The Open Infrastructure Foundation (OpenInfra Foundation) is actively engaged in building mentorship programs, particularly focusing on university partnerships. In this episode, Kendall Nelson, Senior Upstream Developer Advocate at OpenInfra Foundation, discusses the importance of mentorship in easing community entry and its benefits. She says, “Having someone that you can build a relationship with is more of a one-to-one relationship as like a gateway to be more comfortable speaking and interacting with the rest of the community.”

Mentorship in open source, with a focus on university programs

• Nelson emphasizes the importance of mentorship in open source, saying that even with available documentation and community support the communities can be intimidating, particularly for non-native speakers.
• One-to-one mentorship can help individuals feel more comfortable and engaged and Nelson explains that her work focuses on providing such mentorship.
• Mentorship can help address various needs depending on the mentee’s goals including technical skills for coding, toolchains, workflows, communication, project management, or community management.
• While informal community mentoring exists, Nelson mainly works with structured programs that offer clear processes and expectations, making mentorship easier.
• Nelson describes the OpenInfra Foundation’s mentorship programs, focusing on the University Partnership Program she has developed over six years. She takes us through the program’s two setups: internships and course-based projects.
• Nelson highlights the skills and abilities mentors should have for the project, including understanding the project, providing manageable tasks, and code merging abilities. They should also be approachable and be available to support students.

Mentorship benefits for students, universities, and open source projects

• University partnerships with the OpenInfra Foundation are often formed organically through connections at member companies or alumni. Nelson discusses how Universities can start to participate.
• Nelson highlights the mutual benefits of mentorship programs for students and universities. Students gain practical software engineering experience, universities benefit by enhancing student readiness for the workforce.
• Open source projects benefit from gaining new contributors and perspectives, which improves software quality. While companies find a pool of talent familiar with open source, addressing the industry’s need for experienced contributors.
• Nelson emphasizes that mentorship enriches all parties involved by fostering collaboration and skill development.

Guest: Kendall Nelson (LinkedIn)
Organization/Foundation: OpenInfra Foundation (Twitter)
Show: Let’s Talk

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.