This forum thread is intended to provide information on the updates and events of FOSS Clubs GEC Palakkad, one of the 12 clubs established in the first batch of FOSS Clubs program by FOSS United Foundation.
The purpose of this thread is to post updates on the activities, event plans/reports, and projects undertaken by the club.
September - An introductory event was conducted and participants were to create their own portfolio projects.
October -As mentioned in the roadmap above, an event was conducted in collaboration with https://zendalona.com/. The speaker shared their open source journey, being blind since 4th grade and started making software and tools to help out his father. This eventually became their career.
The company maintains CoconutOS, an accessible OS built on top of ubuntu to provide accessibility to blind people.
They also talked about how to get started with open source
The event went great with a turnout of 60 people
Later on, 5 teams of 3-4 people were formed to work on FOSS projects stressing on accessibility.
A few ideas have come up, for example an OSM based map project for blind folks.
These projects are now in research stage. The teams have been visiting blind schools to interact with people and learn about their requirements and problems.
November was packed with exams and there was not much activity.
Restarting OpenHack - an initiative to help students to contribute to open source. ( @fossdot was also a participant in 2019)
Will be happy to host a Local FOSS hack
General Discussions
More activity on the forum will be helpful, documenting all major events and projects etc.
Start looping in other members of the core team (second years) into major activities, so we have potential candidates to lead the club once the current leads’ tenure ends.
ഒരു OpenSource ചായകഥ (Oru OpenSource Chaaya kadha) - A Huge Success!
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to share a quick recap of our awesome “ഒരു OpenSource ചായകഥ” event held on April 10th, 2025! It was a fantastic informal gathering.
The event kicked off with Fahad giving us a great introduction to FOSS Club, Google Arcade, and Hack Club. Arul then took the reins, giving us a detailed explanation of Google Arcade – and of course, we all got to enjoy some delicious hot tea while learning! We had a lively Q&A session following Arul’s presentation.
Next up was some fun with Skribbl.io – always a good time! Then Fahad (yes, there were two Fahads!) gave a really insightful talk on Hack Club, highlighting why it’s such a great opportunity for teenagers. He encouraged everyone to spread the word to their younger siblings and cousins.
We wrapped things up with a FOSS-themed crossword puzzle. A huge congratulations to Stefi and Niya, our winners! (Let’s just say Shadin and Hameetha knew a little tooo much ).
A massive thank you to Bhadra, Aysha Henan, Hameetha, and both Fahads for all their hard work in organizing and making this event such a success. It was a truly enjoyable evening filled with learning, laughter, and of course, chai!
Looking forward to the next one!
Best,
Mohammed Fahad
FOSS Club Core Team Member
GEC Palakkad
).