When I first signed up for the YLAC High School Achievers Program, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to get out of it. I was interested in learning more about civic responsibility and finding better ways to advocate for FOSS beyond the usual “it’s free” or “it respects your freedom” arguments.
By the end of the program, however; I ended up questioning the way I approached that problem in the first place.
The program’s structure felt somewhat disjointed at first. Each day seemed to dive right in into a completely different topic, from our privileges and biases to social movements, NGOs, democracy, governance and the Indian parliamentary system. I couldn’t quite see how all of these pieces fit together.
Looking back after completing the program, however, I think that was the point.
The first few days were less about giving us answers and more about making us examine the assumptions behind the answers we already had. Through many of the interactive activities, we were encouraged to think about and re-imagine our privileges, biases and core beliefs. That made me realise how correct an opinion may feel to you when you have never had to question where it came from.
The next few days gave us a way to apply that thinking to something bigger than ourselves. We looked at movements ranging from women’s suffrage and the US civil rights movement to the more recent RTI movement in India, along with the work of different NGOs. The interesting part wasn’t simply what these movements believed, but how they managed to convince other people to care.
Even though these movements had very little in common with each other, there were certain things that kept repeating: clear demands, non-violent action, and, most importantly, the use of music, art and storytelling to make sure their message didn’t just get forgotten as another headline. YLAC made me realise that an argument’s strength and accuracy isn’t enough to create meaningful change; how that argument is conveyed can matter just as much or more. This is especially important in the realm of FOSS advocacy where most of us just use the same arguments of either philosophy or monetary benefit while promoting its use.
The program also covered democracy, governance, and the Indian parliamentary system. While some of the civics content was familiar from school, hearing it discussed in the context of why institutions evolved the way they did and how ideas like the Magna Carta, the RTI Act, and citizen participation fit into a much larger story made it feel much more relevant. Additionally, through the guest sessions, I was able to observe public policy as more than just the buzzwords people use online. People in this field are able to make real difference in government, adoption of tech and so much more, and it was good to see how it happens.
Looking back, YLAC wasn’t as much of cramming the basics of History and Civics into 7 days, but more so cramming the ideas behind what we are taught in History and Civics in the same 7 days, which is arguably a bigger feat. More importantly, it changed the way I think about advocacy: instead of just asking whether an argument is correct, I now think more carefully about whether it gives someone a reason to care.
For something like the FOSS ecosystem, that might mean spending less time explaining why we believe software should be free, and more time showing people why having control over the software they use matters to them.
PS: Thanks FOSSUnited for sponsoring my attendance of the program :D