Zk Av Club is constantly evolving, and Foundry is becoming a driving force behind that evolution.
Last month kicked off with a successful reprise of Foundry #2 on Free2z, also streamed live to the Zcash Global Discord. The session featured our team in conversation about the pillars of global community building—and the potential pitfalls to watch out for. One of the clearest barriers to entry we’ve identified is communication: not just the tools, but the language itself.
Since Zk Av Club began meeting and collaborating just over two years ago, we’ve been experimenting with cutting-edge tools that let people from around the world participate and learn—even if they don’t understand our language.
The spark for our work with live transcription and translation first ignited at Zcon Vozes at the fittingly named Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 18, 2023. It was during that livestream when John Bruhling (@Autotunafish) lit the flame, which quickly caught the eye of Robmar Enoe (@robmarn) when John presented his work at the second ZF AV Club Meetup. Robmar brought his own expertise and energy, fanning the fire with Zcon4 en Español. Later that year, at DWeb Camp Brazil, John pushed the project further, demonstrating how to use the latest AI tools for real-time transcription and translation—even in remote locations without internet access.
By ZconV, we had both methods of live translation in full swing—broadcasting the event on Zcash Global Discord in Spanish, Portuguese, and German. It was clear: these tools aren’t just experimental—they’re revolutionary. But despite being free and open-source, the power of these tools was being harnessed by only a small group of highly active Zk Av Club contributors.
So we set our sights on something bigger: decentralization through education, with a bit of incentivization.
That vision came to life at ZconVi, where livestream translations on multiple platforms in Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish were produced by members of communities who are funded by Zcash Community Grants.
Great! But what does this have to do with Foundry?
Glad you asked.
In the Lab segment of Foundry #2, we walked through the exact tools, software, and steps used to produce a translation livestream—like the ones you’ve now seen at three Zcons and countless other Zcash events over the past two years. The potential here is massive. These technologies can bring crucial information to entirely new communities. The impact has been so significant that it inspired a shift in the direction of our flagship series—big enough that I called the Zcash Community Grants committee to talk it through.
At its core, Zk Av Club Foundry is about empowering people through education and decentralized, open-source technology to help build and grow their own communities. That can’t happen through a bi-weekly English livestream hosted by me and this small team.
So, we’re launching:
Zk Av Club Foundry Community-Led Workshops!
Credit where it’s due—Robmar stepped up after Foundry #2 and offered to lead a live workshop on his transcription and translation workflow, with major support from Aura (@AuraBritoSM) and Roosevelt (@gordonesTV).
These community-led workshops are your invitation to join the Zk Av Club Foundry crew and help empower others with what you’ve learned. Take the tools and knowledge from each Foundry livestream, bring them home, and teach them—in your own way, in your own language.
Leading by example, we organized the first community-led workshop with Robmar at the helm. At the same time, I reached out to Zcash Brazil (@Michae2xl @Iogy @Minevg) to see if they’d like to lead a similar session in Portuguese. Not only did they say yes—they beat us to it, hosting their workshop live on Zcash Global Discord!
The excitement is real.
Zcash Brazil workshop post * recording soon
Zcash en Español workshop recording * with live English translation
We’re still finding our rhythm and getting everything organized. This new direction was proposed to the Zcash Community Grants committee in early April, and in under a month the Zcash communities have already delivered two workshops. We’re currently working on documentation, guidelines, and structure.
Also—don’t forget: Zcash Community Grant funds include a portion specifically for community contributions.
Yes, there’s a reward.
Workshops led by Zk Av Club participants in collaboration with the core Foundry team will be eligible for a 5 ZEC reward. To qualify, each workshop must teach the skills and technical process discussed during the Foundry livestreams, which will now happens every four weeks.
For all the details and latest updates:
Zk Av Club Foundry #3, streamed on May 2nd
Stay tuned for Zk Av Club Foundry #4 announcements—we’re just getting started.
Go Team Z!
