OpenHatch newsletter, March 2013
Welcome to OpenHatch newsletter number 8.
PyCon PyCon PyCon. We were very active, and pending a big update, check out our poetry and all the conference videos. Especially check out Scaling community diversity outreach.
Sheila Miguez writes about dealing with the uncomfortable, in a women-and-their-friends event:
Hello everyone! I’ve helped run two Chicago Python Workshops in Chicago, and I wanted to explain how we handled a problem that started in the first workshop. Asheesh was a great mentor, and helped me handle a difficult situation, and it led to a new section in the OpenHatch wiki.
We’ve continued to add more to the Events section of the OpenHatch wiki. Thanks to discussion on the Events mailing list, we have some tips for how to run the closing (AKA wrap-up) portion of your next outreach event. As always, if you are interested in outreach events for your free software project or programming user group, hop on the list!
On Saturday, April 6, the Open Source Comes to Campus For Women in Computing visits Wellesley College. You can learn more at wellesley.openhatch.org. And if you live in the Boston area and want to volunteer to teach or TA or sponsor, please get in touch by emailing hello@openhatch.org!
It is also the first of the revised signup pages for Open Source Comes to Campus events. Thanks to great tips from Michael Stone on how to make it more appealing, and to Asheesh Laroia and Shauna Gordon-McKeon for building the new design. So even if you can’t attend, check out the event web page!
On Thursday, April 11, we’ll be presenting at a Wikimedia Tech Meetup about Open Source Comes to Campus. The event’s theme is students, and the internships and special opportunities to get involved in open source that are available to them. RSVP and come visit!
OpenHatchy but not OpenHatch things around the web
Sumana Harihareswara shared a moving story of above-and-beyond hospitality to newbies on the events list:
I especially appreciate that Pradeepto Bhattacharya personally took it upon himself to stop newbie attrition at the event. My Indian parents taught me a heritage of hospitality, as I remembered in “Be Bold: An Origin Story”. So this kind of heroism, the heroism of the host, speaks deeply to me.
Garrett LeSage writes “Patches accepted” is harmful: How to improve your volunteer introductions.
Emily Gonyer asks Why aren’t we promoting FOSS to kids? (emphasis added):
We ought to begin advertising our desire to teach them to use and contribute to free software, along with its benefits.
Your editor’s little bit of praise for Mozilla’s good first bug/mentored bug practices.
Prior to his illegal arrest in Syria one year ago, Bassel Khartibil introduced many in the Middle East to contributing to free software via workshops and hackerspaces. While OpenHatch struggles to make free software communities welcoming and accessible, Bassel’s imprisonment is a reminder of our relatively privileged position. Free Bassel now!
Get involved
Asheesh’s raw thoughts on how we can improve Open Source Comes To Campus and other events encouraging first contributions to open source projects. What’s your feedback and experience?