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)

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?
2. SFD Branding: We used some SFD logos on posters—is this optional, or should we lean in more for future events?
3. 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’re excited to keep building Syria’s FOSS community and share our report soon. Thank you for inspiring us—let’s stay connected!

Best, Fares