Source Camps got attitude!

"Source Camps teach an attitude. A different way of looking at technology. Geek-culture!"

Source Camps aim to demistify technology by bringing members of civil society together for hands-on sharing and learning. Technology is a tool (not a master). Source Camps deal with FOSS not so much in the context of software, but in the context of a different mind-set that emphasises sharing, and collaboration.

"After seven days everyone emerged as one familiy. Even today people still keep in touch." Fred Noronha (speaking about AsiaSource)

Source Camps have a unique open source / peer-to-peer approach to learning and teaching. They are designed to maximise opportunities for peer learning, as opposed to teaching by experts. The success of Source Camps ultimately depends on the right mix of people. Participants are carefully selected to ensure high levels of motivation and a mix of backgrounds. The facilitators set the stage for each event without dominating.

How Source Camps came about

Source Camps were developed to connect the open source software community and non-profit organisations in developing countries. Tactical Technology Collective identified the lack of development and use of FOSS by NGOs and decided to bring people together to do something about it in their regions.

"[T]he main gap we see is that there is a lot of talk between technology and NGOs but very little work [is being done] at the practical level. Conferences take place, but nobody on the ground knows how to implement it." Stephanie Hankey

In order to change that, Source Camps are practical, hands-on workshops at the grassroots level. They address three key obstacles to FOSS adoption:

1. The need for local support,
2. The lack of awareness and marketing of FOSS, and
3. the lack of a self-supported local community of practitioners.
   

Additional Information:

• Interview with Stephanie Hankey (Tactical Technology Collective co-founder) http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8184

Previous Source Camps

The first Source Camp was held in Croatia, in September 2003. Since then, Camps have taken place in Namibia, India, Tajikistan and Uganda. Future Source Camps are planned to take place in Middle East/North Africa, South/East Asia.

The best way to learn about Source Camps is to read about previous ones, and browse through the wikis created by participants and facilitators during the camps (wikis are not available for the first two camps).

• Summer Source - Croatia, September 2003
  
• Africa Source 1 - Namibia,March 2004
  
• Asia Source - India, February 2005 - wiki and page created by participants
• FOSS Road - Tajikistan, 2005 - wiki
• Africa Source 2 - Uganda, January 2006 - wiki

If you would like to read more about source camps please follow those links

The philosophy behind Source Camp teaching and learning

"The most powerful tool you brought to this event is your voice. Use it often. It is not ok to be a spectator!" Gunner

The workshops focus on learning by doing, rather than just listening. The aim is to create more of a "workshop vibe" as opposed to a "conference vibe". The location (in the countryside or on an Island), shared housing, and nature of the sessions ensure high energy levels and strong, active participation. Source Camps create an atmosphere conducive to learning and fostering longer-term relationships. They are specifically designed to foster community building.

The participatory approach to training is challenging for those used to more traditional workshops, in which experts present knowledge to an audience. At Source Camps there is no distinction of experts and audience: everyone is part of the community of peers who are sharing experience and expertise, and learning from each other. It is crucial to invite facilitators (our term for trainers) who understand and can support these kinds of self-organised learning networks.

"While it is difficult for some people to let go of the idea of 'experts', there will never be an 'expert panel' discussion at Source events." Marek

The workshops are lead by a core group of facilitators that has emerged over the course of the last few years, together with a range of facilitators from the respective region. All facilitators have strong experience of working in the non-profit sector and deploying free and open source solutions.

"These are not the hard-core geek types that scare users away when they earnestly and helpfully try to explain why Asynchronous JavaScript And XML is really going to rock their world; rather, these are the peacemakers who spend much of their professional (and often personal) lives brokering a gentle understanding between entirely non-technical end users and the technology tools that they either need to use to get their jobs done, or the technology tools they should use to do their jobs better." Janet Haven on her blog

Although facilitators are specifically invited, there is no clear division between participants and facilitators. This approach softly encourages a culture in which expertise is exchanged and people learn from each other. Through this, participants come to realise that there is enough experience in the field, and peer communities are strengthened and built.

