Hi, I'm Raphaella, and today I'm here because I want to share your story.
Imagine that you have just set behind your computer science degree, so you have to make
your final project, so you may some research, and you know about Django.
How many of you know about Django?
Good.
Because you have to, for learning purpose, you have to create everything from scratch,
and now you have something like migration, everything works like magic, don't you?
And you keep going, you keep completing your project,
and then you know there's a community behind Django, but you don't feel comfortable
to join.
And maybe this story could just end like this.
Probably most of the story could end just like this.
But instead, you find a mentorship program, when you have the chance to became a
computer.
Hi, again, I'm Raphaella.
I'm Django's author, Foundation Member, and also I'm a past, a past discipline of Django
on a space program.
And I would like first of all to talk about some of the world for new contributors.
Django is a language barrier because English is a most popular language in open source,
but could be challenged for me.
Imposter syndrome is the voice in your head that says, you're not good enough to contribute.
For learning purpose, you have to keep asking yourself questions, and maybe asking
any public could be maybe intimidating.
Django is celebrating this year, 20th, 20th, 20th birthday.
So having to deal with a huge code base could be challenging for lots of people.
So probably you just want to start by your home by, but why I'm a mentorship program?
The structure, first of all, because if you have clear goal, you can have a clear path.
Inclusivity, because if you are searching for volunteer, and you may, you may
the message in the chat, who want to volunteer, and probably the people who want to join,
they join in anyway, but instead, if you are asking to a person, I think you will be great at this.
Really like to try. It's more important. It's more effective.
Sponsorship, having a sponsor support, it's important, but also advocate for
people to until they find their own voice.
Let's talk about Django's space program, but what it does.
Beyond the program, there were this simple idea to create a space.
And instead of waiting people to join, invite them.
So some desired goal for this program was to create regular contributors, go the community,
and increase the diversity, and most of all create a safe space for people to join.
Let's talk about the structure.
The Django-Nan Space program is created for create new Django contributor, and when people join,
also contribute to Django or in a peace ecosystem.
It's a eight-week mentorship program where people are divided in group, and every group has
Navigator and Akatten. Akatten is a community manager that helps the coordinator
in the program, and also helps Navigator with help better Django-Nans.
And the Navigator is a guide that don't have the solution, but have the clear to guide people
through their own solution.
Also, it's important to have some spacepunk because Django-Nan Space is also the team
or also named as planets.
And celebrate every type of win a winsta.
For example, you have created a blog.
It's time to celebrate.
You have completed a marathon.
It's time to celebrate.
Celebrate together.
It's important to create a better environment.
You can contribute, of course, with your PR, but not only.
There's a chance to share some experience with creating a blog.
Also, a weekly newsletter, where there's a chance for Django-Nans to alter it
of this Django.
There's a piece of most interesting PR that I've been merged in the previous week, for example,
the bug fix.
Also, organizing event is an important type of contribution.
For example, some Django-Nans became also organized for the program.
Speaking of attendants, conference are probably the most important things to create more
connection to create inside the community.
The board have this working group that let people, this working group, have some authorities
related with some specific topic.
For example, the social media working group, there's a good chance to contribute.
Let's see some results of the Django-Nans-based program.
At the end of the, at the end of every session, people feel more comfortable to join
and also contribute.
At the end, when Django, a fine point one was released, a percent of Django-Nans
were contribute for this type of release.
And lots of several Django-Nans-based myself became Django-Nans of the foundation member.
That means they are involved in the community.
And also have the chance to make their vote for the board,
the steering console.
The Django community has really embraced the program.
And the program has been featured in podcast article.
And yeah, it was really, well, it was really welcome this type of program, something new.
And in 2023, it was the program won this Malcolm-Trentnik Memorial Prize.
That is an awarded and only awarded to a person that welcoming newcomers.
And this program is the reflect of the Malcolm values.
The session three has just ended in December.
So, 29 pull-up quests has been opened.
20 of them has been merged.
And Django-Nans keep out to the, up next to Django.
And also write some blog posts about their experience.
And during every session, there's a chance to attend online events, for example, guest speaking,
where a person inside the community showed their experience with Django-Nans.
And there were also Django-Nans showcase where Django-Nans share their experience with the community.
And it's a similar event to a lighting tool, with five minutes presentation.
But there also seems to ask in some question.
Another type of event, it was Django-Nans' watch party, where we have chose a specific tool,
and then we watch together, like we were attending Django-Nans together.
I put there some interesting link, if you're interested in this type of program.
The organizers are really, are really active on lots of social.
If you're working, okay, this is great.
How can I be able to do this for my own community?
First of all, start small, because Django-Nans based program has started with a pilot session,
so start with the small group of people, and see what work best.
Set the clear goals, of course, because you know better for your own community,
was you showed a first, for example, the diversity, regular contributors,
and also create a safe space for people to join to have a sense of belonging,
and celebrate every type of contribution, because they're not just the code contribution,
but there are many other types of contribution that could be helpful.
Last but not least, I've found and make some connection between each other.
I think I shared some, how the program work, and everything, but I think the most important thing inside this program,
where people, people that I want to give in back, people that want to help each other,
and together they created a safe space.
A space where you can feel the sense of belonging, a Django-Nans space.
So, thank you.
What is the recruitment or selection process looked like for added people in space program?
Yeah, there's a specific form where people feel out,
and there's some, there's a, this is a making to, to who are going to became participants,
in size, less than 10% of the people that make the, they make the, they feel the,
the form have been accepted in a previous session.
How do you, what I'm interested in, I think, is, well, running the programs,
I think because of the, when I, the third of the second slides,
I also, I also encountered the, the imposter syndrome,
but the things that helped me most is to sharing what I felt,
because sometimes you feel like I'm just the only one who felt this way,
instead, lots of people feel the same way as you, as you feel,
and having this, working together could be, could be really, really helpful.
Thank you.
What the, what the best things that helped me, that really helped me,
that really helped me.
Celebrate every type of things that we have done,
because I think to create a meaningful connection with, with each other,
it's, it's really important because,
most of the people, I think, most, most people that want to join,
we don't have a problem to join anyway, because,
I became a contributor, you just can,
became without a mentorship program,
but I think, people that can, can really advocate for you,
can, that's, that's, I think, what's important.
And then, you have a question, when you say,
celebrate the finished program,
and you don't have any idea of that,
because that's, that's what I mean,
how do you, to celebrate a good example of it,
you have N for it?
Yeah, there's, at the end and, at the, at the,
when the, the program starts and when it's, at the end,
there's, there's some meeting where together,
we talk about what we have done,
something that we want to share.
It, it's more like a meeting,
and if, when I spoke about,
celebrate a bit of our winning,
there's a specific,
a specific, a channel, inside the, the discord,
when you post something,
and then people can,
it can says,
oh, that, that's great,
I, maybe I didn't think about this before,
or, you, you did a great job,
I, I try once, or maybe they share what they have done,
or what they think.
What happens to the,
to the,
to the program, do they think,
contact us or the support?
Yeah, there's, there's also a chance for,
every, past participant to,
to say in contact because,
the, for the program,
there's a, there's a discord,
several discord,
and people that have completed the,
the, the, the program,
also stay inside this discord,
and, and yes,
I think, because,
we spend eight, eight weeks for so long,
I think there's,
there's a chance to,
to create,
also, there's a friendship,
I would like to say,
with, you know, they're participants.
I was too fast.
He's,
I was too fast.
He's you're a winner.