EDUCATION & RESEARCH GUILD Q3 PROPOSED BUDGET
This proposal seeks to clarify the role and the OKRs (Objectives and Key Responsibilities) of the Education & Research Guild. This does not seek to supplant or replace CIP-69, unless it does not pass a Snapshot vote, at which point this proposal may move to an independent Snapshot vote.
It is also expected that some of these projects, such as the Academic Conference and the CityDAO Thinktank / Journal will move towards being standalone projects with their own CIPs and teams. This decentralization of projects is part of an ongoing path forward for the Education & Research Guild, which will allow for expansion towards our eventual goal - CityDAO University.
Our focus this quarter is on the following 7 objectives:
-
To provide education to both citizens and noncitizens on a variety of topics related to CityDAO. This is done through regular discussions, workshops, courses and initiatives. The purpose is to establish a sense of community, growth and positive core self evaluations within CityDAO and to maintain learning as a key element of the mission of CityDAO.
-
To engage in scholarly and practical research on topics related to DAOs, cities, communities, web3, governance and on other pertinent issues. This is being done through implementation of the CityDAO Thinktank & Journal.
-
To maintain effective relationships with the many other educational DAOs, student associations, groups and organizations that are dedicated to improving scholarly discussions. These relationships are critical for CityDAO’s meaningful participation in the web3 research space. This is currently being done through the creation of the CityDAO Academic Conference.
-
To bring the vision of CityDAO, DAOs in general and the transformative technologies they engender to a wider audience through the publication of books. Currently, this involves the creation of a university level book and a children’s book.
-
To harness the availability of grants from governments, educational institutions and other online institutions in order to provide funding for the development and creation of CityDAO University.
-
To move towards the creation of the first web3 internationally accredited liberal arts undergraduate institution, which will provide Bachelors and Associate Degrees to students, thus effectively beginning the disruption of the legacy monopoly of accredited universities.
Q2 Recap
The Education & Research Guild made extensive progress in Q2 in our effort to bring. Here is the full list of key highlights & learnings from Q2.
Objective 1: DAO Study Group
- We have had weekly discussions on web3 related articles (Vitalik’s blog) for 5 weeks so far. These are well-attended discussions and have given new people a chance to participate and talk about new ideas.
- We have new presenters each week, giving people small bounties and opportunities to present and lead group discussions.
Objective 2: CityDAO Journal (now pivoting to Thinktank)
- We have published two academic articles on the CityDAO Mirror page.
- We have two more articles currently being written by citizens.
- We have mentorship programs for those who want to write but don’t feel confident.
- This gives bounties and opportunities to citizens to improve their writing.
Objective 3: CityDAO Academic Conference
- We have created the academic Call for Papers
- We have reached out to over 50 individuals and organizations receiving many replies and interested parties to contribute to the conference.
- We have created a tentative date, keynote speaker, panel discussion topics and other elements that will make this event successful
Objective 4: CityDAO Publishing
- We have a team working on a university-level book about DAOs
- We have a team working on a children’s book about NFTs
Objective 5: CityDAO Courses
- We have signed a contract to work with ArchiDAO to present a metaverse building course for CityDAO citizens with CityDAO Decentraland wearables. The first workshop has been successfully held.
- We are close to creating a smart contract reading course
- Many other courses have been proposed and we are in discussions
Objective 6: CityDAO Grants
- We have worked on creating a CityDAO whitepaper to use in seeking grants
- A tentative project manager has been found
Objective 7: CityDAO University
- We have worked on the CityDAO whitepaper
- We are researching how to get accreditation
Continuing Activities & Proposed Budget
This quarter, we are continuing to use OKRs (Objectives and Key Results):
1. DAO Study Group
Key Results:
— Continue weekly discussions, improve presentation and discussion format
— Greater mentorship for presenters
— Continue to bounty individuals who are learning to present articles
2. CityDAO Thinktank & Journal
Key Results:
— To produce research papers on subjects needed according to current CityDAO projects
— To continue mentoring writers to produce articles
— To expand mentorship and work with other organizations, such as SCRF, on mentorship
3. CityDAO Academic Conference
Key Results:
— Continuing to make contacts with multiple education DAOs, organizations and associations
— Deciding who will submit papers and presentations
— Planning the actual symposium, which will be run in September
4. CityDAO Publishing
Key Results:
— Completing our sample chapters
— Getting the university non-fiction book to the point where we are searching for publisher
— Finding a publisher
— Getting the children’s book finished and searching for a publisher
— Getting all illustrations done for the children’s book
5. CityDAO Courses
Key Results:
— Completing the CityDAO branded ArchiDAO course
— Establishing the smart contract course
— Establishing our third course (possibly through The Digital Learning Institute)
6. CityDAO Grants
Key Results:
— Establishing the grants team and applying for 5 grants
7. CityDAO University
Key Results:
— Begin the process of accreditation
Q3 Budget Requirements
| Budget Category | Description | Amount | Miscellaneous | Variation from last quarter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilitator | In accordance with CIP-69, or if CIP-69 does not pass then 5000 USDC per month | NA | ||
| Bounties | Bounties and Expenses | $20,000 | NA |
***There will be approximately $12,000 remaining in the treasury at the end of Q2. Thus, the treasury will be topped up to $20,000 to use exclusively for bounties and expenses.
Team
The Education & Research Guild will consist of one facilitator, David, who will then bounty, guild and empower multiple individuals to become project managers, assistant managers and contributors.
David has been an undergraduate professor at two international universities for the past fifteen years. He has a BA with Honors, Juris Doctor (JD) and Masters of Arts (MA) degrees and is currently in a Ph.D. program. Additionally, he currently works at a university that is seeking European accreditation. He taught both online and offline and has served as a thesis advisor for many years. In CityDAO, David has facilitated both the Legal and Education Guilds, was on the Oversight Committee of the City Council and helped in writing the CityDAO City Charter.
Conclusion
The mission of CityDAO is to create a city on chain. One approach to this is to acquire land. Another viewpoint through which to view the creation of a city is that of the American “college town,” where an educational institution is created and a community grows it.
Many people are introduced to the web3 space and to DAOs through articles, discussions, workshops and initiatives that are not directly related to putting land on-chain. While CityDAO’s ultimate mission is larger than a school, it may be the school that brings together the community that is required for the creation of the city. To this end, it is believed that education forms a key element of CityDAO.
In addition to education, the web3 and DAO space are highly novel areas of research. There are many innovative projects and protocols, individuals and groups, who are setting the bar for the intellectual development of the space. It is to the benefit of CityDAO to maintain effective partnerships and relationships with these groups for purpose of information sharing, mutual encouragement, guidance and growth.
Finally, providing consistent educational content is critical to make sure that all other Guilds do not suffer from replication of work and to ensure that branding, explanations, videos,