Ambassador Program

An open-source project grows through people who explain it to other people, not through press releases. EmbeddedOS is being built in the open, but a repository alone does not reach students, makerspaces, or engineers who have never touched an RTOS. The Ambassador Program will create a recognised group of contributors who carry the project into rooms the Foundation cannot reach by itself: local meetups, classrooms, hackathons, and small conferences. Recognition works both ways: the ambassador gets a visible role tied to a real open-source project, and the community gets a person they can approach with questions instead of an anonymous mailing list.

The design also includes a feedback channel. Ambassadors sit closest to new users — they hear what is confusing, what breaks, and what people actually build. The programme will give them a direct line back to the technical steering committee, so that real usage shapes priorities rather than guesses made at a distance.

The programme will recognise contributors who already do the work of explaining and supporting EmbeddedOS: running local sessions, giving talks, writing guides, and helping newcomers get their first build working. Recognition will be visible on the website and in the community channels, and ambassadors will get access to shared materials — slide decks, demo notes, and speaker kits — so they do not have to build everything from scratch.

In return, ambassadors will be expected to carry feedback from their region back to the Foundation: what people ask for, where they get stuck, and what their region is building. The role is tied to contribution, not status. The Foundation will keep the selection criteria public and review recognitions periodically, so the programme stays open to new people doing good work.

It is for people already active in the EmbeddedOS community or the wider embedded open-source world: engineers who answer questions on the Discord server or in GitHub Discussions, teachers who build lessons around the stack, and hobbyists who run local groups where EmbeddedOS would fit.

It is also for people who want to become those people. The programme will not require prior fame or a job title; consistent, useful contribution is the criterion. If you explain embedded systems well to beginners, or you already organise a meetup where an open RTOS stack would be welcome, this programme is designed for you.

The Ambassador Program is planned and has not started. There is no application form today, no list of ambassadors, and no schedule. The honest action right now is to register your interest: email contact@embeddedos.org, say you want to be contacted when the programme opens, and tell us what you would like to do with it — your city, your events, your sessions.

The design is not finished, and that is an opportunity. The Foundation will build the selection criteria and the ambassador materials with the first ambassadors, not before them. If you want to help shape the programme itself — what recognition should look like, what support ambassadors need — that same email is the way in.