Re: [edu-eu] CodeWeek.EU - call for participation

[Guido Arnold]

Hello Marko,

[stopped the cross-posting for now, just did it to get the word out.]


On Sat, Sep 27, 2014 at 02:36:51PM -0700, Marko Dimjašević wrote:
> 
> While I agree it's nice to get some of the codeweek.eu events
> free-software-minded, I believe that the coding week wasn't meant to be
> ethical in this way in the first place. Starting with the website (they

Yes, we've been aware of it. But hijacking _some_ events is better than
doing nothing, don't you think? 

> proprietary-software-dependent), trying to make look the event free
> software-ish doesn't help much. I agree that whoever attends a free

There seems to be a misunderstanding: I don't want to make the events
look FS-ish. I just want to get as many kids aware of Free Software as
possible. 

> with proprietary software events (e.g. [1]) will just make free software
> look like a yet another legitimate option, thus completely bypassing the

As things are, we can be happy if kids learn that there _is_ an
option. 

> I see others might disagree, but things fail when not built on solid
> grounds. The coding week doesn't seem to have solid grounds, at least

I'd be happy for any suggestion on how to reach more kids with the
same resources.

I see codeweek as an opportunity to surf on its PR-wave, use the
venues that have been made available and benefit from the admin work
that has been done by others just to offer a helping hand teaching
kids to code AND tell them about software freedom. 

It's a bit like cryptoparties: If no FS advocate is among the
cryptoangels, the participants will go home totally unaware that it
was FS that they installed on their machines or what FS even is or
why it is important that it has to be FS to be even considered
trustworthy... 

IMHO we've got to be present at events where interested, open minded
people show up. It's the best audience we can possibly get if we don't
want to preach to the choir. 

If _we_ don't show up and talk about FS, nobody will.

All the best,

Guido


-- 
Guido Arnold                       Free Software Foundation Europe
http://blogs.fsfe.org/guido    []           Edu team & German team
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