B<>rder/ess is a Public Goods Developers Programme established in June 2022, that raises 100 web3 developers skilled in Solidity, Product Design, Data Analytics, Cyber Security, and Web Design and Development from the African University communities annually for free.

We do this by establishing Physical web3 Dev Hubs, Hosting events, Developer Trainings, Offering Mentorship, Establishing Campus Tech Clubs, and Launching web3 projects.

Physical hubs: The first was opened in November 2022 in Port-Harcourt Nigeria and the next will be opened at the University Of Port-Harcourt Nigeria. B<>rder/ess web3 hubs provide a space for developers to learn, collaborate, leverage hub facilities like power, and network with other developers.

Events: B<>rder/ess hosts a variety of events, such as hackathons, meetups, campus tours, and conferences. These events allow developers to learn new skills, meet new people, share their work with their peers, and inspire one another to grow.

Tech Clubs: We set up tech clubs in various universities to foster community collaborations and informal peer-inspired web3 education.

Developer Training: B<>rder/ess offers a variety of Developer Education programs called Cipher Sessions, both online and in person.

These programs cover a wide range of courses, including:

Web design & development
Solidity
Tealscript
Data Science
Cyber Security
Product Design

and a lot of others.

Mentorship: B<>rder/ess pairs developers with experienced mentors and junior dev roles or ambassador roles with blockchain projects. These mentors and work roles provide guidance and support to help developers reach their full potential. We’ve had our students and tutors become builders, contributors, ambassadors, and teachers in the web3 ecosystem with various L2s and L1 blockchains, building and deploying personal projects.

I’d spotlight some of our students and tutors’ journeys in another article Follow us on Twitter.

Blacdav at the Lisk Cipher Session at the B<>rder/ess Dev Hub

WORKING WITH LISK SUPERCHAIN

Lisk is a member of the Optimism Superchain contributing to onboarding the next 1 billion users to Web3.

We thought to design a Cipher Session that doesn’t only focus on developers, but also on collaborating with real-world businesses that could come on-chain.

We created a strategy to make this possible in 4 Phases;

Goal 1: LISK Themed Cipher Session and Web2 Business Focus Groups

Goal 2: B<>rder/ess Web3 Tech Clubs and Integrations (Community & User Education Strategy on interacting with LISK ecosystem)

Goal 3: Lisk Superchain Hackathons and Product Launch Events (Deployment)

Goal 4: Certification and Business Development Mentorship (Go-To-Market strategies)

We wanted our strategy to produce for the LISK ecosystem;

Builders
Users
Products
Marketing Contents
Updates and contributions to LISK deployment documentation and Repos

📍🎯

Goal 1: LISK THEMED CIPHER SESSION & WEB2 BUSINESS FOCUS GROUPS

Our activities started on March 25th with the announcement of the Lisk Cipher Session.

We structured the Cipher Session to have 2 Classes a week wit assignments, and 1 Workshop a week.

We also had Twitter Spaces every Monday themed after the previous week's Topics and sessions to discuss current real-world trends and projects applying the use of Blockchain, OP Stack, and more to build solutions.

We had 80 developers register for the Cipher Session in the space of 30 Days

STATS

Registrations and Continuance

25% of the registered devs continued to take the program and were consistent with the classes and workshops.

20 Developers Continued to the Cipher Session and completed the Dev sessions (Data is obtained from our KYD Form).

Familiarity with OPstack

90% of the Devs who started the Cipher Session weren’t familiar with OpStack

18 out of 20 Devs who signed up for the Cipher Session weren't familiar with building on OPstack

16 out of the 20 Developers who started the Cipher Session were hearing about Opstack for the first time from the announcement.

Familiarity with the Blockchain Technology

40% of the developers were web3 devs who were familiar with Blockchain Technology

12 out of the 20 Developers were web2 developers who weren't familiar with the Blockchain Technology

Dev Experience with Building Blockchain Products

We asked if these developers had either

Built a blockchain product before or
Been part of a team that had built one

11 out of 20 had either built a blockchain product before or been part of a team that had built one.

9 devs had either never built a Blockchain Product or been part of a team that built one.

Dev Familiarity with Solidity

9 out of 20 developers were familiar with the Solidity programming language. During the class, we found out that these 45% had either researched Solidity on YouTube or done a hackathon requiring them to write a smart contract in Solidity, but didn’t have a strong experience with it.

11 Developers weren't familiar with Solidity.

Creating the web2 Business Focus Groups

We didn’t want devs who took the Cipher Session to build or learn in a vacuum, we wanted developers to interact with businesses, and collaborate to build real-world solutions, so we started the business focus groups together with the Cipher Session preparations.

