Our Mentorship Program, which ran from September to November 2024, was all about bringing together bright minds at the intersection of token engineering and climate action. We set out to create a space for growth and collaboration, where experienced mentors could guide participants in developing their projects. While we initially envisioned a strong integration with the Celo blockchain for each project, we soon realized that the best approach was to provide a broader understanding of Celo’s potential. So, we held a live session to dive into Celo’s key features, token system, and possible use cases, giving everyone the tools to consider how Celo could support their work down the line. The core of the mentorships remained focused on using token engineering to boost climate action initiatives. This report takes a look at how the program went, using the feedback we received from our amazing mentors and mentees.
Program Structure and Objectives:
The program paired mentors with mentees for tailored one-on-one sessions, with the aim of:
- Guiding mentees in shaping their projects.
- Sharing knowledge about token engineering, climate action, and the Celo ecosystem.
- Creating a space for collaboration and networking.
- Inspiring exploration of Celo’s features for building sustainable solutions.
Participant Demographics:
- Total Participants: 7
- Completed Mentorships: 4
- Roles: Mentees (5), Mentors (3)
What We Read From Our Participants:
- Overall Satisfaction: Our mentees were really happy with the program, giving it an average rating of 8.8 out of 10! They felt it was a “valuable space” and that their objectives were “achieved.” One mentee shared that the mentorship “gave me a great start to thinking and doing things this quarter.”
- Reaching Goals: Mentees saw progress in several key areas:
- Project Clarity: Mentors helped mentees “remove the mental clutter of an early stage project” and “get back on track with the strategy.”
- Prioritization: Mentees learned to “prioritize features,” which they found “very useful going forward.”
- Celo Exploration: While not every project directly integrated Celo, the live session was described as “helpful.” One mentee confirmed that "Celo is one of the networks we already intend to deploy or even build our dApp".
- Motivation and Direction: The mentorships provided “situational support” and helped mentees “motivate myself more.”
- Mentor Impact: Mentees had great things to say about their mentors, rating their guidance and support at an average of 9.2 out of 10. Communication and collaboration were also top-notch, with an average rating of 9.3 out of 10. One mentee highlighted the value of “strengthening my relationship with my mentor,” saying it “has a lot of value and should not be underestimated.”
- Key Takeaways: Participants gained valuable new skills and perspectives:
- MVP Development: One mentee learned “how to approach my MVP based on analyzing my target audience.”
- Collaboration and Team Building: Insights were gained on “how to set up a small group of contributors and how to incentivize and reward those people.”
- Long-Term Vision: Mentorship helped mentees “focusing more on my own strengths and values” and consider “long-term sustainability.”
Areas for Growth
- Matching: Some participants suggested “connecting with more people with specific skills” and holding “introductory sessions before confirming commitments and scopes” to improve the matching process.
- Program Structure: We heard suggestions for a “clearer structure of the topics of the meetings or the advised method” and “gathering the information from our feedbacks and designing a framework/rough draft of what mentors and mentees should focus based on their projects maturity.” One mentor suggested "maybe having more preemptive clarity on the problem statement before the sessions start and 1 clear deliverable that should be worked on through the course of the program."
- Celo Integration: There was a request for “more information on how to leverage Celo features.” One mentee expressed that "For me, the link to web3 was not sufficiently clear or present in the program. The mentorship and focus weren’t that much different from other mentorship programs I was in before. More on systemic thinking, yes, but not necessarily web3."
- Program logistics: One mentor suggested that "I don't think the host, or gardener needs to participate in each call, rather facilitate the platform, follow-ups, etc." and another that we "Seek incentives for those who fulfill the commitments made."
- Program scope: A mentee suggested "Sometimes 1 meeting is enough, maybe contracts might be custom (over time or # of meetings), the main value is the matchmaking/connection. But of course 5+ meetups create much stronger connections. I'd think about how to "decentralize" program with some agile continuous matching on a low time capacity. I'd also maybe do a program within the OP and get funding from RetroPGF."
- Mentorship Style: One mentor suggested "Ask more questions instead of providing mostly advice."
Overall, It Was a Great Start!
Our pilot Mentorship Program was a success, creating valuable connections and helping participants move their projects forward. The feedback we received is invaluable as we look to make the program even better.
What’s Next?
We’re committed to taking the feedback to heart and making some improvements for future iterations of the program. We believe these changes will make the program even more impactful for everyone involved.
A Big Thank You!
A huge thank you to all our mentors and mentees for their participation, feedback, and dedication to building a more sustainable future.