Goal
The main goal here is to raise awareness and onboard students into open source and Fedora.
I will tailor some of the content that would fit students in high school (this is to - inspire and introduce) and universities (Deeper engagement and contribution opportunities).
Things to keep in mind when hosting university + high school events
General planning
Get approval early from the university/high school admin - this can take time depending on where you are coming from, so the earlier the better.
Confirm venue, date, and time before any public announcement. Ask about Wi-Fi, projectors, chairs, etc. to get to know what you may need to come with during the event.
Plan around the school calendar - avoid exam season or midterms.
Keep it short and engaging - attention spans differ: for example high school = under 90 mins; university = max 3 hrs with breaks if needed.
Think swag or takeaway - even small stickers or certificates can boost interest and memory.
Involve the community - tell Fedora folks early; they might send swag, join remotely, or amplify your work.
Promotion
- For University: Post on WhatsApp groups or other channels, notice boards, class reps, and tech clubs.
- For High School: Ask teachers to gather a class or two - don’t rely on students to self-organize.
- Create a simple poster or graphic you can reuse across platforms.
- Share a Matrix invite or follow-up doc for those interested.
Content Strategy
- Keep high school content fun, visual, and inspiring - don’t dive into commands or Git unless super simplified.
- For university, go a little deeper - show actual workflows, demos, and contribution platforms.
- Don’t overpack content - 3-5 key takeaways per event is enough.
- Use real stories (yours or others) to make open source feel accessible.
- Live demos? Always test beforehand and have screenshots ready in case Wi-Fi dies.
After the Event
- Collect feedback with a short Google Form or QR code.
- Share a blog or recap to celebrate the work and show proof to future sponsors/schools.
- Follow up with interested students - even one person joining Fedora is a win.
High School Event Plan
Theme: “How You Can Use Free Softwares”
Duration: less than 1.5 hours
Audience: Ages 15–19, likely no coding experience
Topics to Cover
- What is Open Source? (fun examples like Wikipedia, Firefox, Linux Operating Systems)
- Why it matters: fixing problems, making cool things
- Your journey in tech (make it real and relatable)
- A glimpse into Fedora/open source (light, no tech deep dive)
- Quiz or simple game with rewards (stickers, goodies, etc.)
Tools to Use: Slides with images, memes, maybe a short video clip.
Goal: Spark interest and plant a seed. Not expecting contributions yet.
University Event Plan
Theme: “Open Source as a Career Launchpad: Code, Docs & Community”
Duration: less than 3 hours (with breaks)
Audience: CS students, devs, contributors, or tech-curious students
Topics to Cover
- Why Open Source? Career, portfolio, and purpose
- Intro to Fedora and how the ecosystem works
- Demo: How to contribute (choose one: docs, code, or design)
- Highlight programs: Outreachy, GSoC, etc.
- Fix an issue (sprint) (if time allows)
- Next steps: where to join, what to try next
Tools to Use: Live terminal, slides, Fedora project repo(s), Matrix links
Goal: Show that contribution is actually doable and has impact.
My experience - Fedora at Murang’a University
The event went really well, although for this one, I had organized together with another community, Avalanche Kenya.
Getting early approval and working with the tech club made planning smooth, and having follow-up links ready helped students take next steps right after the session.
If you’ve run similar sessions in high schools, I’d love to hear how you approached it - what worked for that younger audience?
Thanks to @jonatoni and @theprogram for the support, let’s revive the community engagement again!