"I learned a lot about the needs of NGO's from around the world, and even more about the key issues that make Free Software and Open standards so important everywhere in the world. In a sense, the inspiration to take one more step away from running a company and towards starting an NGO for real, came from the Summer Source camp." Tomas Krag, head of the Danish NGO wire.less.dk and facilitator guru

More information:

Good facilitation is the key to Source Camp success. Please have a look at Facilitation Source Camp-Style for more information on our approach to teaching and learning and some practical guidelines on how to implement it at your event, including notes on finding the right facilitators.

Source Camp outcomes

"Africa Source 2 was a spectacular event that has ever happened in my life. It was amazing meeting so many people willing to share out knowledge with others at absolutely no cost. One of the biggest inspiration for me in Africa Source II was making friends and networking with lots of people, 'the geeks'. I was a techie volunteer and i was among the guys who set up and managed the network at the source camp." Evelyn Namara on her blog

The focus on community building is a conscious move to encourage the formation of new ideas and relationships during events. Source Camps are catalysts for future projects and partnerships between participants and event partners. This is demonstrated by the high level of self-organised post-event follow-up and collaboration between participants. The development of local networks supporting each other can be seen on the mailing lists, and concrete outcomes range from a suite of FOSS projects in Tajikistan (four training events, a roundtable, a Tajik version of linux, a FOSS resource centre and now a regional Central Asian FOSS training and networking event is in planning) through to new partnerships between software developers, technical support groups and school networking organisations (this was the case in Uganda when three organisations collaborated to successfully set up 250 refurbished computers in schools, implementing a Norwegian educational distribution called Skolelinux).

"First, I believe we succeeded in strengthening the social network of FOSS practitioners in Africa. This is essential for building FOSS capacity in Africa; participants now have relationships and contact
information for those who can help them to move forward in their migration to FOSS technologies. Second, more than 120 participants left AS II with practical, hands-on experience and know-how about migrating NGOs and schools to FOSS. These skills include assessment, planning, deployment, configuration, training, and support." Allen 'Gunner' Gunn

Volunteerism

Source Camps are characterised by a willingness to share and participate - among organisers, facilitators and participants. Volunteering to work together to make the workshop a success helps foster group integration and creates a sense of responsbility. Some examples include:

• As facilitators arrive at the Camp on the day before the workshop begins, they get a tour and introduction by the small group that set up the Camp. They are then expected to welcome the next group of arrivers, and so on.
• If possible, participants help in the kitchen and make sure the Camp is clean from rubbish. This is not always feasible as it depends on the agreement with caterers and the venue.
• Participants help prepare the venue for sessions, copy and compile the Welcome Pack, and are encouraged to involve themselves as much as possible.

Skillshares usually provide a setting for participants to teach their peers, drawing from their areas of expertise and passion. "Skill" is broadly interpreted, spanning not only systems and software but also strategic know-how, from fundraising and process models to all manner of production techniques. The focus is on demonstrating "how to" and "how it works" in 20- to 40-minute time slots, with audiences ranging from 1 to 10 people. Workspaces for skillshares are provided, but some resources including projectors and Internet access are often limited. It is important to ask people to plan accordingly, and bring any necessary digital assets on CD as well as any required tools or gadgets.

"Tomorrow we have sessions on translating and localizing software, on gender issues, and on business strategies. A long block of time in the afternoon is set aside for free-form, peer-to-peer, "skill-shares" on such topics as using public-key cryptography, building F/OSS applications around SMS and other cellular phone technologies, tips on tuning large databases, and many others." Kwindla Kramer for ONLamp.com

The Bazaar

"The bazaar, was designed to bring implementers and developers together for discussion, brainstorming, alliance building and visioning. Lying on rugs, drinking Turkish tea, participants exchanged Open Source ideas, projects and visions, trading in currencies of creativity and learning... As the camp came to an end, a new era of close cooperation between NGOs and the free and Open Source community had just begun" Linux Magazine on Summer Source

"The Bazaar" has two meanings at Source Camps:

• It is an area of the camp that is usually laid out with rugs and cushions, where Campers can drink tea and exchange ideas, projects, visions and skills, trading in currencies of creativity and learning.
• One afternoon during the Camp it becomes a trading place for things and services. Campers give presentations, teach local songs and dances, trade goods and ideas, and practice the bazaar-style spirit of free and open source. Previous Camps have had bead necklace design sessions, Polish speaking lessons, and juggling lessons alongside security demonstrations and other tech talk. Timeframes for exchange fall in the range of 2-10 minutes, and participants are encouraged to present visual and tactile presentations.

