++The fourth round of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom (YH4F) is +officially underway, with its opening event on 9 January. Sofía, one of +the 2024 winners, gives us an insight into her project, how she came up +with her idea, and her experience of the competition in general. Find +out more! And do not forget to register for this +edition! +
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++A new edition of +Youth Hacking 4 Freedom (YH4F) is starting this week with its opening +event on Thursday 9 January. At this event, the YH4F organizers will explain how +this competition works ad will solve your doubts so, if you still +haven’t done it, register! This +unique programming competition, organized by the Free Software +Foundation Europe, encourages young Europeans to develop a personal +technical project under one premise: whatever it is, it has to be Free +Software. But it is more than just a contest: it's an opportunity for +young talent to showcase their creativity, learn new skills, and +contribute to their community. +
+ ++We spoke with Sofía Aritz, one of last year's winners, who shared her +journey from doubting to register to participate due to a lack of ideas +to winning with her project Identity, a project she +developed almost at the end of the programming +phase. Identity is a general purpose memory storage app, but +the data you store in Identity has an unlimited number of use +cases such as medical ones, helping people suffering dementia, +palliative care, depression, etc. +
+ ++FSFE: Hi Sofía! First of all, congratulations on +being one of the winners of the last round of YH4F! Could you please +briefly introduce yourself and tell us what you like to do before we +delve into your project? +
++Sofía: Thank you very much! My name is Sofía Aritz +and I am 18 years old. I love reading and programming, these two have +been my greatest passions for the last decade. Over the years, I’ve +applied my computer knowledge in different areas: music, databases, data +sovereignty... +
++FSFE: What was your first experience with +programming and how did you start learning it? Was it with Free +Software? +
++Sofía: My first experience with programming was at +the age of five, when my uncle gave my mother a printed copy of the +Python tutorial. The prospect of being able to control a computer was +one of my biggest motivations for learning to program. I was able to +learn Python thanks to both the tutorial and the fact that it is Free +Software. +
+Register for Youth Hacking 4 Freedom 2025!
+ Register ++FSFE: How and why did you decide to join YH4F? What +do you like the most about the contest? +
++Sofía: Although YH4F was exactly what I had been +looking for years, I had doubts about joining it because at that time, I +had no (good) ideas and I was in my last year of high school, so I was +quite busy. But since it sounded really good [a programming contest for +young people who could work on whatever they wanted!], I thought about +it and finally joined at the end of February 2024. I was sure at the +end, I was going to have an idea. +
++About what I like the most… It's hard to choose: the concept of YH4F, +the groups meetings, my peers… +
++FSFE: So, when you joined, you didn’t have an idea. +How did you come up with your final project, Identity? +
++Sofía: I didn't come up with the idea of Identity until the +programming phase was almost over. My mother is a singing teacher, but +she's done some medical work in the past. One of the things she +researched was the relationship between dementia and music. Over the +years, she has tried to look for things similar to Identity, but +couldn't find any. Then one night, we started talking about the +relationship between dementia and music, and the idea of Identity became +a reality. +
+ ++Since I didn’t have any meaningful ideas in mind when I joined, I +started working on an application to help my school manage their +computers, but similar Free Software projects already existed and the +idea didn’t really appeal to me. I also had a couple of other ideas that +I worked on for a very short time, but I can’t remember what they +were. +
+ ++In the beginning, Identity was going to be a music-centric app with +integrations to platforms such as Libre.fm, Spotify… but after +discussing possible use cases and who Identity could be useful to, we +landed on the current concept of Identity. Together, my mother and I, we +came up with the current idea of Identity. +
++FSFE: What motivates you to work on your project? +How can Identity be useful for everyone? +
++Sofía: What motivates me the most is the fact that +Identity can help millions of people, not just those with dementia, but +everyone! That's why I'm currently working on the project. +
+ ++Right now Identity is just a general purpose memory storage app, but +the data you store in Identity has an unlimited number of use cases. +What I'm currently researching is how memories can help people in +different areas: dementia, palliative care, depression, etc. +
