Teaching others about FreeBSD and helping it grow doesn’t require a developer background — it just takes someone willing to show up and talk about why this project matters. Whether that’s presenting at a local meetup or bringing FreeBSD into a classroom, community advocacy is one of the most effective ways we grow the project.

Is There a Local Event Where You Could Represent FreeBSD?

Is there a meetup, conference, or user group in your area where FreeBSD could use a voice? We’re always looking for community members willing to represent the project locally, whether that means giving a talk, staffing a table, or simply striking up conversations about FreeBSD. If you’re speaking about FreeBSD at an upcoming event, let us know; we can help spread the word, and our Travel Grant program may be able to help cover the cost of getting there.

Thinking About Hosting a Table or Booth?

If you’d like to run a FreeBSD community table at an event, you don’t have to figure it out from scratch. We’ve put together a set of Community Table Guidelines covering everything from talking points and etiquette to what to bring and how to handle tricky questions, so you can focus on the conversations instead of the logistics. Reach out to marketing@freebsdfoundation.org for a copy, and don’t forget to grab logos, stickers, and other materials before you go.

Bring FreeBSD to Your Class or Club

We’re also launching a new way to connect with students directly. If you’re a student who’d like someone from the FreeBSD community to speak virtually to your class or club, you can now request a virtual speaker through our new speaker request form. Whether your group wants an introduction to FreeBSD, a walkthrough of installing it for the first time, or a conversation about careers in open source, we’ll match you with someone from the community who can join your class or meeting remotely.

Advocacy doesn’t have to be complicated. A five-minute conversation with a professor, a slide deck at a local user group, or a sticker handed out at a hackathon all move the project forward. Ready to get involved? 

Request a virtual speaker, tell us about your event, or reach out to marketing@freebsdfoundation.org with questions.