Additional resources:

• Read what Frederick "FN" Noronha has to say about Asia Source's Bazaar, and look at photographs of Bazaars at previous Camps.

Difference between Skillshares and Bazaar

To clarify the differences between the Skill-share and The Bazaar: the Skill-share is comprised of relatively structured training sessions occuring in parallel, with sessions that last 30 minutes to an hour or more. The Bazaar resembles a big party, with all participants gathered together for free-form interaction, sharing and inspiration.

Screwdriver Sessions

"Screwdriver Sessions" are organised ad hoc, based on requests from participants. All participants are encouraged to ask for particular practical skills, or to offer to teach others. In the screwdriver sessions, participants build something together: roll up their sleeves, get out the tools and get their hands dirty. Examples from previous camps follow. The picture on this page shows a screwdriver session at Summer Source.

Asia Source

• Build a fifty dollar GPS data cable (by Schuyler Erle)
• Assemble a "Cantenna" (by Tomas Krag)
• Technical aspects of photography - Kiran Jonnalagadda

Summer Source

• Assemble network cables (by Tom Rusiecki)
• Check the inside of a laptop (by Tomas Krag)

If you have been to a Source Camp, please add your voice!

Summer Source:

Ian Lawrence from Brazil

"Without SummerSource I would not be implementing a shift to OSS software. It was only after talking with the participants of the camp and actually having 'hands on' experience that I felt confident enough in my own abilities to install and maintain the software. More important, however, was actually having confidence in the software itself and in the community which supports it. I gained this as a direct result of the camp and it has made a lasting impression on me and I hope it will too on the people I am working with here."

Eugeniy Lobanov, Belarus

"The most important for me was the knowledge about F/OSS using and implementation, because before the camp we practically didnt have relevant information about implementation of F/OSS solutions for NGOs and some other stakeholders. Also, it was extremely important to receive a professional overview of existing F/OSS solutions and a comparison of F/OSS to licensed software. After the camp we switched 2 of our computers to the Knoppix operating system. And we decided to start a project devoted to the promotion of F/OSS among NGOs in Belarus"

Tomas Krag, head of the Danish NGO wire.less.dk

"I learned a lot about the needs of NGO's from around the world, and even more about the key issues that make Free Software and Open standards so important everywhere in the world. In a sense, the inspiration to take one more step away from running a company and towards starting an NGO for real, came from the Summer Source camp."

Jeffrey Starin

" Woodstock in a server room. And like that electrifying event in the summer of 1969, the Summer Source Camp for NGOs 2003 may very well be remembered as a turning point, a spark that successfully ignited the imaginations of both the unconventional, high-IQ open-source software developers and their activist implementer counterparts.... the Tactical Tech collective deserve kudos for taking thorny and politically charged agendas and artfully weaving them into a collective learning experience for all."

Linux Magazine

"The bazaar, was designed to bring implementers and developers together for discussion, brainstorming, alliance building and visioning. Lying on rugs, drinking Turkish tea, participants exchanged Open Source ideas, projects and visions, trading in currencies of creativity and learning... As the camp came to an end, a new era of close cooperation between NGOs and the free and Open Source community had just begun"

Africa Source 1

Slashdot.org

"Africa Source was a mixture of structured and semi-structured discussions with loads of good 'ole hacking thrown in to boot. With workshops ranging from i18n to wireless hacks to running a MOSIX cluster, there were plenty of hands-on sessions for folks to attend. The first ever Kiswahili spell checker was developed and released during the conference, a testament to the activity of those involved"

Andy Wingo on his blog

"... wonderful to meet other hackers of the continent, and especially seeing quality home grown hackers working on home-grown solutions"

Kwindla Kramer for ONLamp.com

"Tomorrow we have sessions on translating and localizing software, on gender issues, and on business strategies. A long block of time in the afternoon is set aside for free-form, peer-to-peer, "skill-shares" on such topics as using public-key cryptography, building F/OSS applications around SMS and other cellular phone technologies, tips on tuning large databases, and many others."