The focus groups comprised of:

Web2 start-ups
Businesses
Web3 Enthusiasts who wanted to try new products

We had the first Build On Lisk event to educate both developers and businesses about Blockchain opportunities, Lisk Superchain, and Optimism ecosystem.

After the event, we got them together and created a focus group community to help these businesses transition to web3.

We educated both Developers and Businesses in 3 distinct areas;

How can a Business come on-chain?
We recommend you share this video with any business you know that wants to build its Business on the Blockchain but doesn’t know how to go about it.

2. How can Startups and Businesses access Grants in Lisk and Optimism?

3. Why Developers should Build Open Source Software on Lisk

🎯📍

Goal 2: B<>RDERLESS WEB3 TECH CLUBS AND INTEGRATIONS (Community & User Education Strategy on interacting with LISK ecosystem)

The goal here was to do info-educative marketing that incentivized developers, web3 natives, newbies, and any early adopter in and outside the B<>rder/ess community to learn about Lisk and carry out transactions on Lisk.

So we started with a Content Contest that focused on the Lisk ecosystem and the Cipher Session.

📌We had over 20 new downloads of the Lisk Wallet from the B<>Rder/ess Dev community as a result of the Content Contest.

📌Over 30 registrations for the Cipher Session were recorded.

Incentivized Space Bounties

We also had Twitter Space Bounties that amplified the Twitter Space we had every week, where we had community members, listen to the Twitter spaces for that week and do a recap, here’s one example of a recap by one of our community members.

https://x.com/Elisha__Sunday/status/1791735563206160560

We had 1 Tech Club host a Lisk Meet-Up in their University because their community members got a better understanding of Lisk through the Content Contests and Twitter Spaces and decided to educate devs in their school to join the Opstack Cipher Session.

B<>rder/ess Tech Club UNN did their Build on Lisk Event

https://twitter.com/BorderlessDev/status/1790286861673676858?t=b7SMIcxbJ33hywxbNjsmlA&s=19

The Tweet report above shows our activities in March and April, here’s the infographic below.

Infographic on Cipher Session activities for March into April

🎯📌THE CIPHER SESSION (Class Reports 8 Weeks, 7 Workshops, 14 Classes)

Here’s a comprehensive report on the Cipher session, from the qualitative and quantitative standpoints, and also feedback from our students.

Brace yourself, it’s going to be a looooooooong one😅

Class is in session

Classes for the Cipher Session started on April 17th with an onboarding call where 23 Developers attended the call from different cities in Nigeria.

The Cipher Session in April had:

4 classes 🧑🏽‍🏫

2 Workshops 🧑🏽‍💻

3 Developer-themed Twitter spaces 🎙️

Class Accountability

We had class attendance reports for every class, and workshop and minted Class Attendance POAP for every student, and we minted them using Unlock Protocol.

Using Unlock helped us with creating accountability both for the Students and the Cipher Session, so we can always come back months later, and at one glance know how many classes and workshops were held in this Cipher Session as a result of the Keys minted.

Each POAP had the link to that class video embedded in them, so students could always refer to them anytime.

How we created structure for the Lisk Cipher Session

Before we did any publicity, we did 3 things:

1. Planned Calendar

Created a Calendar of activities both Dev-related and Non-Dev related activities and scheduled from March - June activities. This made it easier for us to maintain consistency and track our progress.

2. Tailored Curriculum

Next, we created the OpStack Curriculum and tailored it to help web2 developers transition to web3, so we started from the basics of the Blockchain technology and graduated to more advanced topics.

3. Planned Incentives

We made provisions for internet data stipends for people who attended the classes, and we sent them out on a Bi-Weekly basis. This encouraged students to keep up with the classes.

We also had transportation stipends for students who wanted to come to the hub to have the class, but interestingly 100% of the students wanted to have their classes remote even though some lived close to the hub.

4. Planned informal learnings with Twitter Spaces

A few of the Developer Themed Twitter Spaces we've had

Class Documentation

KYD form
We wanted to get statistics on who our Students for the Cipher Session were before they took the Cipher Session, we wanted to find out their background in Tech, and their familiarity with building on-chain, this gave us a lot of context on tracking the progress of our students.

You can open the form to see the questions

2. Feedback + Attendance Form

We wanted to get feedback for every class beyond just attendance, so we asked questions like what new thing they learned that day and also reached out to them privately to ask what they thought we could do better with the classes.

Attendance and Feedback Forms for every class

Finding out what new things they learnt in every class

3. Class Recordings and Resources

We had the classes on Telegram, so it was easy to record classes and pin resources, so we compiled a pinned post that we kept updating with the;

Class recordings
Tutor presentations
Student assignments submissions
Resources
Dev themed Twitter spaces

We hyperlinked the class recordings to the Class numbers

We had resources hyperlinked also, so it was easier for students to navigate

We documented Twitter spaces and assignment submissions from students.

