OLPC chapters

OLPC chapters are national and regional groups founded expressly to promote and support the OLPC mission and projects. They are formally incorporated groups, and must apply to become a chapter.

Chapters also often work with smaller local deployments or trials as a test-bed for other work in that region.

Local groups that want to start working on related projects right away, before incorporating and applying to become a chapter, can set up friends of OLPC groups.

Chapters

Local chapters are incorporated groups. They often take on many local projects including:

• Developing locally relevant content and software
• Providing online support for deployments in their region
• Localizing Sugar and activities into local languages
• Creating a community of people supporting OLPC's principles and working towards regional sustainability around trials
• Organizing and hosting events and workshops around OLPC
• Communicating about OLPC initiatives in the local press, and to the local free software and open education communities
• Helping local communities communicate with the global OLPC community
• Connecting local universities with the OLPC mission

Requirements

To apply to become a chapter, a local group should talk to the OLPC chapters committee. Chapters will need to incorporate and apply for non-profit status in their country.

For details, or to apply to become a chapter

1. create a page about your chapter on the wiki, and add it to the proposed chapters section below
2. publish a link to the founding documents for your organization
3. talk to the OLPC chapters committee about your interest.

   we are setting up this committee to help chapters form and review chapter applications; leave a note there, or contact sj, with questions or ideas.

Current chapters

• OLPC Austria [1]
• OLPC Australia [2]

Regional groups with formal incorporation

• OLPC France [needs agreement]
• OLPC Deutschland [needs agreement]

[1] an old MOU, not the current process
[2] a special case in more ways than one

Proposed chapters

• OLPC Colombia (ideas from Rafael and Pilar; they have formed another related non-profit)
• add yours here

Friends of OLPC

Friends groups are generally unincorporated and less formal groups. Any group that is supporting OLPC's work and mission can set up a Friends of OLPC group for their city, region, or country. Most current regional groups fall into this category (regardless of their name).

Friends groups can use a 'Friends of OLPC' badge when organizing events and programs related to OLPC, and can call themselves "Friends of OLPC <countryname>" or "OLPC Friends <countryname>" (but see OLPC Friends). They do not need to wait for permission to do so; though to use such a badge they should indicate their willingness to use it only in association with OLPC efforts, and to avoid using it to suggest partnerships or collaborations between OLPC and other organizations.

Current friends groups

• OLPC Friends (could be an umbrella group for others)
• MassXO
• most projects linked from regional groups

Points of discussion

Proposals

• Normalizing existing group names, so that groups casually called "OLPC <country>" are renamed, reserving that name for a potential national chapter.

Questions

• Developing-world governments often give undue weight to credentials.
  • In what ways is this good? Should there be a way for individuals to become named members of a chapter?
  • In what ways is this risky? Is there an extra need to be careful about credentials where they are more likely to be misconstrued?

Draft chapters agreement

Draft chapters agreement

Draft Friends-group agreement

Draft friends agreement