+ ++On a technical level, I plan to implement a plug-in system that will +allow anyone to use the data they store for specific purposes: from +things like an "Identity Wrapped" to more medically focused use +cases. +
+ ++This is one of the open questions from my presentation during the +award ceremony, and even though things are clearer now, it is not yet +resolved, but I am working on it! +
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++FSFE: What were the main problems or challenges that +you encountered during the programming phase? +
++Sofía: I didn't face many technical challenges while +working on the project. I used a tech stack that I was familiar with and +didn't worry much about code quality and scalability. I had a huge time +constraint and I decided to just build a proof of concept. +
+ ++The biggest challenge was working on the project without having a +clearly defined idea. I started coding while I was still discussing with +my mother what Identity would become and what Identity +would be used for. +
++FSFE: Did you work on your project alone or had any +help by others? How did you learn so much about the needs of elderly +people? +
++Sofía: I did all of the programming myself, but I +got feedback and ideas from a dozen of people who were really invested +in the idea of Identity. Without those people, especially my mother, +Identity wouldn't be what it is today. +
+ ++I did a lot of research into how the use of memories could benefit +palliative care and dementia patients, but the cornerstone in the +initial phases was my mother. She had already done research on these +topics some years ago. +
++FSFE: How has participating in YH4F and working on +your project affected you personally? What have you learned about +yourself through this experience? +
++Sofía: Participating in YH4F has changed my life for +the better. I've learned how to manage projects efficiently, how to work +on a project whose requirements change constantly, how to give and +receive constructive and actionable feedback… +
+ ++I've always had loads of energy and motivation and, thanks to YH4F +and my current internship at the FSFE, I can focus that energy and +motivation on changing the world for the better. +
++FSFE: Do you think you will continue working on your +project and what would be some next steps you would like to take? Are +you planning to improve the documentation so that more people can reuse +your projects? +
++Sofía: Of course! Right now I'm working with some +doctors specialized in palliative care and with some experts on the +field of data security to make sure that Identity is as secure and as +useful as it needs to be. +
+ ++I'm rewriting Identity with a focus on scalability, interoperability, +security, and modularity, and one of the things I am focusing on is +proper and useful documentation. In the future, Identity may have to +interoperate with existing medical systems, so documentation is one of +the most important aspects of the project. +
++FSFE: Is there any kind of advice that you would +like to tell new Youth Hacking 4 Freedom participants? +
++Sofía: I have a huge list of advice I would give +people participating in Youth Hacking 4 Freedom, but there is one that I +would highlight: don't be afraid to submit unfinished projects! +
+ ++Identity works, but there are many things that don't (e.g. the +trustee system) and I thought about not submitting Identity to YH4F. +
+ ++Thankfully my mother encouraged me to submit it and my life has +completely changed for the better ever since! +
++FSFE: What are your future plans in the area of Free +Software? +
++Sofía: I'll continue working on Identity and +contributing to Free Software projects, as I've been doing for the last +few months. But my focus has shifted. I have just started an internship +at the FSFE, in which I will learn how to do public awareness and policy +work to improve the state of Free Software in Europe! +
++FSFE: Thank you Sofía for your time and for sharing +your thoughts and insights about Youth Hacking 4 Freedom. It is a +pleasure to welcome you to the FSFE staff team! It is truly amazing to +see what you have accomplished due to Youth Hacking 4 Freedom. +
+ ++The 2025 edition of Youth Hacking 4 Freedom started on 1 January with +its programming phase. On 9 January, the competition will officially +kick off with an opening event in which participants will get all the +information about the contest and will be able to solve all their +questions. Moreover, the event will count with the presence of former +participants that will tell about their experience and will give some +tips how to find a project and make it into the winner ones. +
+ ++Late registration is possible but we recommend you +to register as soon as +possible to be able to meet other participants. Check out the YH4F website to find out all the details of +this competition or feel free to reach out to the organisers via mail! Thanks to our donor Reinhard +Wiesemann and our sponsor Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH for making this competition +possible. +
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