BCC ComDev - please keep discussion on the concom@ list. Committers are welcome to subscribe.
We're about a month out now, and we're far from hitting capacity on the Retreat. I'm confident we'll get more signups, but I don't think we'll fill the hostel. As I've been watching GSoC mails go whizzing past, it occurred to me that it might be worthwhile as an outreach event, to invite some local students to come along. Say we reserve ten places, I'll get the word out to the local universities etc, and we invite interested students to apply by mailing a "personal statement" to [appropriate list]. (I need a better term for the personal statement - but basically a letter/essay outlining why they want to come and what they think they'll get out of it.) We review the personal statements, sort out any chaff, and then either hand out the places (if there are fewer than ten) or pick by raffle (more than ten good statements - I don't know how we would fairly "rank" people on something so subjective). I'm aiming it at students because I think they're likely to benefit, hopefully easy to inspire/encourage, and definitely easy to contact :-) If anyone wants to open it wider, I'm not objecting but also not volunteering to seek other groups out. Just a thought :-) Noirin
