HSP has evolved into a vibrant family of over 100+ curious minds, a testament to the unwavering dedication and the collective enthusiasm for learning and building shared by all our members. Our collaborative spirit continues to drive us forward, helping us foster a nurturing environment where knowledge-sharing and innovation can truly flourish.
As the third generation of leadership at HSP takes the mantle for this new academic year, we are dedicated to building upon the rich legacy established by our esteemed predecessors. Grounded in the core principles of our community, including a commitment to Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and the spirit of knowledge sharing passed down to us, we now aspire to elevate our community through new endeavours crafted to strengthen our culture and deepen our bonds, while nurturing both collective and individual development.
To ensure that all members are aligned with this new vision of ours and to promote a shared understanding, we proudly continue our longstanding tradition of composing the manifesto — a powerful charter that defines our mission and clearly outlines our collective goals and aspirations for the new academic year.
Taking a Moment to Reflect
In 2024, we stayed true to our core principles through a series of niche, hands-on workshops, engaging Fireside Talks, the Tilde Student Summer Mentorship Program and our new flagship open-source event — FOSS Talks. Our members also regularly attended and spoke at reputed FOSS gatherings. The year was brimming with resounding success as our community truly embodied the spirit of FOSS and grew as a thriving space for folks who love to build and explore!
You may have also noticed that this manifesto was published on January 28, 2025, following the conclusion of a demanding odd semester from August to December 2024. I would like to take this opportunity to address the same transparently. The intensity of the past semester compelled us to be on our toes right from the start and make quick decisions, leaving little room for the thoughtful drafting of a comprehensive document to serve as a guiding source of truth for our plans. While we successfully executed several impactful events, we did face challenges stemming from a lack of shared vision and understanding within our community, which humbly reminded us of the critical importance of this manifesto.
Objectives
Tilde 3.0
We plan to enhance our student summer mentorship program by increasing accountability and focusing on learning and productivity. Mentees will work in teams to work on projects meticulously curated by our mentors over two months. Each team will be required to present and discuss their weekly progress with a larger panel of mentors from HSP and industry professionals. The projects will continue to be developed and maintained under our FOSS wing, Homebrew, after the end of the program.
Workshops
We take great pride in hosting niche workshops, delving into emerging technologies and exciting engineering topics. Moving forward, these workshops will be targeted towards those students on campus who share our passion for learning. Our focus will shift from attracting large crowds to enhancing learning outcomes and the overall impact of each session. We will closely monitor participant engagement and incorporate more hands-on exercises both during and after the sessions to deepen understanding and ignite curiosity amongst the attendees.
Fireside Talks
Fireside Talks shall continue to be the biweekly platform for exciting technical discussions. The platform is open to all community members and even those outside the community who wish to share what they've been working on or any other interesting topics!
FOSS Talks
We aim to bring in esteemed FOSS evangelists for the upcoming edition of FOSS Talks. Our goal is to drive an on-campus initiative that exposes students to the expansive world of FOSS and engineering opportunities.
In Community Activities
HSP is a technical community that places great importance on the learning and growth of its members. While members are divided across domains for specific activities and events, we want to ensure they continue to interact and network with each other, senior members, and mentors at HSP. To drive these interactions and encourage regular exploration, we plan to hold open community-wide discussions and engineering challenges on a regular basis. Through this initiative, we hope to cultivate a strong sense of community and ensure our members fully benefit from their involvement with us.
Homebrew
We hope to continue growing our very own FOSS wing through the activities mentioned above, as well as regular contributions from open-source enthusiasts both on campus and beyond. These contributions can take the form of engineering articles, involvement in our activities or our projects and others under the Homebrew initiative.
Growing Our Presence
The community is doing great things, and with all the initiatives we have in mind, we want to build our network and showcase our activities to all the cool engineers out there. We aim to enhance our reach on active tech platforms like LinkedIn, X and YouTube, increasing our traction to open up better opportunities for the community and ensure word of our work is reaching a wider, interested audience.
Transitions
As the new semester begins, we recognize that the college commitments of our members may limit their ability to contribute as much as they have in the past. As we welcome a new batch of recruits and create opportunities for lean teams to accomplish tasks, we want to offer flexibility for those who find it challenging to keep up with the demands of their chosen domain. Members unable to meet these commitments can opt out while remaining in the community provided they actively participate in our other activities. This initiative ensures that domain-specific tasks are actively managed while preserving our sense of community, enriched by a diverse history of members.
Closing Note
We sincerely appreciate you taking the time and effort to read through this manifesto and understand our objectives for this academic year!
If you are a student at PESUECC and align with our vision, reach out to us on our social media handles or drop an email to hackerspace.ecc@pes.edu to chat with us! For community members, we look forward to your active participation in achieving our goals. Engaging with the community offers a wealth of opportunities and your involvement not only contributes to our collective success but also towards your learning and growth.
To a new journey filled with learning!
Achyuth Yogesh Sosale
Co-Lead @ HSP
28/1/2025