Panel Discussion: Mentorship as an On-ramp to Open Source – Emily Lovell, University of California, Santa Cruz; Kendall Nelson, The OpenInfra Foundation; Tyler Menezes, CodeDay; Kevin Wang, Mentors in Tech; Jonathan Starr, NumFOCUS
Open source has a lot to offer potential contributors! Contributing to a project is a great way to build a technical portfolio, learn industry tools/practices, and have real world impact. In turn, new contributors help sustain healthy technical communities and enable them to grow. Mentorship can be an especially powerful tool for cultivating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive tech pipeline. Join us for a conversation about three different mentorship models serving as onramps to open source. Each panelist will introduce the work they are doing, including motivations, partnerships, and outcomes. We’ll discuss the current state and future of open source mentorship programs, plus what can be done to further advance such initiatives. We’ll also share key considerations for launching a new mentorship initiative within your own project, organization, or community – as well as an invitation to join a growing cross-sector interest group on this topic.
