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Dear Free Software Supporter,
**The thirteenth edition of the Free Software Foundation's (FSF)
conference on technology and social justice will be held in spring
2021. The Call for Sessions is now open, and will close on
October 28th. Potential talks should examine free software
through the lens of this year's theme: Empowering
Users.**
**[Submissions to the Call for Sessions][0] are being accepted
through Wednesday, October 28 at 12:00 Eastern Daylight
Time (16:00 UTC). General registration, award nominations, exhibitor
registration and sponsoring packages will open soon.**
We invite activists, hackers, law professionals, artists,
students, developers, young people, policymakers, tinkerers,
newcomers to free software, and anyone looking for technology
that aligns with their ideals, to [submit a proposal][0] for a
session at [LibrePlanet 2021][1]. Session
proposals can focus on software development, copyleft, community,
or other related issues to this year's theme.
[0]:[link removed]
[1]:[link removed]
## Theme: Empowering Users
The theme for 2021 is **Empowering Users**. Over our thirty-five
years of campaigning for freedom, the Free Software Foundation
has seen countless people start to adopt free ["as in
freedom"][2] software as a tool to affect meaningful change in
their communities. When users have the freedom to study, change,
share, and contribute to the software that they depend on, they
are empowered to take charge of their own digital lives.
[2]: [link removed]
Right now, we are seeing people all over the world band together
to show how technology can make us safer and keep us connected
without compromising our freedoms. In education, we've reported
on people hosting their own videoconferencing services to
[facilitate free remote learning][3], and have seen examples of
educators [teaching university classes][4] with [exclusively free
software][5]. From [Italy][6] to the [US][7], parents, health
care professionals, hackers, and tinkerers are getting together
to facilitate access to much needed medical equipment to help
combat the novel coronavirus. As discontent and distrust with
technology conglomerates grows, we see calls for users to
navigate away from [Facebook's WhatsApp][8] messaging service,
and spikes in users on [decentralized microblogging][9]
services.
[3]: [link removed]
[4]: [link removed]
[5]: [link removed]
[6]: [link removed]
[7]: [link removed]
[8]: [link removed]
[9]: [link removed]
[LibrePlanet 2021: Empowering Users][10] will be a celebration of
such stories. Our work has been motivated by seeing people help
others move away from proprietary tools that embrace corporate
control and government bulk surveillance. Movements like this
help build a future that empowers users and their communities
rather than the harmful business models of monopolistic
proprietary software companies.
[10]: [link removed]
## What kind of sessions are we looking for?
* Examine free software through this year's theme, **Empowering
Users**, through broader spheres of education, licensing,
medicine, government, business, art, or social movements;
* Share an update on your free software project;
* Present strategies for strengthening the free software community;
* Explore current topics in free software licensing and copyleft, or
give a great licensing tutorial;
* Host a workshop on how to use a free software tool, free software
program, or free hardware project;
* Explore a free software concept or share your technical
knowledge in an interactive session; or
* Lead a project "sprint" (a group work session).
All sessions will be reviewed by a community council representing
a wide range of expertise. It's important to us to provide
sessions that are friendly to newcomers, as well as those that
help experienced hackers improve their technical skills. Whatever
your experience level or the experience level of your audience,
we want to include your session! If you're new to the
community, or if you're looking for inspiration, check out this past
year's [conference site and session videos][11].
[11]: [link removed]
## Will this be an in-person event?
This year has been an exceptional year for everyone, and the
future is uncertain for in-person events. The FSF will continue
to monitor public health notifications, and will follow the guidelines
of the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the World
Health Organization (WHO), and the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC).
Whether we can safely hold the event in the Boston area and enjoy
all the pleasures of meeting the community in person is not yet
known. While the goal is to hold LibrePlanet 2021: Empowering
Users in person in the Boston area, our conference planning will
incorporate the possibility of an online conference. We know many
of our attendees and speakers need to plan any travel well in
advance; we will do our best to announce the decision on
[libreplanet.org/2021][10] and by email as soon as we responsibly can.
We will take the [lessons we learned][12] from our online
experience this year with us and organize an event that is
inclusive and allows people from all over the (libre)planet to
participate. With this in mind, we ask everyone submitting a
session to tell us if they can be physically present in
Boston. Remote sessions will be reviewed with the intent of
integrating quality sessions into the schedule. As always, if you
will need help traveling to the event, the FSF is offering a
limited amount of speaker scholarships, for which you can apply
in the session proposal form. You can also donate to [help others
attend][13].
[12]: [link removed]
[13]: [link removed]
## Office hours on IRC
We will be holding office hours on Internet Relay
Chat (IRC). Those will be designated times where the LibrePlanet
team, including experienced community volunteers, will be
available to help potential speakers prepare their session
proposals for the conference. Office hours are on Tuesdays, and
start August 25 on the #libreplanet [IRC channel][14] on the
Freenode network. They will continue every Tuesday until the
Call for Sessions closes on October 28.
[14]: [link removed]
Times will be every Tuesday, starting August 25 until October 27,
from 13:00 - 14:00 Eastern Daylight time (17:00 UTC).
You can always email us at <
[email protected]> with any questions
as well.
## Share the Call for Sessions with others
Help LibrePlanet grow far and wide by sharing this [sample
message][15] on your favorite microblog. Feel free to adapt the
text and use it with the #LibrePlanet hashtag and the
included image:
<[link removed]>
*@fsf announced LibrePlanet's 2021 theme is "Empowering Users."
Do you have something to say about this subject, user freedom,
free software, digital ethics, or technology? Share it at
LibrePlanet 2021 by submitting your session proposal before
October 28. [link removed]*
[15]: [link removed]
We're looking forward to seeing all of the engaging sessions come
through. Please join us, and have your voice heard during vital
conversations on free software's role in empowering users at
LibrePlanet 2021.
Kind regards,
Zoë Kooyman
Program Manager
-----
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