Contributors program

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Our Contributors Program

OLPC's Contributors Program cultivates grassroots efforts and mentoring enhancing the XO Laptop as an exceptional learning platform through engineering, environmental and education Projects—that open new opportunities to children the world over. Everyone is encouraged to contribute: students, technologists, educators, social workers, environmentalists, research scientists and doctors—all the way to NGO's, companies, churches and governments. Like a Science Fair, great ideas can come from anyone, limited only by your imagination.

We encourage you to borrow free XO laptops if you or your group demonstrate committed volunteerism and ongoing support of our mission and principles.

Examples of good projects

Help our OLPC/Sugar community help others:

• develop speech-to-text applications for deaf children
• use the XO as a highly portable disaster response solution
• use the XO as a low cost sensor to detect pathogens and contaminants in food, water and soil (I don't think it'll be possible, how to do it? -A.Indoria)
• create an Internet-enabled, real-time citizen journalism tool used in the developing world to help earn a livelihood
• improve, port, or develop math and science activities for students and teachers
• start a laptop-lending library with in-person tech, educator and/or deployment experts like in Washington, DC

I.E. an incredible spectrum of ideas. In other words, the possibilities are limited only by Your Creativity!

See the evolving list of projects as inspiration for your creative ideas.

No idea is too small, or too big to make a difference: share your thoughts, apply to the Contributors Program, let's explore the options together, refine project details, and support efforts to change the world!

Drafting a stellar project proposal

OLPC's community approval process tries to ensure that every project has clear and achievable goals, complete with detailed plan of action, timelines, and deliverables so your project can get going as soon as possible. Approval of your project depends on the quality and completeness of your proposal and how it advances OLPC's mission and principles.

What does a stellar project proposal look like?

OLPC requires each project to complete a Project Proposal Form. Remember, the focus of this program is to fertilize and Give Back to our community. A compelling proposal should outline your project's full life-cycle, so peer reviewers understand its detailed potential & possibilities. Strongly Encouraged: novel and creative ideas that are fun, break the mold, demonstrate your talents and inspire others!

Example detail from stellar ongoing projects:

• XOs for Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief
• 2D Game Development Kit for XO
• Educational Toolkit

Submitting your project proposal, getting it approved & receiving XO Laptops

1. Copy the Project Proposal Form into an email, and complete all 8 fields.

2. Include your project title, and all countries connected to your project, within the subject line of your email.

3. Email this project proposal to: contributors @ laptop.org

Projects undergo Community Review, and if approved by a Community Mentor (slight modifications may be requested of you!), then your XO Laptops will be shipped within a few weeks.

FAQ

Q: Why should I apply?

A: To move forward your personal goals and ideas by contributing alongside a community of XO users and contributors that is growing worldwide, making a difference in improving the lives of children everywhere. Need inspiration? Sugar Labs has some great ideas you might want to work on, as does Teaching Open Source, Google Summer of Code and our School Server page -- among many other ongoing projects.

Q: Are the new XO-1.5 laptops available?

A: Yes, beta "B2" prototypes are available in limited quantities for dedicated developers and similar volunteers as of October 2009!

Q: Which projects raise red flags, failing to Give Back?

A: People attempting "small/pilot deployments" or "demoing cool laptops in my area" will most likely be denied, unless they very strictly meet our criteria demonstrating valuable ongoing deliverables. Conversely, very strong proposals around (small deployments, outreach) will be assigned a Community Mentor connecting you with the best people doing similar work, enabling you to Publish not Perish :-)

Q: What sort of review process does my proposal undergo?

A: Each week a group of community reviewers (that you could join as well, or feel free to nominate a thoughtful advocate for your project) meets to review current proposals and to develop a consensus on their relative strengths and weaknesses. Usually a Community Mentor volunteers to help the submitter of the proposal to refine, reshape or discuss the proposal or to guide it towards acceptance. Exception: certain hardware (eg. early XO 1.5 motherboards, etc) is sometimes limited in quantity; in these cases your request will undergo a case-by-case offline review by lead OLPC engineers.

Q: Who can help refine my proposal, and promote my work?

A: OLPC volunteers will work with you to mentor and provide an open-minded sounding board for your idea!

Q: Can I complete the Project Proposal Form in Spanish?

A: Si!

Q: What time frame is expected to receive hardware & all from OLPC?

A: This depends on the thoroughness of the proposal, and any further revisions or concerns arising during Community Review, in order to clarify goals and purposes of your project. Usually, upon approval, your hardware will ship out within two weeks.

Q: How does the shipping work? What if I live outside the United States?

A: OLPC can ship worldwide, subject to customs and trade restraints.

Q: What is expected of me or my organization in giving back to the OLPC/Sugar community?

A: Try to contribute as much as possible in time and talents back to the community:

• Ongoing email updates and progress photos/videos & screenshots, and/or an informative blog you keep off of http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects
• Completed community assets such as documentation, commented source code, hardware prototypes, field test data, or outreach materials to draw attention to your work.
• Academic papers, conference talks, media coverage and friendly networking are most appreciated by our community!

Q: Can I do a project alone?

A: Yes, but XO collaboration can greatly enhance your work! Definitely apply for 2 XO Laptops if you can recruit a nearby ally to help incorporate mesh networking into your project.

Q: Will proposals for more than 10 XO Laptops be considered?

A: Proposal for 10+ XOs will undergo much more stringent review, but yes solidly-supported projects that demonstrate clear community Give Back will be approved. A portfolio and strong references can help in Questions 6 & 7 on your Project Proposal Form. In all cases, you might be asked to consider a smaller machine count, given limited resources.

Q: Can I start a Local Laptop Library?

A: Yes! While we're still fine-tuning criteria; please submit a proposal if you believe you can build a local community of contributors.

Q: Is Tech Support available to non-technical Project Leaders? Repair?

A: Yes, if you read the manual our community wrote and are still stuck, community volunteers will definitely help you. Likewise, grassroots repair centers exist in quite a growing number of countries, offering many basic repairs for a very low price. Please thank community volunteers whose service often astonishes.

Q: Can I pay for the XO Laptops I receive?

A: We are most grateful for donations that make this possible. However borrowed Contributors Program machines and shipment costs are provided free, not tied to donations. The best way to "pay" is to share your results!

Q: Can I Mentor others projects?

A: Yes, talented Community Mentors are already making world of difference today, and we would love your help, particularly if you specialize in the environment, health, pedagogy, libraries, advocacy, writing/documentation, art/design/photography, support, translation, SW or HW. The social contract we expect en route is simple: any kind of monthly conversation and web-published milestone or blog. Push project leaders to their highest calling: there's no higher honor than teaching a community to grow. Reach inside your own self by joining our Grassroots mailing list and contact "holt AT laptop.org" if you can help!

Q: Can I look at the old Contributors Program page?

A: Yes! Gracias for helping us fine-tune our many service improvements, beginning March 3rd 2009, and ongoing through 2009, when we believe XO 1.5 hardware will later become available to technical developers who require advance experimentation.

Blog and News Coverage

1. Start a Laptop Project to Change Kids’ Lives Worldwide! March 5th, 2009
   
2. Empower Kids = Get a Free Laptop! July 2nd, 2009
   
3. XO 1.5: Create, Collaborate, Contribute September 28th, 2009
   
4. Get Your XO-1.5 Laptop via OLPC's Contributors Program September 28th, 2009