We are so excited that the Merge Forward team will be at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta this year. If you part of an underrepresented group, an ally, or just love meeting people from all walks of life, then be sure to add these Merge Forward sessions to your calendar. It will be fun, diverse, and inclusive, with many opportunities to connect with peers and make new KubeCon + CloudNativeCon friends.
Since there’s a lot going on, we’ve put together this Merge Forward Community Guide to KubeCon + CloudNativeCon so you don’t miss any of our great diversity and inclusion activities and sessions.
What’s Merge Forward?
Launched just two months ago, Merge Forward is all about fostering a more inclusive and welcoming cloud native community. It is the new home to new and old community groups such as the Deaf and Hard of Hearing WG, Women in Cloud Native, Neurodiversity, and many more. If you haven’t done so yet, learn more about our mission and how to join our growing community on the Merge Forward Community page.
Where to find us
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon is more than just sessions. It’s a great opportunity to connect with like-minded peers and allies. Below you’ll find some opportunities to build your network, learn about accessibility, attend Merge Forward community member talks, and make new friends.
Let’s connect at the Community Hub!
The Community Hub is a dedicated space for people from diverse backgrounds and their allies. Swing by to meet your peers, expand your professional network, and learn from shared experiences. All Community Hub sessions are held in Building B, Level 2, B211-212. It’s not always easy to find it, so be sure to check out where it is before your favorite sessions start.
Merge & Meet: KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Kickoff Meeting for Underrepresented Groups and Allies
Tuesday Nov 11, 5:00-6:00pm
Don’t wait until the last day to meet YOUR community! Are you part of an underrepresented group—or an ally who wants to help foster inclusion? Come merge and meet with peers in the Community Hub, then head straight to KubeCrawl + CloudNativeFest with new friends by your side. This gathering offers a welcoming and intentional space to meet others, exchange contact info, and grow your network. Join us to kick off KubeCon + CloudNativeCon with meaningful conversations that will make your experience more connected, supportive, and impactful.
Women in Cloud Native
Tuesday Nov 11, 12:30-1:30pm
Join the Women in the Cloud Native gathering to meet attendees who identify as women and non-binary individuals at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta. The community gathering is a place to foster a feeling of belonging by providing opportunities for interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences.
Deep Roots: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Community Gathering.
Tuesday Nov 11, at 2-3 pm ET
Join the Deep Roots community gathering to meet your Black, Indigenous, and People of Color peers at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta! The community gathering is a place to foster a feeling of belonging by providing opportunities for interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences.
LGBTQIA+ Community Gathering
Tuesday Nov 11, 3:30-4:30pm
Join the Friends of Dorothee community gathering to meet your LGBTQIA+ peers at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Atlanta! The community gathering is a place to foster a feeling of belonging by providing opportunities for interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences.
🤟 Sign Language Crash Course
Wednesday Nov 12, 3:30-4:30pm
Join us for a fun intro to sign language by members of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Working Group. In this session, you’ll get a quick introduction to sign language, learn essential American Sign Language (ASL) terms—including some cloud native vocabulary—and gain insights into Deaf culture. This is a great opportunity to connect with deaf peers and build meaningful relationships. No prior experience is needed—just bring your curiosity and enthusiasm!
Agile for Every Brain
Wednesday Nov 12, 2-3 pm
Join this interactive discussion on adapting Agile methodologies to be more inclusive and effective for every type of thinker, particularly neurodivergent individuals. Hosted by the new CNCF Neurodiversity Community Group, we will explore common challenges in ceremonies like stand-ups and retrospectives that can unintentionally exclude team members with different communication and processing styles. The primary goal is to crowdsource and share practical, actionable strategies that foster psychological safety and enhance team collaboration, making our work environments more equitable and accessible.”
Peer Group Mentoring
Thursday Nov. 13, 2:30-3:30pm
Peer Group Mentoring allows participants to meet with experienced open source veterans across many CNCF projects. Mentees are paired with 2–10 other people in a pod-like setting to explore technical, community, career, and certification questions together.
Meet us at the Merge Forward Kiosk in the Project Pavilion!
Come find the Merge Forward kiosk in the Project Pavilion in the mornings! This is a great opportunity to connect with individuals from various backgrounds and learn about different perspectives within the tech space. Have you ever considered what it’s like to navigate the tech world with different abilities? Meet your deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired peers and learn firsthand about accessibility.
Members of the Deep Roots and Friends of Dorothee community will also be at the kiosk. Join them to learn more about their respective community groups. Be sure to stop by, say hello, and learn how to get involved!
Must-attend sessions to add to your calendar:
Beyond the Community Hub and the kiosk, we recommend attending these sessions by Merge Forward community members. Learn from and support your peers by attending these great sessions:
- From Chaos To Clarity: Debugging Microservices With Open Source Observability (Observability Day), with Victor Prechtel and Sandeep Kanabar, both Deaf and Hard of Hearing WG members
- Keynote: Supply Chain Reaction: A Cautionary Tale in K8s Security, with Stacey Potter, Friends of Dorothee member, and Adolfo García Veytia
- Adapt, Include, Thrive: Disability-Informed Strategies for Cloud Native Resilience, with Catherine Paganini (moderator/ally), Milad Vafaeifard, Chris Khanoyan, Alex Stine, and Travis Johnson, panelists are from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Blind and Visually Impaired communities
- Red vs. Blue: A Live Attacker-Defender Showdown in Kubernetes Security, with Sandeep Kanabar (Deaf and Hard of Hearing WG) and Lucy Sweet (ally)
- Ulysses’ Odyssey Through Platform Engineering, with William Rizzo, Deep Roots member
Get a glimpse of the amazing energy at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon
Curious what Merge Forward activities look like? Check out this video by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing WG at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon London. You’ll see the team on stage, during Community Hub sessions, and at conference parties mingling with their peers. By the way, the team came up with a sign for CNCF. Did you catch it?
Looks like fun? That’s because it really is. Finally meeting all the people you collaborate with throughout the year is an incredible experience. We’ve made so many meaningful connections and true friendships. We hope you do so too!
Get a head start on the KubeCon + CloudNativeCon fun!
The team is organizing conference outings on the #merge-forwards channel on the CNCF Slack. Join the conversation. We look forward to meeting you at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon!