@itablockchainclub.near [Posted on DevHub](/devgovgigs.near/widget/Post?id=1979) ## Idea: ITA Blockchain Club | Proposal for NEAR Campus Program **ITA Blockchain Club Technological Institute of Aeronautics** **Proposal for NEAR Campus Program** **ITA Blockchain Club Overview** ITA Blockchain Club connects students with everything related to blockchain in the market. The following activities are carried out in accordance with the club's objectives, which essentially focus on the development (ITA is a School of Engineering) of ideas and projects related to blockchain: * **Weekly Meetings:** Responsible for aligning the latest events with the students, as well as keeping each individual's goals aligned with the club's objective. Discussions include hackathon opportunities, connections with companies, and project development. * **Events/Workshops:** A connection is made with companies that are interested through a face-to-face or online meeting (lasting about 2 hours), with the presentation of the company together with the discussion or learning of some blockchain topic related to the company in question. Usually, at in-person meetings, there is a coffee break at the end for participants to network with the company. Examples: *Workshops on Cairo (Starkware), Solana, Hathor (Network with a Brazilian founder from IME), Polkadot, among others. In addition to meetings with Brazilian Crypto and VC investment funds: Fuse Capital and Ada Capital.* * **Hackathons:** Participation in hackathons is the main focus of the club in a perspective of becoming an incubator of ideas and potentially future startups, with a more technical scope. In these competitions, students are encouraged to participate and learn hands-on how to create and develop ideas and applications using existing protocols. Sometimes there is sponsorship in major events (Eth Global Hackathons, for example), and other times students can participate on their own. Participation is highly encouraged even in online hackathons that occur throughout the calendar. Examples: *Eth Rio/SP/Samba, BNB Campus Party Hackathon, ZenCon, Celo BWC Hackathons, and several global Eth Global events, such as ETH CC, DevConnect Amsterdam, Devcon Colombia.* * **Special Events:** Participation in conferences on the subject or Meetups without technical development but with the goal of learning and connecting with other people related to the world of blockchain. In addition, social gatherings or meetings with university leagues from other universities. Examples: *Conferences related to the hackathons that the club participated in, Binance Anniversary, Circle Meetup, Chainlink Conferences, among others.* **Objectives** Our participation in the NEAR Campus Program aligns with the following objectives: Be a bridge between students of ITA Blockchain club and the NEAR ecosystem, actively participating in the NEAR ecosystem through Near Campus activities, including educational workshops, hackathons, and guest lectures, working together in open-source projects, encouraging members to contribute to open-source Web3 projects actively, fostering a collaborative culture. **Implementation Plan & Activities** Formation of NEAR Node: Establish a dedicated NEAR agenda within ITA Blockchain Club to coordinate NEAR Campus activities: * Workshops and Courses: Host educational workshops covering Web3 basics and explore the possibility of advanced courses tailored to specific Web3 frameworks. * Bootcamp on Rust and NEAR ecosystem (Remotely and/or IRL) * Hackathons and Competitions: Organize hackathons and development competitions, inviting students from ITA. * Guest Lectures and Discussions: Lectures and panel discussions with NEAR and other guests. * Signing up Club members for mentorship with NEAR specialists and organizing 2 online 1:1 or group sessions. * Internship and Placement Programs: Organize online and/IRL job fair, where members can learn about internships and/or job placement opportunities. * Infrastructure Support: Explore opportunities to set up and launch critical Web3 infrastructure components, with a focus on technical assistance, resources, and guidance. **Following up with the activities:** * Progress Feedback: The club and Near campus team will engage in follow up calls to monitor together progress in achieving the objectives outlined in this proposal. * Mapping Improvement: Gather feedback from members and stakeholders to continuously improve our NEAR Campus initiatives. * Tracking the path: Generate periodic reports highlighting achievements, successful projects, and lessons learned from participating in NEAR Campus activities. **3-Month Plan: ITA Blockchain Club's Engagement in NEAR Ecosystem** **Start Date: 02/01/2024 End Date: 04/30/2024** **Month 1: Awareness and Education** **Activities:** * Establish the ITA NEAR Node as an official NEAR Campus participant. * Host an introductory webinar on NEAR Protocol for club members and the academic community. * Develop educational materials and resources related to NEAR for distribution. **Month 2: Research and Development Activities:** * Launch a NEAR-focused research grant program for student-led projects. * Organize workshops on blockchain fundamentals and NEAR-specific features. 1 IRL and 2 online per term. * Host a Webinar with new members admitted in the beginning of the year, presenting Near and its ecosystem. * Encourage club members to participate in open-source NEAR projects. **Month 3: Community Building and Partnerships Activities: ** * Organize a hackathon with a NEAR development track. * Host guest lectures and panel discussions with NEAR industry experts. * Initiate partnerships with NEAR-related projects or startups for internships. **Overall KPIs:** * **Community Engagement:** Monitor the level of engagement within the members and NEAR ecosystem (For ex attendance in the NEAR focused activities). * **Impact:** Measure the percentage of participants who reported an improved understanding of the NEAR ecosystem (If there is a lack of understanding we can organize more workshops and online 1:1). * **Hackathon Success:** Evaluate the hackathon's success by the number of participants, projects completed, and innovative solutions developed. 1 in person and 1 online per term. * **New Members Engagement:** Monitor the level of engagement of new members with Near Ecosystem (with numbers of new members vs. old members in the hackathon and Near related activities). This 3-month plan outlines a structured approach for the ITA Blockchain Club to actively engage with the NEAR ecosystem, fostering education, research, and community growth while contributing to the NEAR Campus initiative. Regular monitoring and reporting will ensure the achievement of set objectives and the overall success of the club's involvement with NEAR.