I’m speaking at Open Source Summit Europe in Amsterdam next month, and I hope to see you there. My session, “Unlock Growth and Talent—Effectiveness of Mentorship in Open Source Projects,“ isn’t just about stats or program structure; it’s a direct invitation to reshape how we bring new contributors into open source.
This talk is for maintainers, contributors, community builders, and anyone else who wants to see OSS thrive long-term.
🧭 Why Mentorship and Why Now?
Too often, we lose good people at the start. It’s not a lack of skill but an unclear path that led to their departure. CNCF’s mentorship programs, including LFX Mentorship and community-initiated pathways, provide a structured approach for newcomers to learn, contribute, and eventually lead. Mentorship isn’t about hand-holding; it’s about guiding individuals to discover their own path.
I will demonstrate the outcome of maintainers inviting contributions and providing guidance.
🧱 We’ll Talk About the Hard Parts
The real blocker in OSS isn’t lack of interest but a lack of access. I’ll walk through how mentorship helps fix that by:
- Aligning project needs with contributor growth
- Designing a mentorship experience that leads to long-term community health
I’ll also share mistakes we’ve made and how we adjusted. I will cover how some mentorship projects fell short due to scope creep or unclear expectations. That feedback loop helped us better train mentors and create more focused, achievable proposals.
🔍 What You’ll Get from This Session
I’ll walk through how to:
- Build a mentorship path in your own project
- Set mentees up to actually land PRs
I’ll share examples of successful mentee pull requests and offer concrete advice on how to give timely feedback without burning out. Expect real-world stories, updated data, and fresh takeaways from recent mentorship terms.
🛠 Who Should Come?
- Maintainers wondering how to grow contributor pipelines without burning out
- Community folks working on contributor strategy, DEI, or onboarding
If you’re any of the above—or are curious what works in practice—this session will be worth your time.
🗓 Mark Your Calendar
Session: Unlock Growth and Talent—Effectiveness of Mentorship in Open Source Projects
When: 25 August, 2025, 11:00 – 11:40 CEST
Where: Auditorium
Are you interested in proposing a mentorship project, applying as a mentee, or simply learning more? Visit contribute.cncf.io/mentoring to see timelines, examples, and ways to get involved.
Bring questions, ideas, or just yourself. I’m looking forward to a real conversation.
See you there!
