I was invited as a guest speaker at GNOME Asia 2024 during 6-8 December 2024, in Bengaluru, India. I also volunteered to co-host the event.
GNOME
GNOME, originally an acronym for GNU Network Object Model Environment, is a free and open-source desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems.
GNOME strives to have a strong presence in Asia, and each year hosts a number of events for the users and developers in Asian countries.
GNOME.Asia Summit is the featured annual GNOME conference in Asia. It focuses primarily on the GNOME desktop but also covers applications and platform development tools. The summit brings together the GNOME community in Asia to provide a forum for users, developers, foundation leaders, governments, and businesses to discuss the present technology and future developments.
Attending Samyak Jain's talk on mentorship in open source at GNOME Asia 2024 was an incredibly inspiring and interactive experience. The talk was very similar to my own and the session wasn’t just a one-way lecture; it was a lively conversation filled with storytelling, audience engagement, and thought-provoking insights.
His talk was called ‘Open Source Mentorship: Crafting Communities, Creating Leaders’. He made it very hands-on when he made us put sticky notes of our own doubts and insecurities when we try to enter a new OSS community. He then made user personas out of them and helped us look at it from a different perspective and offered unique solutions. Samyak’s passion for mentorship resonated deeply as he shared personal anecdotes and practical strategies that highlighted the transformative power of guidance in open source. The interactive Q&A segments allowed attendees to voice their questions and experiences, creating a collaborative atmosphere where everyone felt included. I left the talk with a renewed understanding of how mentorship can shape communities and a clear motivation to both seek mentorship and mentor others, contributing to a culture of growth and innovation.
This abstract was submitted by Justin and me, for our talk:
Outreachy is conducted by Software Freedom Conservancy and it provides internships in open source and open science. Over the years, there has been an explosive reach in the public about this program. As a Outreachy intern in the summer of 2022 for the Fedora Badges Design Project and eventually becoming the general Fedora mentor for the 2024 summer cohort, I want to highlight how it works for both the mentors and the mentees. Taking inspiration from experience, I want to discuss best mentor practices and what all changes can we bring to make the Fedora Outreachy experience better.
https://www.youtube.com/live/zMKcTnhZVnE?t=16739&si=jvMq4VCnK7y-O32x