😍 Fares Alkhaled reacted via Gmail <https://www.google.com/gmail/about/?utm_source=gmail-in-product&utm_medium=e...> On Mon, Oct 13, 2025 at 12:10 AM Jurgen Gaeremyn <jurgen@gaeremyn.be> wrote:
Hello Fares,
thank you for your feedback and congratulations on a successful event!
I will look to answer inside your mail... Op 12/10/2025 om 21:18 schreef Fares Alkhaled:
Dear SFD Community,
I’m Fares from Aleppo, Syria, and I’m thrilled to share that our first major Software Freedom Day 2025 event, hosted at the University of Aleppo, was a huge success! Over 250 participants—students, developers, and locals—joined us for a day of open-source celebration, organized by Sanad Youth with Digital Freedom Foundation support. Your advice on program design, local impact, and venue flexibility was instrumental, and I’m deeply grateful.
*Event Highlights*
- *Talks*: Mohammed Babelly’s “Contributing to Open Source” and Dr. Fadi Farha’s “Open Source in IoT” inspired action with practical insights. - *Activities*: Our InstallFest, interactive FOSS exhibition, and mini hackathon (3–4 challenges) empowered attendees with hands-on skills. - *Impact*: Many installed Linux/FOSS tools, joined our new Telegram group, and connected with Aleppo’s growing tech scene. (See more: https://digitalfreedoms.org/en/sfd/events/software-freedom-day-2025-aleppo )
That's great! Don't hesitate to update the event page and share information you would like to share with the global community (be it photos, recordings, slides, testimonials, ... - don't forget to have permission of the people in the images)
*Questions for You* As we wrap up, I’d love your expertise:
1. *Verification*: Is submitting the DFF post-event report (with photos/feedback) enough to “verify” our event? Any tips for a strong submission?
Software Freedom Day is a grassroots event - the strength of the event is in the local community. There is not much value to be won from frauding about organising an event. So no matter if the event is big or small, technical or amical, if you celebrate software freedom, and want to call it Software Freedom Day - you can. You are encouraged to register it on the map. The more communities organize events, the more we (literally and proverbially) put software freedom on the map.
So if you register the event on our website, we will believe you.
1. *SFD Branding*: We used some SFD logos on posters—is this optional, or should we lean in more for future events?
This is most certainly encouraged. But given it's a grassroots movement - and we basically try to collect like minded people - you are free to incorporate this as much as you see fit.
1. *Next Steps*: What have you done post-SFD to sustain momentum (e.g., meetups, press)? We’re launching a local FOSS group—any advice or resources?
We have some social media accounts (see top right on the website for links) where we share event stories. We encourage local communities to also invite political leaders and/or reach out in your local communities. Setting up a local FOSS group feels like a great outcome of the event!
We’re excited to keep building Syria’s FOSS community and share our report soon. Thank you for inspiring us—let’s stay connected!
Let's stay connected! Looking forward to see impressions of your event!
Best, Fares
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