[Foss-outreach-la] Welcome to the organizing group for open source outreach events in LA!

[Shauna Gordon-McKeon]

Glad to hear from you, Miguel.  :)


>
> B) My dream for an open source education event would be introductions into
> the open source community via hackathons in the inner-city (South LA, East
> LA, etc.) aimed at youth, minorities of all kinds & even for the elderly
> (I studied Gerontology in college & did Alzheimers research so I don't
> want us to forget about the aged). It could be held at schools, colleges
> or community centers. LA now being over 50% Spanish-speakers, I've got
> some ideas to engage this traditionally underrepresented group, as well.
>

I'm curious what you like about hackathons.  I've found them to be a mixed
bag myself -- I think the best ones focus on skill-building and
community-building, not on product-building.  I'm happy to talk with you
about changing around Open Source Comes to Campus's structure to better fit
a hackathon style if that's what you prefer.

Also, I've said this before but it's worth reiterating: just because we
focus on college students doesn't mean we're uninterested in reaching a
broader range of folks.



>
> C) Having organized quite a few events over the years, I'd be happy to be
> an organizer & a mentor. However, I'm terrible at asking sponsors for
> money so I usually leave that job to others. Considering that OpenHatch
> would be organizing this as well, not sure how much of that is needed.
> Being here in LA, I'm very interested in getting together with folks on
> this list & brainstorming ideas on what type of event would touch on
> everyone's passion points, pool our resources/contacts together & make an
> awesome event that can serve as a model for future events of its kind
> here.
>

You definitely don't have to ask people for money if you don't want to.  At
OpenHatch we usually try to find local and/or corporate sponsors rather
than cover the cost of events ourselves, but we do have a backup fund as
well.

My sense is it's best to start planning an event, and then as folks see
ways they can help or changes they'd like to make, they can get involved
and/or start planning follow-up events. So if you're interested an
organizing - let's get started organizing an event!  :)

- Shauna




> > Hello everyone,
> >
> > This is Shauna Gordon-McKeon of OpenHatch.  We met at SCaLE in February
> > and
> > talked about Open Source Comes to Campus <http://campus.openhatch.org/>,
> > and about running open source education/outreach events in the LA area.
> > As
> > I mentioned to many of you, I want to put you all in touch with each
> > other,
> > so we can work together to make these events a reality.
> >
> > I'd love it if folks could introduce themselves by saying:
> >
> > A) who they are and, if they'd like, what they do/what their background
> is
> > B) what their dreams are for an open source education event (where?  what
> > size?  aimed at who?)
> > C) in what capacity they'd like to be involved (organizer, volunteer
> > mentor, attendee, etc)
> >
> > I'll start:
> >
> > A) I'm Shauna Gordon-McKeon.  I work at OpenHatch and run our Open Source
> > Comes to Campus <http://campus.openhatch.org/> event series.  I've got a
> > particular interest in FOSS for scientists and FOSS built to serve
> > humanitarian/social justice purposes.
> >
> > B)  I'd love to see us run multiple events in the area, and to be part
> > of/grow the ongoing FOSS community in the area.  We're very open to
> > adapting our curriculum for high school students or other groups, and
> > we've
> > also been experimenting with running both shorter and longer events.
> >  Basically, we want to do what works for you.  I am especially excited
> > about reaching out into new communities and reaching more
> underrepresented
> > groups.
> >
> > C)  I live in Boston, so I won't be able to attend most events but I can
> > help with most aspects of planning.  I can be available remotely for most
> > events, and may even be able to attend a couple (I may come back to the
> LA
> > area either around Grace Hopper (August) or SCaLE next year).
> >
> > It was a pleasure to meet all of you last weekend, and I'm looking
> forward
> > to working with you.  :)
> >
> > - Shauna
> > _______________________________________________
> > FOSS-outreach-LA mailing list
> > FOSS-outreach-LA at lists.openhatch.org
> > http://lists.openhatch.org/mailman/listinfo/foss-outreach-la
> >
>
>
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