vision here.
To register your interest and become a student of Kujira Academy, click here.