The Linux Foundation Member Summit

Mentorship is a powerful way to invite new contributors to the table – or repo, in the world of open source. An effective mentor can share their professional network, model problem solving skills, and offer advice on-demand for a wide range of topics – for example, writing issues and PRs, submitting conference proposals, or navigating a vast and unfamiliar codebase. Mentorship can also help grow communities; by integrating new contributors into the social and technical fabric of a project, they may be more likely to stick around. For those marginalized in tech, mentorship can also help cultivate a sense of belonging. Our academic OSPO has grown two very different mentorship programs in recent years: one pairs a globally distributed community of new contributors with academic open source research projects, and the other offers a high-touch contribution onramp to Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students via a hybrid in-person/remote format. Along the way, we’ve learned a number of lessons about what works… and also, what doesn’t! This talk will synthesize and share highlights in a generalizable way, while offering space for others to share their experiences, too.