KNOW THE BLOCKS MAVEN is an educational program training Nigerian youth (13- 30 years) and Special Needs students about Web3 and Blockchain ecosystems. 

We have a vision of hope that - despite rising unemployment, limited education and financial barriers  - through grassroots education, our youth can believe themselves capable, active contributors to the future of blockchain and financial sovereignty.

 The following are CORE to our mission
 
- Education: deliver knowledge to demystify Web3 and Blockchain technology,
- Equal Opportunity: lower barriers to entry into the Web3 ecosystems  
- Collaboration: empower active engagement, participation & collaboration in Web3 ecosystems
- Optimism: promote hope for career development within these new economies
- Community: build am empower a community to underpin our collective vision
- Equality: access to financial equality to help break the poverty cycle 
Established in 2021 we have graduated over 80 students from our basic and intermediate blockchain courses. And now, due to recent govt. partnerships, we have more than 3000 students registered.  

We seek funding to help resource this growth and cater to the huge demand we see for students seeking accessible blockchain education, future career opportunities and financial freedom and equality. 

Grant support to cover basic operations while we work to secure sponsor partnerships will be invaluable to advancing blockchain education within mainstream education, first here in Abuja, Nigeria and from then to the rest of the country.
CHALLENGES 


Education: Students lack adequate basic blockchain education at the grassroots level
Unemployment: limited career paths due to Nigeria’s high unemployment rate
Limited Opportunity: limited ways to explore Blockchain via the current education system
Financial: over 10% of the global population in extreme poverty live in Nigeria
Accessibility: Limited access to the right tools and information to make engagement fast and easy  


STRATEGY & SOLUTIONS 

I-Learn the Blocks


Our blockchain curriculum empowers students to actively engage with web3 technology and ecosystems. We believe open-source solutions can level the global playing field, enabling students globally to innovate, and we are positioning KBM Labs to guide our students towards this future by delivering free online training and onsite classes.

We curate curriculum content in collaboration with sponsors and partners' projects, networking within and outside the ecosystem. Collaboration is part and parcel of the curriculum, as we encourage students and our community to learn, engage and contribute to protocols and projects. 

Success to Date: Six of our Cohort 1 (2021) participants proceeded to the intermediate and master classes and three of them are now core contributors at two Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO). 

We have now trained over 80 students, with 10 graduates currently working with different blockchain companies, functioning in different capacities, and steadily building their careers.

Some of our graduates are back as volunteers in KBM and have also enrolled siblings, creating a chain of financial freedom and emancipation among these young adults.
Cohort Training Photos 



Applied Learning: KBM DAO

KBM DAO https://client.aragon.org/#/knowtheblocksmaven.aragonid.eth (testnet) enables students to apply the knowledge gained through I-Learn the Blocks to

- Interact with smart contracts on a blockchain
- Understand the challenges of a decentralized autonomous organization  
- Participate in decentralize decision-making processes


In the long term, through applied learning, we hope to build a DAO-native culture and active governance participation in the next generation. 

Success to Date: Students and the community have created a platform where questions are asked, feedback and improvements are made and within which learning, knowledge sharing and collaboration is flourishing.

Community Collaboration & Partnerships

As an extension of our education strategy, we are intentional about developing collaborative opportunities and establishing mutually beneficial connections by leveraging the power of our growing community Many ecosystem projects need to build a community to solve the cold start problem and advance service, product or network strategy, and we work to connect teams that align with our values, to create win: win partnerships that strengthen each others communities.

Success to Date: We currently have a community of over 5000 active web3 users, learning and engaging with numerous blockchain ecosystems. Our community consists of current students, graduates and international exchange students and global web3 enthusiasts.

We have partnered with Metaversiity Florida, which offers intermediate and advanced classes on Metaverse and requires participants to go through our basic classes. 

In 2023 KBM was granted access by the FCT Education Board to the Senior High Schools in Abuja (capital of Nigeria) to establish blockchain clubs piloting the I-Learn the Blocks program with 20 Schools. 

This partnership has seen our course registrations skyrocket with a database of over 3000 students seeking to discover the opportunities that Web3 brings. 
