OLPC Friends/volunteers

This is a list of deployment volunteers from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific who are willing and interested to contribute their time and expertise for projects throughout the region. Please add your name, email address and few very short points about your skills and how you'd like to contribute into the appropriate section on this page. Please also check out the Volunteer Guidelines for some ideas about what to expect, particularly with volunteering for deployments.

If you are interested in other forms of volunteering simply check out the OLPC Friends participate page and the OLPC Friends task list.

Project leaders throughout the region will check this page on a regular basis to find appropriate volunteers. If you want to find projects happening throughout the region, please visit the OLPC Friends Forum and browse through the Projects listed.

Please use the following format to register yourself as a volunteer:

• Firstname Lastname, email address, Country of residence, skills/expertise, why you want to contribute

For example:

• Pia Waugh, greebo at pipka dot org, Australia, Open Source and project management, Because OLPC rocks!

Volunteers for Deployment Projects

Pacific Deployments

As part of your volunteer registration for the Pacific, please name any specific countries of interest if you have preferences.

• Cameron Ferstat, cam at camnem dot com, Australia, Systems Architect. I want to help in a way that is something beyond just donating some money, and this seems like a way that I can put my skills and experience to use. No specific country preferences.
• Sarah Stokely sarah.stokely AT gmail.com, Melbourne tech writer and editor with some home networking skills, and a great love of helping people discover tech. :) I'm a fan of the project and have been doing what I can to pimp it, but would love to help out on the ground and be part of actually getting OLPC out to kids. No specific country preferences, but Pia mentioned PNG in February was a possibility. :)
• Colin Wood, colin.wood AT det.nsw.edu.au Australia, Teacher and Manager in NSW Department of Education. I am currently managing the first Australian trial of 80 OLPC XOs in three NSW schools. I have a good understanding of the non-technical issues and I am very familiar with the OLPC's suite of applications and educational issues that may arise as they are deployed in schools. I am keen to work with PNG deployment in February.
• Mark McGinnes, mark.mcginnes AT transgrid.com.au, telecomms trade background (microwave/vhf/uhf radio, comms/electrical cabling etc.) currently in tech support/maintenance role (both hardware and software). I feel my coding skills aren't quite good enough to help out with the development side of things, so I would like to help out on the deployment side instead. I am keen to help in PNG in Feb, as work commitments might prohibit volunteering later on in the year.
• Scott McKean, scott AT epochlabs.com.au, Australia, Open Source sys admin / training, I want to be a part of deploying OLPC's to developing communities and and assisting them to leverage open source because I believe everybody should have access to technology that will enrich education, skills and entertainment.
• Josh McCluskey, breakin .a.t. freeshell.org, Sydney, Web Developer @ Taronga Zoo, Any place in Pacific/Aus/NZ is good :)
• Brenda Wallace, brenda at coffee got geek dot nz. New Zealand. Opensource programmer, volunteer with Wellington NZ's OLPC Friends in Testing - currently working for writing code / tech lead for mobile telcos, also keen amateur radio op (ZL2UMF). Very eager to volunteer locally in the pacific.
• Edward Murrell, edward aT Murrell period co period nz, Linux Sys-admin, programmer, currently helping with the testing stuff in Wellington. No geographical preference.
• David Baucum, maxolasersquad a(@t) gmail.com, USA, Fl, I am a programmer with most of my experience working with PL/SQL and Oracle. I want to contribute to bring education to disadvantages children.
• Denis Crowdy, denis.crowdy AT mq.edu.au, ethnomusicologist and contemporary music lecturer at Macquarie University. Range of basic coding skills (focused on music applications) for the OLPC, and have extensive experience working in PNG and the Solomons on community and institutional music projects. Fluent Tok Pisin speaker. Keen on helping with local deployments and/or development of local content.

Australian Deployments

• Pia Waugh, greebo at pipka dot org, Australia, Open Source and project management, I want to help as I believe this project is important for children everywhere and want to do my part

• James Cameron, quozl at laptop dot org, Australia, radio range testing and electrical considerations, because I'm bored and I have no life?

• Concetta Gotlieb, concetta.gotlieb at mac dot com, Australia, Teacher, ICT Integration, Digital Media, I want to help as I because I believe engaging, authentic, connected education is an important foundation for all types of kids.

• Cameron Ferstat, cam at camnem dot com, Australia, Systems Architect. I want to help in a way that is something beyond just donating some money, and this seems like a way that I can put my skills and experience to use.

• Samuel McKeon, sam at knowledgenode dot net, Canberra, Australia, Support and Training. I want to help the project by increasing public awareness and participation. I also want to train teachers who will be using the technology, so that deployments have every chance of being successful.

• Scott McKean, scott AT epochlabs.com.au, Australia, Open Source sys admin / training, I want to be a part of deploying OLPC's to developing communities and and assisting them to leverage open source because I believe everybody should have access to technology that will enrich education, skills and entertainment.

• Donna Benjamin, donna at kattekrab dot net, Australia, Open Source community development / Education sector - This is the moon landing of our time. Keen to help however I can.

• Neal Schulz, neal dot schulz at catholic dot tas dot edu dot au, Australia (Hobart), System Admin in schools, Education is fundamental to breaking poverty cycle and OLPC has potential to be a key tool in Education.

• Silvia Pfeiffer, silviapfeiffer1 AT gmail.com, Australia, open media software hacker and researcher - have a kid and run a company - would love to help disadvantaged kids get into computing.

New Zealand Deployments

• Cherie Carbines, cherie at openmedia dot co dot nz, Auckland, New Zealand. I'd love to help with logistics and coordination; anything that would be of use from here in Auckland.

• Tabitha Roder, tabitha dot roder at gmail dot com, Wellington, New Zealand. I can help out with organisation, logistics, coordination, testing, and will try my hardest to go where needed. I am an educator who regularly talks passionately about the OLPC project and have helped run the OLPC NZ testing group for about six months.
• Brenda Wallace, brenda at coffee got geek dot nz. New Zealand. Opensource programmer, volunteer with Wellington NZ's OLPC Friends in Testing - currently working for writing code / tech lead for mobile telcos, also keen amateur radio op (ZL2UMF). Very eager to volunteer locally in the pacific