Asia Source

Ethan Zuckerman for worldchanging.com

"In a thatched roof pavillion ten kilometers from downtown Bangalore, a hundred geeks are clustered around laptops. There are a few American and European faces, but most of the geeks are from Asia: Indians, Philipinos, Burmese, Thai. While some are editing video, most are wrestling with installations of Ubuntu Linux. At intervals, they break off to play ping pong, shoot some hoops, or play a little cricket, before retiring to the onsite vegetarian dining hall."

Click here for the full article.

Africa Source 2

Janet Haven on her blog

"You wouldn't normally expect to learn about open source software, organizational technology needs, or the finer points of information strategies for advocacy groups while sitting on the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda. Nor would you normally hope to bring 140 people from all over Africa to Ssese Island, a spot known for its natural beauty, curving white beaches, warm afternoons, and slow pace of life, and expect them to remain excited about those topics for seven days running.

But it happened, and this, in a nutshell, is the magic of the Source Camp series that the Tactical Technology Collective has led over the past three years."

Read the whole article on Janet's blog

Gunner interviewed for newsforge.com

"First, I believe we succeeded in strengthening the social network of FOSS practitioners in Africa. This is essential for building FOSS
capacity in Africa; participants now have relationships and contact
information for those who can help them to move forward in their
migration to FOSS technologies.

Second, more than 120 participants left AS II with practical, hands-on experience and know-how about migrating NGOs and schools to FOSS. These skills include assessment, planning, deployment, configuration, training, and support. We look forward to watching them collaborate on the mailing lists, and to hearing their success stories and reflections both online and when next we convene.

Read the whole article on newsforge.com

Evelyn on her blog

"Africa Source II was a spectacular event that has ever happened in my life. It was amazing meeting so many people willing to share out knowledge with others at absolutely no cost. One of the biggest inspiration for me in Africa Source II was making friends and networking with lots of people, 'the geeks'. I was a techie volunteer and i was among the guys who set up and managed the network at the source camp."

Becky Faith for Pambazuka News

"Women from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and Egypt got together to discuss how they might advocate for open source amongst women. Mentoring for school-age girls to get them to consider information technology as a career was seen as a top priority. The openness of the FOSS community was seen as a great opportunity for learning and participation by women."

• Strengthen group integration
• Expose diversity of cultures and traditions
• Create a relaxed environment for further learning
  

Off Agenda programme items occur during "free" time in the afternoon breaks and evenings. Internally, it can be divided into passive and active activities. Activities are based on local resources, and are yet another chance for participants to not only interact with each other, but also engage with the event hosts and their culture.

Afternoons

In the afternoons, all the labs are open, and sport facilities are prepared ready for those requiring more physical activities. Where possible, additional creative opportunities should be created. In Bangalore in 2004 CF John, an artist in residence, worked on a gigantic mural with all the participants. It was used as a background to a discussion about intellectual property and copyrights, and was finally cut into over 100 pieces for all participants to take home. Dance and yoga workshops were also organised for volunteers. The event location is important in determining afternoon activities: Summer Source and Africa Source 2 were located by the sea shore and a lake respectively, that created great opportunities for relaxing and swimming.

When there is opportunity, contributions to the local communities are important. In Uganda, a group of 30 participants built a water source for the village.

Evenings

In the evenings, there are usually a variety of events occurring in parallel. An informal, welcoming space should be created on the first evening, for people to get to know each other (this has sometimes happened around a bonfire).

There is also usually a local dance/theatre evening, with local "indie" performers. Music is a key feature at least twice during a Camp, in the form of DJing and a final farewell party on the last evening. Other evenings feature, for example, "open mic" singing competitions, games evenings (when participants teach other various group games), and film screenings.

Outing Day

Outing day holds some exciting fun for all, and options for activities range from hikes to visits to projects in the vicinity, and volunteer contribution to local activities. Outing days are ideally used as case studies to highlight issues that relate to the skills learned during the tracks.

