FSCONS Manifesto

This is the official Manifesto for FSCONS. The association appreciates your feedback: Please discuss and give us your input, reflections and suggestions in the wiki.

Purpose

Föreningen FSCONS exists to provide a meeting place where subjects relating to freedom within society, culture and technology can be brought to life in peer discussions. Föreningen FSCONS should provide a forum where people, organisations and public sector, with interest in the three subject areas can meet in a participatory and constructive dialogue. The combination of topics creates a platform where new co-operations and thoughts can emerge which allows the participants to find new sources of inspiration.

Background

FSCONS stands for Free Society Conference and Nordic Summit. While initially founded as Free Software conference Scandinavia, the conference has evolved into a yearly conference with a much broader scope - focusing on the interaction between culture, society and technology. The conference was first held in 2007 as a small but focused free software conference in Gothenburg. In 2012 the non-profit association Föreningen FSCONS was founded. Since then, the members of the association organise the conference FSCONS, in collaboration with other organisations.

Foundations

1. The participants make the conference:
   FSCONS should generate new ideas and the interaction between peers is important. Everyone contributes according to their ability.
   • Volunteers are participants:
     Volunteers are participants who work during scheduled shifts as part of their contribution to the conference.
   • Speakers are participants:
     Speakers are participants who give scheduled presentations as part of their contribution to the conference.
2. Participants respect each other:
   We are non-discriminatory and accessible. We take an active stand for everyone’s equal value, fundamental rights and freedoms. All participants are equally welcome. We do not tolerate harassment in any form.
3. Föreningen FSCONS wants low barriers for participation:
   We actively work to make sure that our activities are accessible to everyone, regardless of experience, physiology, social class etc. We are open, transparent and inclusive in how we work, and what we do.
4. FSCONS lets different opinions interact:
   We encourage a constructive dialogue between different stakeholders. The content should challenge the participants’ views, and encourage new thinking. We must dare to approach and talk about new subjects.
5. Föreningen FSCONS works for sustainability:
   All work carried out by Föreningen FSCONS should contribute towards a sustainable society and ecology.
6. Föreningen FSCONS is more than a conference:
   Föreningen FSCONS wants to promote discussions of freedom, equality and change within the areas of society, culture and technology throughout the year, not just at the annual conference.

Goals

Below are the goals that Föreningen FSCONS have set for the annual conference. The goals should ideally be measurable, identifiable and attainable.

List of goals

FSCONS should:

1. equally address the following subjects:
   • Society, including integrity, privacy, freedom of speech, human rights and access to knowledge,
   • Culture, including visual arts and crafts, literature, performing arts and the broad spectrum of newer cultural expressions,
   • Technology, including software and hardware in a broad meaning, as well as questions of infrastructure and networks
2. spark interesting discussions and co-operations
3. have an equal gender distribution among participants, within a 60/40 interval
4. be accessible in accordance with the guidelines proposed by Myndigheten för Delaktighet
5. have an awareness of HBTQ issues among participants, based on the guidelines proposed by RFSL
6. counteract discrimination of participants due to region of residence or origin
7. have low barriers for participation, encourage first-time participants and incorporate their experiences
8. work for a sustainable society and ecology, in accordance with the guidelines proposed by Naturskyddsföreningen
9. be financially self-supporting, while setting aside funds for side-events and future activities of the association

Approaches to accomplishing the goals

1. Organise social events, with discussions and informal talks
2. Invite the public sector, non-governmental organisations, corporations and other organisations to contribute to FSCONS, to incorporate FSCONS in their internal training programs, and to take part in the ongoing discussion on culture, society and technology
3. Collaborate with organizations working for equality, such as and Kvinnofolkhögskolan, Geek Girl Meetup and Duchess Sweden
4. Collaborate with organizations working with disability issues, such as DHR; continue collaboration with Nordiska Folkhögskolan
5. Collaborate with organizations working with HBTQ issues, such as RFSL
6. Collaborate with organizations working against discrimination based on region of residence or origin, such as Stiftelsen Expo
7. Invite people to participate in the organization and implementation of FSCONS
8. Establish a system of mentors who guide and involve new participants in FSCONS
9. In the interest of long-term sustainability, adopt policies and approaches of established organisations when available; prioritise member run organisations over larger organisations
10. When interacting with other organisations, reach out to members deeper in their hierarchy to give them the opportunity to gain experience, and to alleviate the pressure on high-profile representatives
11. Recycle and reuse materials, and choose local and sustainable alternatives whenever possible in order to minimise our ecological footprint
12. Collaborate with organisations working for sustainability, such as Naturskyddsföreningen; continue collaboration with Omställningsrörelsen
13. Encourage sharing of ideas to promote a more equal and sustainable society
14. Establishing a dialogue with the sponsors of FSCONS
15. Measure and evaluate our approaches in terms efficiency and impact in meeting the goals