This is the forum thread of FOSS club SIT which puts its focus on the event activities, club meeting agendas and progress amongst the core members. The team currently consists of 7 people from the first year on board.
Three-month plan
Currently waiting for the official approval, the team is deciding on the curriculum which is expected to be ready by the end of this month.
The team has decided to work on small scale upskill events to prepare the core team members which includes having a Linux workshop for them, and teaching the core team to debug issues in Linux, especially low-level issues related to proprietary drivers etc.
An awareness program about open-source alternatives is to be held where we’re performing community outreach on a personal basis in order to teach people about open-source alternatives to software products they use on a day-to-day basis.
The logo designing and social media set up is in progress.
FOSS club SIT
The current progress of the club includes uplifting and teaching the core team about Linux and helping them install it, the core team had already started teaching people outside the club and have successfully carried out the process. 6 people have been helped to install Linux and upgrade it which includes 3 core members and 3 individuals outside the club. The core members have started upskilling in git too. The core members have already started preparing on debugging issues in Linux, especially low level issues related to proprietary drivers, etc.
By the end of this month, the core team will be acquainted enough with Linux to conduct workshops on it. We have our social media handles set up and have actively started posting and updating it. Firstly, a community outreach post for helping people to install Linux will be posted on our Instagram and Twitter handles. From the next week, the posts will be factual. A Medium and Substack account will be set up for blogging about opensource.
The media team has undergone comprehensive training in GIMP and other design software, equipping us to successfully launch our social media presence with two engaging posts. To enhance team motivation, we’ve introduced a points system that assesses members based on their effectiveness in advocating for open source.
Our media team operates on a two-posts-per-week system. One post educates readers about FOSS alternatives, while the other shares a fascinating fact about open source. During the semester break, we will run content to help interested readers familiarize themselves with open source. This includes activities such as installing Linux, learning Git, beta testing open source projects, and assisting in bug triage. Our primary focus this academic year is on engaging 1st-year students.
In the development of our initial events, we conducted a comprehensive survey of activities hosted by other Symbi clubs. This research has helped us blueprint our first two events, crucial for official recognition as an SIT club. The inaugural event will concentrate on interactive learning about Git, Bash, and other essential concepts. We aim to showcase how open-source projects are dynamic, visually appealing, and customizable, countering common misconceptions about Linux merely being a terminal interface.
Interested individuals can register for the workshop by sending a direct message to any core team member. To ensure genuine attendees who are motivated to learn, a simple requirement for attendance is sharing the output of “cat /etc/os-release” from their system.
This event aims to establish a robust reputation through word of mouth, Instagram, LinkedIn, and physical promotional materials such as posters. Additionally, we’re exploring the use of reels on Instagram to visually highlight the benefits of FOSS, aligning with the platform’s emphasis on short-form videos.
As we approach the finalization of our curriculum, we are keen to arrange a session with FOSS United to discuss and refine our plans before formally approaching Symbiosis. Continuous skill development and adaptation to feedback will be key components of our ongoing strategy.