Examples of outings for previous events:

• Africa Source 2 participants helped a local project build a well. They also walked through the orchards, had a boat ride on the lake, and went hiking.

Add extra fun stuff

• Include a sport-like event, such as stretching-yoga.
• Freeform talks occur between evening programme and sessions, and usually involve presentations on unusual topics, e.g. subversive technology and culture jamming.
• New Reality Development Kit - See NRD Kit
  
• Culture jamming - See Sniggle
  

Facilitators

Facilitators are selected by the organisers, with input from the advisory group and the team that creates the agenda for the event. Facilitators are from a variety of backgrounds and organisations, and predominantly selected for their previous experience, complimentary expertise, relevant knowledge, and patience and ability to share and promote learning in others. They are drawn from three pools:

1. Active FOSS implementers and advocates, technology/NGO practitioners and researchers in the region. This group will include hackers, trainers, technical support professionals, programmers, support professionals, writers and theorists.
2. Experienced trainers. A limited number of people will be invited from the pool of trainers that have been identified and developed through previous Source events. These trainers are from Africa, Europe, North America, Central and South East Asia the Middle East and Latin America. They are selected according to their relevance to regional needs combined with their ability to bring unique expertise to the event.
3. New facilitators. We have found that the best way to ensure that new expertise is identified and acknowledged is to identify new facilitators from the application pool. All facilitators are expected to take part in the event beyond their own sessions.
   

We have a large network of expert trainers and facilitators who we have worked with in the past. If you need help identifying the right people, please contact us (details are on the Collaborate With Us page).

Promote dialogue as much as possible

Do not fall into the traps of either wanting to hear yourself talk, or trying to ensure that great facilitators that have been flown half-way around the world have enough room to talk. It is important that the content of the discussions is driven by all participants sharing their needs, knowledge and experiences. It is vital that lead facilitators prevent others from falling into traditional lecturing mode. Learning should occur primarily from and between participants.

Encourage participants to talk and ask questions

Ensuring that participants are continually asking questions leads to relevant, needs-driven content, application and learning. The difference between conferences and Source Camps is that the former often celebrates expertise, while the latter focuses on the knowledge needs of the participants.

A few good quotes from Gunner, the facilitation guru:

"You cannot say great question too often. The currency in which we trade, the currency of this event is the question."

"The people in this room form the largest library of knowledge. It is up to you to make sure to claim what you want to take away from here. Ask questions!"

"If we build the social connections, that is the most important learning we can do."

"The question drives the spirit to share"

Facilitators = Participants

The Source Camps' power emerges as participants share their skills and expertise with one another. Some parts of the programme are specifically designed to encourage every participant to share their hidden talents as much as possible.

Additional resources:

• Have a look at the Running the Programme page for general info on the sessions and content
• Also, ssee the section on skill-share session on the Special Sessions page
  

It's ok to relax (sometimes)

Source events are long and stressful, and sometimes it's alright to just send people to the beach and let them relax or suggest more breaks and lower the intensity of the course for a while.

Focus on process and content

For each session, facilitators are asked to share an inspiring vision of the issue and to prepare session plans with their session peers. Sessions should be focused on results and collaboration; participants will hopefully leave each workshop with new knowledge and new acquaintances with whom the dialogue can continue. Aiming for maximum involvement of every participant brings out hidden expertise that exist in every group. Facilitators promote honest communication and creative problem solving, and celebrate accomplishments and contributions. The approach to facilitation places emphasis on individual learning paths - facilitators are guides rather than "teachers". Along the way, checking understanding is key, especially when using acronyms and other technical jargon.

Facilitating facilitation

Reflecting on the day passed and planning for the day ahead is essential for ensuring that facilitators are in touch with -- and thus able to effectively meet -- the needs of the participants. The sense of community that is so important for generating a positive environment comes from spending a significant amount of time with fellow facilitators. However, to prevent these meetings from creating a separation between facilitators and participants, it's important to explain what the meetings are for, and to invite anyone who wants to attend to join in.

