Many reading my blog will not have heard the name Richard Rothwell and thus will have very little idea of his significance in the early days of DFEY.

I first encountered Richard, like many others, via the Schoolforge-uk (SF-UK) mailing list, with his posts on free software and LTSP related subjects.

Ben Webb and I, on hearing he would be speaking at Manchester Free Software group in May 2008 about Sustainable Education Solutions, went along to see what we could gather.

As probably one of the only Manchester Free Software talks that was not been videoed (release of the videos is a separate issue!), it was a talk that I vividly remember regretting it was not being recorded mid-talk. I regret this to this day.

I am going to be speaking on Wednesday at the upcoming meeting of Liverpool LUG

"This month’s talk will be given by Tim Dobson from DFEY-NW. He will be talking about what "Digital Freedom in Education and Youth (DFEY)" is all about and how free software communities can engage with young people. He'll then open the floor to questions. This talk will be filmed and posted online under a Creative Commons Licence.

"Tim is an active member of the Manchester Free Software group and is well known at many other technical events. Having just finished his A levels, in his spare time, he enjoys dinghy sailing."

The meeting will be held on

Wednesday July 1, 2009 from 7:00pm - 8:00pm

at

Liverpool Social Centre
96 Bold Street
Liverpool, England L1 4HY

Moral support would really be appreciated!

Please pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.

DFEY-NW (Digital Freedom in Education & Youth - North West) is a group focusing on young people and issues of freedom in the digital world, based in the Northwest of England at the moment.

When
  Saturday April 25th 2009 12:30pm -> ~4:00pm

Where
  BBC Manchester, New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester, M60 1SJ
  Photo: http://tiny.pl/z7bf
  Map: http://tiny.pl/z7b1
  Nearest train station: Manchester Oxford Road (3 mins walking distance)

Attending?
  Due to BBC restrictions, you need to tell us: http://dfeynw4.eventbrite.com/
  or feel free to email us on team at nw.dfey.org to let us know you are coming...

Ubuntu 9.04 'Jaunty' Release Party
  The day before the meeting is the Ubuntu release party in Manchester.
  It looks like it's going to be a load of fun. Maybe see you there?
  Details: http://is.gd/sKLf

In case you need it, here's some contact information:
  Tim's mobile: 07922334403
  Email: team at nw.dfey.org

(Please forward this to anybody or any lists you think might be interested)

DFEY-NW (Digital Freedom in Education & Youth - North West) is a group focusing on young people and issues of freedom in the digital world, based in the Northwest of England at the moment.

In Brief

WHERE:

Meet near the strange phonemast-like sculpture thing outside Manchester OXFORD ROAD Station.

VENUE:

BBC Headquarters, Oxford Road, Manchester

To mark the upcoming October 19th meeting of DFEY-NW I have written a short essay about what I think DFEY exists for and why it came into being.

DFEY stands for "Digital Freedom in Education and Youth" - what that actually means in practise I'll get to in a second.

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When you think of the word "freedom", the first thing you probably think of is freedom of speech - the freedom to say what you want to say, when you want to say it, where you want to say it.

There are various groups and non-profit organisations commited to preserving various aspects of freedom in a digital world;

• The Free Software Foundation campaigns to keep software free of restrictions which prevent the user adapting the software to their own purpose as opposed to business models that rely on restrictive licences to curtail the user's freedom to adapt the software.
• The Open Rights Group campaigns to keep data and content free, and in the hands of the the end users - as opposed to those who are likely to abuse it.
• Open Street Map is a project to create a detailed digital map of the United Kingdom through individuals mapping their local areas using their own handheld GPS devices.

These are just some examples of the many organisations who advocate and explore the concept of using freedom to create 'cool' things in the digital world.

Please show this to any other organisations or people who you think might be interested.

DFEY-NW (Digital Freedom in Education & Youth - North West) is a group focusing on young people and issues of freedom in the digital world, based in the Northwest of England at the moment.

In Brief

WHERE: Meet near KFC, Upstairs, Piccadilly Station, Manchester

VENUE: Marbella Cafe, above Sunshine Studios, 52 Newton Street

WHEN: Sunday 19th October, 12pm -> ~4pm

SIGN UP: http://dfey-nw.eventwax.com/admin/dfey-nw-october-meeting

CONTACT EMAIL: team at dfey dot freedomdreams dot net

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MAILING LIST: http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/dfey-nw-discuss

WEBSITE: http://dfey.freedomdreams.co.uk

--

Notes from the August meeting: http://dfey.freedomdreams.co.uk/wiki/August_Meeting/Notes

Please show this to any other organisations or people who you think might be interested.

DFEY-NW (Digital Freedom in Education & Youth - North West) is a group focusing on young people and issues of freedom in the digital world, based in the Northwest of England at the moment.

In Brief

WHERE: Meet near KFC, Upstairs, Piccadilly Station, Manchester

WHEN: 12:30pm -> ~4pm

SIGN UP: http://is.gd/1ITm

CONTACT: Email - td at tdobson dot net

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MAILING LIST: http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/dfey-nw-discuss

WEBSITE: http://dfey.freedomdreams.co.uk