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tags: wizardamigos
---

**Proponent:** Nina Breznik
**Date:** Dec 20th 2023
**Requested DOT:** 2575.84

## Proposal: Retroactive contribution for the codecamp event

>This proposal seeks retroactive funding to cover the costs associated with organizing a Code Camp.

### 1. Background and Code Camp Overview:

[WizardAmigos](https://www.meetup.com/WizardAmigos/) have organized [Code Camps in Wales, UK (2022)](https://wizardamigos.com/codecamp2022/) and [Portugal (2023)](https://wizardamigos.com/codecamp2023/), where we hosted over 50 talks, featuring both remote and local speakers. Additionally, we provided a pop-up hacker house for up to 4 weeks, inviting individuals to come, learn, and share skills related to peer-to-peer (P2P) and Web3 technologies.

All talks delivered during the Code Camps were recorded and are available on our [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@wizardamigos4213) and [PeerTube channels](https://peertube.1312.media/a/wizardamigos/video-channels).

### The core of what we do:
- bring builders together to work in the same space for longer time and get feedback/input/stage to work and present their project in the early phase
- create a bootcamp kind of space but for founders developers, specially for the phase when there is one or two people bootstrapping the project
- connect developers founders to other experts/developers founders to exchange experiences, tech stack, integrate each others' service and learn other knowledge needed for bootstrapping your decentralised project (also helping them figure out for whom they are building what and how to onboard users and get support from other ecosystems, close to Web3 and Polkadot)
- help developers find potential co-founders/contractors or contributors. This is very important in open source as you can't build it all by yourself
- our focus is introducing Polkadot technology to experts from other ecosystems and get them excited about certain parts of Polkadot tech.

### 2. About the team:

Over the past 9 years, we have been dedicated to organizing events that connect open-source developers and founders. This journey has resulted in a robust community with almost [900 events](https://www.meetup.com/WizardAmigos/) and [over 2000 members](https://www.meetup.com/WizardAmigos/) - all programmers.

We have been actively involved in the blockchain space since 2017, including 3 years of contracting with the Ethereum Foundation. Our journey in the Kusama/Polkadot ecosystem began with the DatDot parachain.

Our team has been actively working on building a parachain within the Kusama/Polkadot ecosystem.

Our community work with WizardAmigos has been last year supported with a 6 month grant from the [Shokunin network](https://shokunin.network/about.html), initiated by Jam10o.

### 3. Code Camps and Their Significance:

Code Camps are a unique platform that allows developers to work intensively on their projects, receive feedback, present demos, and gain insights from different perspectives, transcending the boundaries of their respective tech bubbles. We are targeting a very niche group of developers (from junior to senior), so not traders or random enthusiasts, but highly skilled individuals (some with their own follower base).

Some of the Web3 community members we hosted on our code camps:
- Kumavis / Metamask
- Naugtur / Metamask
- Griff Green / Giveth
- Clement / Kleros
- Xylodrone / Ordum
- Olemehll / Subsocial
- Jam / Shokunin
- Serapath & myself / DatDot
- Nora Liu / Crypto patronage
- Miguel Marques / Kinera network
- Jeff Emmet / Commons Stack
- Stephen Reid / Dandelion
- and more

### 4. Benefit for the Kusama/Polkadot community

#### Ecosystem Engagement:
Wizard Amigos facilitates direct collaboration among developers, founders, and other highly skilled professionals within the Kusama and Polkadot ecosystems. This cross-pollination of ideas and knowledge-sharing promotes innovation and project development, strengthening the community’s vibrancy.
#### Bridging communities:
By introducing non-web3 developers to Polkadot and Kusama tooling and philosophy, the Code Camps play a crucial role in expanding the community. These events offer the opportunity for participants to explore substrate-based components relevant to their fields, thereby broadening the reach of web3 technologies.
#### Stronger Connections:
For existing web3 developers, the Code Camps provide a platform for testing ideas, experimenting with products, and collaborating on features. This strengthens connections between founders and developers, fostering innovation within the ecosystem and enriching the overall community.
#### Global Impact:
Beyond the event, the recorded talks and educational materials produced during the Code Camps are made accessible to the broader community. These resources empower a global audience to gain insights into Polkadot and Kusama, enhancing the understanding and adoption of web3 technologies.

This comprehensive approach not only deepens understanding but also broadens the reach of Kusama and Polkadot, creating an inclusive and collaborative environment for sustainable growth within the community.