All you need to set-up a Spectogram, is to draw a huge line on the floor of a big room, and ask a question that allows a range of answers. For example, "what is the key priority for supporting FOSS in Africa: technical support or localisation?" "Localisation" is then represented by one end of the spectogram, and "support" by the other. Participants position themselves according to their opinions, and a facilitator walks around with a mic and everyone explains their position. Participants are encouraged to move along the spectogram as they refine their opinions.

Additional resources:

• Choosing a good location is the first step and discussed in more detail in the Booting Up section
• A checklist for the crucial things you have to organise and take along to your Camp is at Camp Logistics Check-List
• A description of layout and technology is on the Camp Layout page (and an example map at Camp Map)
  
• Take a look at the extensive At The Camp FAQ (frequently asked questions)
• The Welcome Pack provides the most important information to arriving participants

The remote challenge

The logicstics of getting everything and everyone to the camp on time can be very difficult if transport is challenging. Anything forgotten or left behind might be difficult to get at short notice. Plan carefully, and double-check that you have all essential equipment.

Camp preparation

About 1.5 weeks before the event, a small team travels to the location to start preparations.

• Check local resources and amenities and organise delivery of needed equipment
  
• Gather resources for the event (materials for bazaar, office, resources not available locally, first aid, music, walkie-talkie)
• Set up venue (See Camp Layout for more on this)
• Finalise logistics for evening sessions, side sessions and the outing day
• Prepare Welcome Pack (venue, agenda, participant list with bio's, badge, ...)
• Prepare invoices for registration/arrivals
• Ensure that facilitators have all the equipment they need for their sessions
  
• Conduct an intro meeting with facilitators. Facilitators usually arrive at least one day before the camp starts
  
• Each space in the camp needs to be named, and a map created (see Camp Map for an example map)

Additional resources:

• Use the Camp Logistics Check-List to make sure you don't forget anything.

Getting to the Camp

A number of things can go wrong when it comes to participants' travel. Wrong or missing travel logistics information can lead to participants having no-one to meet them them at the airport, or the need for a transit hotel not being identified. It is important to have someone responsible for dealing with travel logistics and related issues such as lost luggage.

Some things to keep and mind and tips for organising travel:

• Letters for visa applications are often required
• Ask participants to reserve their own flights (Some may need funding prior to doing so, so be sure to take time lag for wire transfers into account -- see Travel Reimbursement for more information).
  
• Ask for confirmation of the track, flight details and arrival times, travel costs and banking details.
• Prepare a travel schedule, with arrival and departure times of all participants, facilitators etc.
• Provide detailed instructions on how to get there and what to expect from the trip. Those involved in Africa Source know that a six-hour bus ride on a dusty road is much more manageable if participants know what to expect!
• Provide information on any travel restrictions or requirements, including vaccinations or visas.
  
• Contact lists are important. Emergency contacts for everyone (from participants to organisers) need to be compiled.

Genderalize

"Women from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Malawi, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and Egypt got together to discuss how they might advocate for open source amongst women. Mentoring for school-age girls to get them to consider information technology as a career was seen as a top priority. The openness of the FOSS community was seen as a great opportunity for learning and participation by women." Becky Faith for Pambazuka News

• Different cultures and religions have different comfort levels regarding the sharing of space between genders. As a general rule, assigning separate sleeping and washing areas for men and women can help avoid problems.
• Have a strategy for people that want to bring their children. At Asia Source no children were allowed. In order to have women, you probably want to be flexible.
• It can be useful to have a woman and a man involved in the planning of the camp layout as they will bring very different perspectives and understanding of gender issues.

"A noteworthy dynamic was the percentage of women participants. Afrca Source 2 was more than 35% women, and we'll be striving in future events to achieve a full balance. Groups such as LinuxChix Africa were well-represented, and a good number of facilitators were women." Allen 'Gunner' Gunn

NGO-in-a-box

During each Source Camp, a special edition of NGO-in-a-box is created. One organiser needs to be responsible for collecting software and documents that were created during the camp; getting photos and videos that were taken by participants; and then burning them onto CD Roms, and packaging and distributing them to all participants on the last day.

