<div dir="ltr">You have got teens joining FLOSS projects, but possibly not enough, although that could be since school takes up a fair bit of time. That said, i've been a contributor to ubuntu for a year now (i'm 14), and i'm pretty sure i'm not the yougest from australia.</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 1:05 PM, Kim Hawtin <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kim@hawtin.net.au" target="_blank">kim@hawtin.net.au</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
I've spent a little time thinking about this thread, the greater issue<br>
of new folks entering the FLOSS world and especially getting younger<br>
folks into the field. I'm no wordsmith, so please bear with me.<br>
<br>
On 30/10/13 17:19, Glen Turner wrote:<br>
> But I know my merit is the result of considerable investment of<br>
> time and energy by many dedicated people (including many people<br>
> on this list who have patiently explained things to me).<br>
><br>
> Now I am old enough to start paying that education forward<br>
> to the next generation.<br>
<br>
Helping get folks a foot in the door feels like the hardest part.<br>
This is precisely why I've put so much effort into our local user group.<br>
<br>
From time to time new folks show up, ask heaps of questions, I try to<br>
direct them to the right forums that should be able to answer their<br>
questions, then you don't see them again for many months.<br>
<br>
Are we much scarier than we think we are? (Or is it just me?<br>
Is everyone here thinking, is it just me?)<br>
<br>
> I would hope that as I do so I give everyone the same opportunity.<br>
> But I know that just by being an old, loud, opinionated man that<br>
> this won't be true for some young, shy, reserved women --<br>
> they're slightly afraid of me, I'm slightly confused by them.<br>
<br>
I know if I stumbled upon LinuxAus/LinuxSA or similar when I was a teen,<br>
I certainly would not have been able to engage in any meaningful way.<br>
Meeting and interacting with new people is difficult, still.<br>
<br>
So as much as educating new people who might be interested in FLOSS, our<br>
community, conferences and user groups, we need to educate ourselves.<br>
<br>
In the broader sense of being able to give them a soft landing. Guide<br>
them to the communities that can provide them with information for their<br>
immediate quest. Our part is to start them on their path to discovery of<br>
the tech and our community.<br>
<br>
> I've no problems with Linux Australia running special programmes<br>
> to help people whom us older folk scare upon first contact.<br>
<br>
Of all the programs that LinuxAus runs, I hope this helps the *whole*<br>
community educate and support, not just the current of involving more<br>
women. I hope that it enables a whole new way of thinking about how we<br>
help new people explore our community and show what it has to offer.<br>
Women *need* to be a part of that.<br>
<br>
I am unsure of the time lines, but I am aware that there will be a<br>
MakerFare in Sydney 'soon'.<br>
<br>
I volunteered at the recent MakerFare in Adelaide. I answered questions<br>
on just about everything on offer on the day. To my eyes there was no<br>
gender imbalance there, in the parents or kids. Most interestingly there<br>
were many parents there, looking for ideas that interested their kids.<br>
It was as much education as entertainment.<br>
<br>
The most frequently asked questions asked of me, about me, by parents;<br>
"what do you do for a living", "what got you into that" and "what got<br>
you interested to volunteer for MakerFare". At the time, not something<br>
I'd really thought about too much.<br>
<br>
Perhaps MakerFare is a venue for education about LinuxAus? Certainly an<br>
event for folks in LinuxAus to have ones eyes opened about what<br>
interests kids. Certainly started me thinking about the kinds of things<br>
I was interested in when I was 'that age' and what set me on the path<br>
that lead me here.<br>
<br>
So, what am I saying there? Only with ongoing engagement with the<br>
public, will you get posed the hard questions that we as a community<br>
haven't thought of. We have to take a look at those questions, the<br>
feedback and the ongoing relationships with people "outside" the<br>
community. We need to evaluate and feed it back into how we educate<br>
ourselves to educate the public about our community. We have to be<br>
careful that we don't become disabled by those challenges, the need for<br>
change and not fall into the insular trap of it all being too hard.<br>
<br>
Perhaps we can look to others who have trod this path in recent times?<br>
I bumped into this TEDx this morning, although I'm sure there is plenty<br>
of more appropriate material closer to the task at hand;<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp9PfqUQ8a4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp9PfqUQ8a4</a><br>
<br>
For those that don't do flash or youtube;<br>
"David Goldberg talks about seven skills that engineers are<br>
missing, skills that are essential for them to be effective<br>
in the 21st century."<br>
The key points that young engineers need to learn;<br>
- Ask questions<br>
- Labelling patterns<br>
- Modelling conceptually<br>
- Decomposing the problems<br>
- Experimenting in the field<br>
- Visualising solutions<br>
- Communicating<br>
<br>
I'm not suggesting that everyone needs to be an engineer. Really the<br>
'problem' that we all have overcome, to some degree, is learning how to<br>
learn. That is the skill we should be able to impart to people joining<br>
our community.<br>
<br>
Most of the responses I have in conversations with new folk that come<br>
along to our user group is "I don't know the answer to your specific<br>
problem, so look in these places, ask on these mail lists and ask on<br>
these IRC channels..."<br>
<br>
The 'investment' that Glen talks about. Something LinuxAus can do, is<br>
help provide *paths* to learn. So folks can be educated about paths to<br>
investment in skills they thing value.<br>
<br>
Its not just about attracting one group or another to the FLOSS<br>
community. People will take advantage of that help if they see it<br>
scratches their itch, solves a problem or helps then find the joy in<br>
discover, or sense of self achievement.<br>
<br>
HTHs.<br>
<br>
regards,<br>
<br>
Kim<br>
<br>
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</blockquote></div><br></div>