Re: [seul-edu] LUG advocacy

[Dominic Knight <dom@overseal.uklinux.net>]

On Monday 05 February 2001 12:41 am, Douglas Loss wrote:
> Yet another decision from that meeting.  We plan to produce a
> "press kit" and advocacy material on how to work with schools
> and the media on getting Linux into education and then contact
> at least one person at each LUG on the planet.  We'll use the
> GLUE site to develop the first list of LUGs, and then add new
> ones as they appear.  The material we send them will give
> information on how best to approach the schools, what kind of
> responses they might expect and how to deal with them, etc.  We
> hope to persuade a significant percentage of LUGs to "adopt" a
> school or a district as long-term ongoing projects.

Hi I am running a LUG in the UK and have just got my local Junior (age 6-11) 
School to let me install Linux on 3 (so far) computers they had donated (they 
wouldn't let me loose on their new stuff). An advocacy kit would have and 
still will be, a great help. It took me 6 months of steady pressure before 
they became interested, I installed one and doubt they will now look back. 
They still have difficulty believing it can be free though and wonder what 
the catch must be, ha, ha. 

I find this to be a task that requires a great deal of time on the part of 
the main LUG member who takes it on, you may have to train pupils as well as 
teachers but they probably take it on board quicker anyway, in the end the 
result makes it worthwhile. It is worth remembering that the pupils will 
advocate Linux to their parents for free if we get it right.

I think you are right on the adopt a school approach, it will give the LUG 
opportunity to ensure the fewest errors possible are made by devoting their 
spare time to the one school, also the teaching staff are the best people to 
enthuse about the project to other schools, so at the next school you will 
not have to begin your advocacy from the beginning, they will be asking for 
you :)

Regards,
Dominic (South Derbyshire Linux User Group. U.K.)