HOW EFFECTIVE WAS THE CIPHER SESSION?

We’re still collating data as the program is still in session, we’re at the Hackathon stage, but here’s some comprehensive feedback from one student.

Adeyemi Adejumo’s Progress During the Lisk <> B<>rder/ess Cipher Session

Adeyemi published an article that shows how to develop and implement auction contracts on Lisk Testnet.

What was Adeyemi’s web3 building experience before the Lisk Cipher Session?

From our KYD form response, you can see what Adeyemi’s web3 experience was like before he started the Cipher Session classes, check the insights below;

Adeyemi joined the Cipher Session as a full stack developer who'd worked with react.js Nodejs, Python (flask and Django), MYSQL and MongoDB.

He wasn't familiar with Blockchain technology

He had either not built a blockchain product before or been in a team that had built one

The Cipher Session was the first time he heard about Optimism's OP Stack

He wasn't familiar with solidity before he joined the Cipher Session

Our Summations

We could say it took 14 Classes, 7 workshops, and 8 weeks to help a web2 native developer understand Blockchain, build On-Chain, and solidify his journey as a web3 developer.

The next phase of the Cipher Session is the Hackathon, we’d showcase the products that these developers launch on Lisk Super Chain.

CUMULATIVE REPORT ON THE LISK CIPHER SESSION

Workshop Outcomes:

Smart contracts deployed on Lisk Testnet; 95% of students have deployed contracts on Lisk
Building Optimism rollups; 60% of students have set up their rollups
Successful setup of Hardhat, Foundry, and Thirdweb: 80% of students have set up Hardhat

Time Allocation:

Classes: 28 hours (2 hours x 14 classes)
Workshops: 14 hours (2 hours x 7 workshops)
Cumulative hours spent in the Lisk <> B<>rder/ess Cipher session: 42 hours

Qualitative Report:

Class Observations

Engaging discussions and debates emerged during classes, showcasing participants' growing understanding and curiosity.
Students actively collaborated during classes and workshops, demonstrating teamwork and problem-solving skills.
Instructors provided personalized guidance, addressing individual questions and concerns.
Deeply engaging and thought-provoking discussions and debates consistently emerged during the course of the classes. These exchanges not only showcased participants' steadily growing understanding of the subject matter but also reflected their innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
The students actively collaborated during both classes and workshops, demonstrating remarkable teamwork and problem-solving skills. This collaboration was crucial in fostering a sense of community and shared learning, which further enhanced the overall educational experience.
Our dedicated instructors provided personalized guidance, going beyond the one-size-fits-all approach. They addressed individual questions and concerns, thereby ensuring that each student received the necessary support and attention. This level of individualized instruction was instrumental in helping students fully grasp and apply the concepts taught in the course.

Student Feedback:

"I found immense value in the Cipher classes. They played a significant role in helping me understand and learn the various web3 concepts. I now feel more confident in my knowledge of this technology." - Adeyemi Adejumo
"As a beginner, this program has been much more than just a learning experience. It has been an eye-opener, shedding light on aspects of the web3 world I wasn't aware of. I have gained a deeper understanding of the technology, and I feel better prepared to navigate this field." - Praise
"One of the aspects I truly appreciated about this program was the diversity. Different perspectives and experiences were shared, not just from the tutors, but also from the other students. This created a rich, multi-faceted learning environment that I believe has been incredibly beneficial." - Chiamaka
"The tutor in the Cipher classes stands out for their ability to deliver well-informed and detailed information. More than that, the support they provided for our questions and challenges was well-rounded and comprehensive. This made a significant difference in our learning journey." - Daniel

Instructor Insights:

"Students demonstrated remarkable progress, moving from basic to advanced concepts with ease." - Etette Etok
"The X spaces allowed for meaningful connections and learning opportunities among participants." - Great Adams

Thematic Analysis:

Community Building: Participants valued the inclusive environment and connections formed throughout the session.
Interactive Learning: Hands-on activities and real-world projects enhanced engagement and understanding.
Expert Guidance: Instructors' expertise and support were crucial in fostering participants' growth.

📌🎯Goal 3: LISK SUPER CHAIN HACKATHONS AND PRODUCT LAUNCH EVENTS (Deployment)

Our goal here is to build On-chain representations of businesses and merge these business models that could attract web2 users and businesses to Lisk through interacting with these business products.

