Hi, I'm Bonnie Merring from the Free Software Foundation Europe and I have five minutes
to present you packing for freedom to you.
This is due to me because I'm a very last late approach and yeah, it's a bit of my
fault, but I'm very happy that the Boston people made this possible for me to present
you packing for freedom coding competition to you.
So what's it all about?
You packing for freedom is a programming competition for teenagers that will come to their eligibility
criteria in a second.
Basically you develop your own project in a period of six months and in those periods
you work on this project by yourself or in a team.
You can always ask for help and they have no limitations to the project ideas.
We know this is quite a challenge.
And we are always happy to help with coming up with a project idea and you can always
approach us during this time.
The only requirement is that it needs to be free software in the end.
So you need to publish it on their free software license.
We always help with this as well.
So if you have questions about licensing, you can always approach us.
And yeah, that's basically the idea of you packing for freedom.
Now I come to the eligibility criteria and who can actually participate.
I think not all of you are in this age area but you might know people who are or teachers
so feel free to share the information.
People between 14 and 18 can participate from Europe.
Not just you.
You don't need citizenship.
You need to live here.
So also refugees are welcome to participate.
Sadly, we cannot help with hardware in this case but maybe the local Hexpace can help
out.
And you don't, as I already said, you don't need to have the European citizenship.
So be free to share this information as I now see a bit of older phrases than 14.
And this is where they can register and you find all this information also on ufackingforfreedom.org.
And now about the programming period.
It already started for this year but we will have the next year as well and we are still
open for late registration.
So people can actually participate or join us during the whole time of the coding period.
Then they just don't have that much time as the others.
So and we know that.
We take this a bit into account.
Yeah, and there are already around 90 people who have joined up for this year's coding
competition.
So usually some of them drop out during the six months period.
And yeah, this is how the period looks like.
And during this time, we have monthly calls.
So we try to give them some input about free software, about how you actually work on projects.
There's an expert from our Shuri who tells them more about the whole topic of Git, for
example, which is quite a lot in procession or how to actually do licensing.
So we are always there.
We are approachable.
And in those monthly calls, the teenagers also have the possibility to actually talk
to each other in breakout rooms, to chat with each other and to connect to other young
people from all over Europe who are actually also interested in programming and free software.
I heard from some participants from the last two rounds that this is really an amazing
thing because they are actually building friendships all across Europe.
And then they visit each other and they form teams and they collaborate.
So it's really the spirit of free software in it.
And yeah, that's one of the things that we offer monthly calls.
Every month we have this and we have, of course, also a lot of other communication channels
where they can talk with each other.
And yeah, as I already mentioned, we help with legal and licensing questions, general
question motivation.
We don't help with the programming, but they are always like it's free software.
So they, in the spirit of free software, it's helpful for them to ask others and they are
welcome to get help if they need it from their teachers, from some other resources.
So it's not about they working on their own and if they are stuck, they are stuck.
So we try to help as much as we can.
And it's mostly about the fun.
It's mostly about this and this is very important for us and that's what we try to keep alive
with the monthly meetings.
Now for the prices.
So this is really important for the youngsters and I know that.
So as much as there is fun involved and as much there is programming involved, we also
have some pretty much nice prices as I would say.
The first place can get 4000 euros, the second place 2000 and third to sixth place still
get 1000 euros.
There are three special prices that we award for example for people from a war zone, people
from who are really young and who participate.
Yeah and that's how the sherry then gives out the prices and evaluates project after the
programming period and that's what I get.
And yeah, you can follow us on social media.
That's basically it and I'm pretty much on time.
I have one minute for questions if there is any question.
Here's again the registration link and yeah.
No questions?
Perfect.
I'm at the FSFE booth around there so if you want to approach me there and get more information,
get stickers, get posters, come to building K level 2.
Thank you very much.