The news that 175,000 USB memory sticks loaded with open source will be granted to French high school students at the onset of the next school year, brings some critical questions to the surface regarding the importance of exposing young minds to open source. Namely,
- Where does reaching a younger demographic fit into the 'To Do List' for the global open source community?
- Where is a good starting point?
- Does open source naturally reach younger audiences, with its low barrier of acquisition and participation?
- What immediate impetus is there? What are the long-term benefits?
- Grassroots, commercially backed or both...which are most appropriate?
- Is it too early to begin to facilitate direct, bi-directional relationships as low as the high school level?
- What most needs to be communicated to the youth about open source? Yes, the source code is open and products can be cheaper, but what else should be conveyed?
- How much awareness is there about open source, considering the fact that it's fundamentally changing the makeup of the very business and IT landscape most young people will inherit?
- The USB memory stick adds a nice touch to 'handing out' open source software. What are some other easily realized [see: cost effective] methods of distribution.
- Should open source advocacy groups be more active in this area? Where does it rank in relation to advocating for the enterprise and government IT sectors?
These and similar questions are all, at the least, worth investigating even if their according solutions might not be in full scope at the moment. More growth tends to require more outreach as a balancing factor, so perhaps now is the time to attempt to more effectively reach different ages/groups/categories.
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