Additional information:

• More information on what NGO in a box is
• The website for the ngoinabox.org project

Documenting the event

"The camp journalists are the Open Content crew. Building a weblog and wiki using Plone, they interview and photograph each of the camp's participants. Videographers shoot most of the sessions, editing them on open source video tools (discovering, in the process, that open source video editing is a task for the very brave and very geeky)." Ethan Zuckerman about Asia Source

Documenting the Camp as it is happening has shown to be a great way of putting learned skills to the test (especially if there is a content track that focuses on publishing) as well as building a shared memory of the event.

• Documentation can take many forms, including photos, movies, recordings, blogging.
  
• Facilitators and organisers should actively collect information from participants (mapping, FOSS in your language, software needs, development survey, interviews etc.)
• Keep an eye out for potential outcomes other noteworthy events, which could also be included in updates you send to funders during the event.
• Sometimes bandwidth restrictions make documenting the event on a public website (remote from the location) difficult. In this case collect all content locally, but make sure to have at least a regularly updated blog that is available from the outside.
  

One tool that deserves special mention is the Camp wiki. For each camp a Wiki is created during the planning phase. It is then migrated to a local server at the Camp site to update and manage the agenda and create a community space for participants to store their work. After the Camp, the wikis are made available over the Internet again and they serve as a permanent repository. The best way to find out what the Camp wikis are all about is to have a look:

• Asia Source Wiki
• FOSS Road Wiki
  
• Africa Source 2 Wiki
• Asia Source 2 Wiki
  

Additional resources:

• See the Media Outreach Plan for more information

Travel Reimbursement

Travel reimbursements take a lot of time and effort and -- because you are dealing with significant amounts of money -- is not without risks and problems. In some countries, bank accounts and wire transfers are not common, which means a large number of participants will need to be reimbused in cash during the camp. This requires careful management of security and logistics.

Additional information:

• See Travel Reimbursement for more information and guidelines.

Take problems in stride!

"Things that can go wrong will go wrong. Someone cut a live wire over the heads of the participants. Sparks were flying all around. Customs officials confiscated power socket strips." -- Gunner

Sometimes things get hot, humid, stressful -- keep your cool and relax. Most problems will be solved some way or other, and projecting your stress on the participants will only create a negative atmosphere that probably makes finding solutions more difficult. Expect to absorb higher levels of stress and solve problems rather than complain about them. It is also useful to have one dedicated technical person, who is in charge of dealing with complex or time-consuming problems - this frees up the other facilitators to focus on running the workshop.

"If things did not go wrong all the time, it would not be the same, and we would not learn as much about using technology in challenging environments. The whole spirit of the event would change. It's a little bit like the army, dealing with all the difficulties and challenges as a group, brings you very closely together." -- Michal

Managing emergencies

There are usually two levels of elevation for dealing with emergencies:

• Facilitators generally address whatever problems arise, unless they are
• Serious problems (e.g. medical emergencies) in which case the organisers need to be involved.

Especially medical emergencies require special planning and procedures:

• Ensure there is someone who can provide first-aid onsite!
• Make sure you know how to get injured persons to a doctor or hospital and how long the transport will take.
• Have phone numbers of doctors / hospitals at the camp.

General guidelines for dealing with emergencies:

• Try to be as familiar as possible with the camp: know where to find things, and how to deal with problems and emergencies.
• Be prepared to adjust the teaching based on availability of Internet and/or electricity.

The occasional problem

Each Camp is a learning experience and various little ways to do things better are discovered each time. Some are provide here:

• Be very strict with walk-ins! While there are many reaons why friends, relatives, or strangers might want to join the fun, only admit additional people as an exception. More people means more work and the original list of participants has usually been carefully selected for their abilities and motivations - something that can not easily be guaranteed for last-minute joiners.
  

• It is not common, but possible, that one participant or facilitator misbehaves in a way that requires him or her to be "kicked out". This is a serious decision that can only be taken by the organisers and should be reserved for extreme cases, where the presence of that individual lowers the positive impact of the workshop. For example, an individual that offends others based on their gender or religion is probably not a positive element of the camp vibe.