[Linux-aus] Young people and FOSS in Australia

[Mary Gardiner]

On Tue, Feb 15, 2011, Chris Neugebauer wrote:
> The FOSS in Research & Student Innovation miniconf, which I
> co-organised with Peter Lyle at LCA2011 was proposed basically for
> this purpose, that is, giving younger people an opportunity to present
> at LCA.  I certainly would be keen for this miniconf, or something
> like it to be run again in 2012, if the interest is there from LA and
> the organising committee for 2012.

(Noting that I also don't speak in any way for the organising team of LCA2012.
This is as an individual and not promising any resources to back up my ideas.)

Right, I didn't address the overlap with your miniconf in the email. I guess
what I would propose in this direction is elevating it somewhat: that is,
timing it during the main programme, or giving it extra care and feeding above
a typical miniconf.

More broadly, you could think of there being two types of miniconfs:

 (1) a "our community is already present at LCA" miniconf
 (2) a "we want more of these people at LCA" miniconf

The current miniconf model, where a single or small number of people organise a
miniconf and mostly advertise it within the LA/LCA space, is best suited to
(1). And there's nothing wrong with (1): kernel people or Debian people at LCA
*should* talk to each other.

But the miniconf-as-outreach model is harder and could probably do with
additional investment of some sort. Your miniconf I think of as more in that
direction, also anything aimed at government, education, open culture and
similar. And the Haecksen miniconf to some extent, perhaps not as much.

-Mary