Mentoring Women in Open Source

Mentoring:
Women in
Open Source
Noreen Whysel
Women in Open Source Camp
Open Camps, United Nations
July 16, 2016

Women in Technology: Role Models
Marie-Anne
Paulze Lavoisier
(chemist)
Ada Lovelace
(mathematician,
computer scientist)
Grace Hopper
(computer scientist,
invented COBOL)
Marie Curie
(Nobel physicist,
discovered radium
and polonium)
Source: All images from Wikimedia Commons

Women in Technology: Did You Know?
Heddy Lamarr
(film actress and
inventor of a radio
guidance technology)
Temple Grandin
(autistic, inventor,
cattle handling
methods)
Lise Meitner
(physicist, nuclear
fission, student of
Max Planck, 48
Nobel nominations)
Margaret E. Knight
(inventor, Paper
bag machine and
other mechanisms)
Source: All images from Wikimedia Commons

Mentoring Minority Women
Fast Company, http://www.fastcompany.com/3040341/strong-female-lead/why-its-so-difficult-for-
minority-women-to-find-mentors

Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-mentoring-may-be-the-_b_4717821

What is a Mentor?
mentor
: someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and
often younger person
1 Mentor (capitalized) : a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education
of Odysseus' son Telemachus
2 a : a trusted counselor or guide
b : tutor, coach
Merriam-Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentor

Types of Mentoring
● Traditional mentoring
● Coaching
● Peer mentoring
● Reverse mentoring
● Group mentoring
● On-the-job training

Modern Mentoring, Randy Emelo. http://files.astd.org/Publication-Attachments/111508/Modern-
Mentoring_SampleChapter.pdf

Modern Mentoring, Randy Emelo. http://files.astd.org/Publication-
Attachments/111508/Modern-Mentoring_SampleChapter.pdf

Mentoring Programs for Women and Girls
Programs for Girls:
● United Nations Girls in ICT
(girlsinict.org)
○ 4th Thursday in April each year
● Girls Who Code (girlswhocode.
com)
● Black Girls Code (blackgirlscode.
com
Programs for Women:
● Women Who Code
● Tech Women (techwomen.
org/mentors)
○ U.S. Department of State's Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs
● Women in Technology
(womenintechnology.org - September
start)
● Tech Savvy Women, Million Women
Mentors (techsavvywomen.net)

United Nations Girls in ICT
What kind of events?
● Fun and instructive “Open Days” at an ICT company, government
agency, or any ICT-related institution
● “Women in ICT career days” at local schools with guest speakers
● Inviting women role models in from the local ICT sector
● Running contests, offering prizes and awards
● “Hands on” experiences such as developing a mobile app
● Career fairs
● Mentoring and shadowing programmes
There’s no set style of an event – choose something that you like and that
will be manageable.

United Nations Girls in ICT
Who should be involved?
● Invite girls and young women who are at the age to choose their study
or career options
● Invite teachers and career advisers who are often not aware of the ICT
sector
● Reach out to women role models in the local ICT sector to inspire girls
and young women
● Get in touch with other local stakeholders to co-organize or explore
other possibilities
● Keep ITU informed about your plans and we can give advice, visibility,
and recognition

Professional Associations
● Association for Computer Machinery (acm.org)
● IEEE (ieee.org)
● Computing Research Association (cra.org)
● Code for America (codeforamerica.org)
● User Experience Professionals Association (uxpa.org)
● Interaction Design Association (ixda.org)
● Information Architecture Institute (iainstitute.org)
● OWASP Foundation (OWASP.org - Women in AppSec Program)

Who Are Your Role Models?
● Your Parents
● Older siblings and cousins
● Friends
● Your boss
● Your cool aunt
Do they share your interests? What are their expectations of you? Do they know
what you want out of life and career? How can they guide you?

So, How Do People Find a Mentor?
● Parents and parents friends
● Relatives
● Non-profit youth mentoring and tutoring programs
● Teachers and academic advisors
● Faith-based and community organizations
● Employers and employee programs
● Industry networks and professional associations
● Meetups and interest groups

What to Expect
● A Level of Commitment
● Shared Areas of Interests
● Mutual Respect
● Open, Two-Way Communication

What to Expect: Mentees
● What aspects of your career or life are you hoping to improve via a mentoring
arrangement?
● Is a mentoring arrangement a suitable way to meet your goals?
● How much time and effort do you anticipate will be required?
● How much time and effort are you willing to put into the mentoring
arrangement?
Remember that you manage your own career and life choices – a mentor is
there to help you ask the right questions and guide you toward resources that
will help you to make these choices.

What to Expect: Mentors
● How much time can your mentor commit to providing mentoring?
● What would your mentor like to get out of a mentoring relationship?
● What strengths does your mentor have, and how do they expect to pass on
these skills to you?
● Can your mentor provide constructive advice and feedback?
● What boundaries do and your mentor you wish to set for the relationship?
Many formal mentoring programs have participants sign a mentoring agreement. It
is not necessary in an informal mentoring relationship but these questions can help
you to set boundaries and goals.

Thank You!
Noreen Whysel
COO, UX Director, Decision Fish
http://www.decisionfish.com
http://www.linkedin.cm/in/nwhysel
Noreen@decisionfish.com
@nwhysel

Mentoring Women in Open Source

More Related Content

Similar to Mentoring Women in Open Source

More from Noreen Whysel

Recently uploaded

Mentoring Women in Open Source