Ensuring the next generation of open source leaders are truly “all in”

Skilling 5,000 people in the next two years in open source

As the global home for all developers, we are uniquely positioned to lower barriers to entry in open source and help close gaps in representation in tech more broadly. We believe that by working together with our partners to provide the right resources to the people who need them, we can create a future where everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the power of technology. Earlier this year, we shared an audacious goal—a goal to skill 5,000 people by 2026. Why? Because at GitHub, we believe everyone–especially people from underserved and underrepresented communities–should have access to open source and the necessary skills to engage in open source development.

Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can make open source projects more accessible, welcoming, and productive for people from different backgrounds—and this focus has never been more urgent than now. Today, we face the continued reality of the impact the economic downturn and cultural shifts have on DEI initiatives and programming. As layoffs, budget cuts across the industry, and internship programs are significantly reduced, high-impact programs focused on the unique needs of underrepresented and under-resourced communities adversely feel the impact of change. This all comes during a time when programs centered on providing students with the competitive edge needed to compete for opportunities in an ever-evolving world of technology are needed now more than ever. While recognizing these challenges, we see this as an important opportunity to help guide the future generation of tech through tooling, best practices, connectivity and more.

Providing a pathway to success in open source

This year, the program is growing to provide access and exposure to open source to students across the U.S. Our goal is to remove some of the many barriers to entry so that our program can reflect the vibrant diversity of society and the culture we want to create within open source.

As we move into our third year of the program, we will continue to recruit from the 112 colleges and universities we partnered with in 2023, and maintain our targeted outreach strategy for our partner institutions, which will include a larger number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), community colleges, and a school founded for the education of Native Americans.

How students can participate

All In for Students is now accepting applications! Students do not need prior knowledge, experience, or a declared computer science major to participate—only curiosity, collaboration, and commitment to join the open source community.

Benefits of participating:

• Mentoring and networking
• Education
• Technical training
• Hands-on experience (though hackathons)
• Career development
• Scholarships
• Swag
• Internship opportunities
• Community building with students just like you!

Eligibility for the program is open across the U.S. for any student enrolled full-time or part-time at a:

• U.S. HBCU
• U.S. HSI
• U.S. Women’s college
• U.S. Community college
• Any student enrolled at a U.S. four-year institution who identifies as a racial or ethnic minority

If you would like to get involved, here’s how:

• If you are a student or know a student who is eligible and can benefit from the All In program, send them this deck and link and encourage them to participate.
• If you are a company or organization interested in offering open source opportunities to All In for Students participants, sign up to become a partner.

Written by

Sarah Oyetubo

@soyetubo