The first Cardano Constitutional Convention is scheduled for December 4–6, 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Nairobi, Kenya, aiming to draft and ratify the Cardano Constitution based on extensive community feedback. A recent roundtable discussion featured key ecosystem members deliberating on the draft constitution, fostering transparency and community engagement. The Stake Pool Spotlight highlights WADA, a pool dedicated to supporting innovation and ecosystem growth across the African continent.

The Cardano Summit 2024 in Dubai featured masterclasses on topics such as decentralized governance, sidechains, and protocol parameters; recordings are now available on the Cardano Community YouTube channel. The interim Constitutional Committee has voted on the 3rd Governance Info Action regarding the potential increase of the K parameter. Intersect invites community participation in the 2025 annual budget survey to guide resource allocation and ecosystem growth.

The 3rd Governance Info Action is live, inviting DReps, SPOs, and ICC members to vote on increasing the K parameter to enhance decentralization. Developers are encouraged to participate in the annual State of the Cardano Developer Ecosystem Survey to provide insights for future improvements. Rhys Morgan has launched a new Aiken programming course, offering tutorials on smart contract development. The Cardano Foundation introduces 'Our Cardano,' outlining its ecosystem ethos and principles to foster a thriving, decentralized community.

The Cardano Summit Awards voting is now open, recognizing excellence across 11 categories within the ecosystem. The Developer Blog Series features an interview with Sricharan Ganta, CEO of Nucast, discussing innovations in digital media ownership on Cardano. The Stake Pool Spotlight highlights GROW, a pool dedicated to charitable initiatives in Africa. Ambassador Stories introduces Jose Iadicicco, a Meetup Organizer advancing blockchain education in Argentina.

The Project Catalyst Team has announced Fund 13, starting on September 25, 2024, with 50 million ada available for distribution. Proposal submissions open on September 26. The updated 2024 Cardano Summit agenda features keynotes, panels, and masterclasses, offering valuable insights into blockchain's future. Additional updates include the announcement of Summit Community Partners, a recap of the first SPO Table Talk on CIP-1694's impact on SPO operations.

Join us for the first edition of the SPO Table Talk with domain experts, where we dive into the latest topics on Cardano stake pools and infrastructure. This session covers a range of topics, from changes in SPO leader logs post-Chang hard fork to the refined VRF tiebreaker rule, block diffusion pipelining, and more. We also explore the evolving role of stake pool operators in Cardano’s governance era, featuring insights from Andrew Westberg, Martin Lang, Samuel Leathers, Alexander Esgen, Markus Gufler and Denicio Bute.

The Chang #1 Hard Fork on September 1, 204, marks a key milestone for Cardano, initiating a new governance era. The first phase introduces an Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC) to oversee governance with limited powers, while Stake Pool Operators retain approval rights for protocol changes. The second phase, Chang Upgrade #2, expected in 90 days, will fully activate on-chain governance per CIP-1694. As Cardano enters the Conway era, the new Delegated Representatives (DReps) role is vital for governance, allowing ada holders to influence decisions. Early DRep registration requires a 500 ada refundable deposit.

Cardano is strengthening its presence in Argentina through key initiatives, including developer workshops, the ADN event, and discussions with government officials. The ALBA program at UTN is advancing blockchain education, and a recent workshop led by IOG culminated in a graduation event attended by Charles Hoskinson. The ADN event showcased blockchain innovations, while government talks explored blockchain's potential in Argentina. Additionally, Cardano's first community-driven Constitutional Workshop was held in Argentina. These activities highlight Cardano's commitment to local engagement and blockchain innovation. The Cardano Foundation also launched the SSI Wallet Alpha Program, inviting users to test and contribute to its development.

Intersect’s organizational structure is crucial to the Cardano ecosystem, featuring seven key committees: Budget, Cardano Civics, Marketing, Membership & Community, Open Source, Parameters, and Technology Steering. These committees manage various aspects of Cardano’s development and governance. They collaborate with Working Groups and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to ensure efficient and decentralized network management. This episode provides a detailed overview of each committee’s responsibilities and their contributions to Cardano’s growth.

In 2024, Cardano is transitioning to a fully community-run governance structure, with Intersect playing a crucial supporting role. Six key developments to expect include:

1. Cardano Constitution workshops: Intersect will organize workshops to gather community feedback for drafting the Cardano Constitution.
2. Cardano Constitutional Convention: Set for December 2024, this event in Buenos Aires will present and potentially ratify the final Constitution.
3. DRep launch: The first batch of Delegate Representatives (DReps) will begin operating, enabling direct community participation in governance.
4. Intersect grants: Intersect will provide grants for technical projects and event organization.
5. Community hubs: Intersect will support local gatherings and hackathons to unite the Cardano ecosystem.
6. Governance educational videos: Intersect will release video series to educate the community on Cardano governance.