The ultimate goal is to support developers founders to build out their product in the Polkadot space, to connect them to the broader developer open source community, to enable interoperability between projects in the ecosystem and broader and to connect Polkadot ecosystem to broader p2p/open source scene.

### 5. Context:

Wizard Amigos was founded in early 2014 in Berlin and has since organized nearly 900 events, co-learning workshops, and code camps. Our mission has been to promote open source, open data, and open organizing. Over the years, we have experimented with various event formats, from hackathons and meetups to workshops and code camps.

In the past four years, our focus has shifted toward creating opportunities for both technical and non-technical individuals to come together for extended periods. Code camps focus is on smaller groups of around to 15 people locally and another 15 remote speakers with other brother community being able to join the live streams or talk to the speakers directly on Discord or watch the videos online after the event.

The essence of our code camps is to assemble a multidisciplinary group of experts from different ecosystem, each working on their projects, to facilitate cross-pollination of ideas and provide valuable feedback. These gatherings also serve as a space for learning new technologies and APIs, as well as collaborating on concepts and demo hacks. **Our focus is introducing Polkadot technology to experts from other ecosystems and get them excited about certain parts of Polkadot tech.**

To learn more about Wizard Amigos, see our [talk](https://youtu.be/ZDBBos52JNM) from the last code camp

### 6. Metrics

### 894 events in 9 years & 2.154 members on Meetup.com

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### 852 Facebook members (mostly programmers)

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### 558 Twitter followers (mostly programmers)

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### 450 [Gitter/Element] (mostly programmers)(https://app.gitter.im/#/room/#wizardamigosinstitute_program:gitter.im) members

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### 270 Discord members (mostly programmers)

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### 22.4K All views on Youtube from 2022-today

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### 2.4K views of Videos only from 2022-today

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### 7. Funding request:

The primary expenses for the Code Camps were related to the time, effort, and work put into organizing, managing, and promoting the events. This includes direct outreach to participants and remote speakers, social media engagement, website design, logistical coordination before, during and after the event, facilitation of the in-camp discussions and workshops, recording of the talks with the video editing, and all the other organizational tasks that ensured the success of the Code Camps.

#### 7.1. Deliverables:

- website design and implementation
- organization of the code camp
- application form preparation
- speakers and code camp participants outreach
- searching and booking of the venue
- managing budget for shared rent and food costs
- facilitating discussions and workshops at the camp
- talks
- recording talks
- editing and publishing talks
- social media
- before, during and after the camps
- other organizational tasks
- logistics

#### 7.2. Costs:

To determine a reasonable amount for costs, we have calculated for 1 whole month:

| Item | Costs | Receipts |
| -------- | -------- | --- |
| travel costs for organizers | 849.23 EUR | https://hackmd.io/@T6Wf5EsOQKe-6wyPjJPtuw/BJXzKp5m6#travel-costs-for-organizers-84923-EUR |
| event venue and food/drinks | 4778.9 EUR | https://hackmd.io/@T6Wf5EsOQKe-6wyPjJPtuw/BJXzKp5m6#event-venue-fooddrinks-amp-other-costs-47789-EUR |
| online communication | 650 EUR | work done by wizardamigos team and hasn't been paid yet https://hackmd.io/fDZdAAz3QCSZ6HXAg-_-DA?view |
| website | 1900 EUR | work done by wizardamigos team and hasn't been paid yet https://hackmd.io/fDZdAAz3QCSZ6HXAg-_-DA?view|
| videos (recording and editing) | 1997.28 EUR |work done by wizardamigos team and hasn't been paid yet https://hackmd.io/fDZdAAz3QCSZ6HXAg-_-DA?view|
| production/organizing | 6600 EUR |work done by wizardamigos team and hasn't been paid yet https://hackmd.io/fDZdAAz3QCSZ6HXAg-_-DA?view|
| **TOTAL** | **16775.41 EUR** | |

**Total Costs Requested: 2575.84 DOT (Approximately 16775.41 EUR)**

[See the detailed breakdown and invoices](https://hackmd.io/@T6Wf5EsOQKe-6wyPjJPtuw/BJXzKp5m6)

By providing this retrospective proposal, we hope for support from the Polkadot Treasury to cover the costs associated with the Code Camps. This retroactive funding will allow us to transparently address expenses, fostering continued growth and development in our community. We are excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the Polkadot network and the broader blockchain ecosystem.

Sincerely,
Nina Breznik