We planned to do this in 3 steps:

Have a Demo Day for native web2 Businesses or Startups to come present their ideas and businesses.
Use a mind map for Devs to think through the business and conceptualize the solutions that should be built.
Created an environment for team formation and collaboration.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1M7dBHGwvBZoPLdWXQ62yTxh47OBU_jmD?usp=sharing

We covered every presentation and sent the links to the students to watch through and pick a product they’d like to build with.

Mind Map

KarlaGod created a Bringing a Business Onchain Mindmap Template that made it easy for developers to think through the businesses and outline only the important factors necessary for their contract development and collaboration.

Formation and Collaboration for Hackathon

Our weekly workshops pivoted to team formation and project-building sessions for the Cipher Session Hackathon.

BUILD ON LISK HACKATHON

The Goal for the hackathon was to have projects deployed on Lisk Chain from the Cipher Session. We set up support structures;

Developer office hours
Social media support
Clear development and traction requirements for winners to be eligible for winnings, like Number of Contract interactions, social media, and community engagement, etc.
Soft Milestone-based prize deliveries.

Build on Lisk Cipher Session for Projects and Builders participating in the Cipher session.

Hackathon Duration: 30 Days (June 25th - July 25th)
👨‍💻June 25th - July 19th for hack and submissions
👨‍⚖️July 19th - July 23rd for Judge verdicts
📢July 25th - Winner announced

Goal:

Projects should be launched on the Lisk Super chain.
A minimum of 20 addresses interact with the Smart Contracts for each project.

💰Prize categories: Prize pool: $3,000
1st Prize: $1,000
2nd Prize: $800
3rd Prize: $500
Impactful Solution Prize: $250 per project

IMPACT OF THE HACKATHON

Ecosystem Collaboration Impact

B<>rder/ess collaborated with the Lisk Builders Club by Mojeezy on 29th July, and during the event, Hackathon Finalists had the opportunity to present their projects and help attendees do live testing on their products.
Newbies and OGs alike downloaded wallets, went through Testnet activities, and got to interact with projects on the Lisk SuperChain.

During the event, the Project devs had attendees testing their application:

Downloading Metamask
Adding Lisk Testnet network to their wallets.
Sending them Lisk Sepolia Eth
Guiding them on how to connect and interact with their projects.
Getting feedback from users.

Hackathon finalists getting users to test their projects

Project Deployment Impact

4 Projects successfully deployed on Lisk Superchain and got over 20 users to interact with their project.

At the Lisk Builders group with some of the Developers and Hackathon winners.

Full details of the winning projects and their project details are here.

New users onboarded

We had a Testnet Bounty to incentivize first-time users of web3 wallets and had them interact with the 4 projects from the cipher Session, they joined the community and learned the process.

These new users still interact with the Lisk and general optimism ecosystem.

MAINNET LAUNCH IMPACT

2 Projects are gearing up to move from Testnet to Lisk Mainnet by September.

FayhrDAO
Fayhr is launching as a Decentralized Co-operative-As-A-Service Protocol and have published their documentation in preparation.

Bitsave Protocol
Bitsave is launching as a savings protocol, with over 600 users on the waitlist ready to Save with Lisk tokens.

📱🎯POSTERITY AFTER THE LISK <> B<>RDER/ESS CIPHER SESSION

We're building an app that helps web2 developers to web3

Byte Onchain dApp/App

Byte Onchain is a decentralized application (dApp) designed to assist developers from Web2 backgrounds in transitioning into Web3 development.

View Updated Figma Design Here (Web Interface Design in Progress)

We have spent hours refining the classes and creating a program straightforward enough to help a web2 native dev transition to web3.

Our next steps are to edit the Cipher Session videos and cut them into “Byte Size” (Pun intended) content for learning and practical sessions.

Byte Onchain would also have on-chain attestations for classes taken and tasks carried out so web2 Developers can track and build their web3 journey Onchain.

Imagine getting the ens name of a dev and seeing their skillsets journey as a web3 dev.

Read more about Byte OnChain here

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦💻THANK YOU TO THESE AMAZING TEAM

I’m spot llighting amazing people who made the Lisk <> B<>rder/ess Cipher session productive.

Andrew Lisk - Handle relations between B<>rder/ess and Lisk
Annabel Allison - Handled documentation and reports
Ettete Etok - Facilitator and Tutor, Lisk Ambassador
Gifty Couin - DevRel, Lisk Ambassador
Great Adams - Facilitator and Tutor, Lisk Ambassador
KarlaGod - Programme Designer and Manager

SUPPORT B<>RDER/ESS

Follow B<>rder/ess on Twitter and let us know any suggestions or opportunities you have to make B<>rder/ess Impact more effective.You can also make donations to B<>rder/ess in the wallet addresses here and the causes we raise funds for.

KarlaGod

WHAT IS B<>RDER/ESS?