Hello all,

We are sharing a few updates on the two mentoring programs.

* We have applied as a mentoring organization to Google (for GSoC) and Software Freedom Conservancy (for Outreachy). The decision is still pending from Google on our application.
* So far, we have received interest from 15 mentors to participate and promote 9 projects in total. You can learn more about the projects here: <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2022#Ideas_for_projects> [1] and <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_24#Ideas_for_projects> [2]
* The application period for Outreachy / GSoC will begin in the last week of March / first week of April.

We do not have any remaining slots for Outreachy, but we would appreciate any more project ideas you would like to promote / mentor via GSoC. You can express your interest on the Phabricator task: <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T299453> [3].

Cheers,

Wikimedia org admins (Aisha, Jayprakash, Gopa, Srishti)


[1] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/2022#Ideas_for_projects

[2] https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Round_24#Ideas_for_projects

[3] https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T299453

Srishti Sethi
Senior Developer Advocate
Wikimedia Foundation


On Tue, Jan 18, 2022 at 3:13 PM Srishti Sethi <ssethi@wikimedia.org> wrote:
Hello everyone,

TLDR; Wikimedia will soon be applying as a mentoring organization to Google Summer of Code 2022 <https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com> [1] and Outreachy Round 24 <https://www.outreachy.org/> [2]. We are currently working on a list of interesting project ideas to include in the application. If you have some ideas for coding or non-coding (design, documentation, translation, outreach, research) projects, share them here: <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T299453> [3].

Timeline
As a mentor, you will engage potential candidates in the application period for both programs between March and April. You will help candidates make small contributions to your project and answer any project-related queries during this time. You will work more closely with the accepted candidates during the coding period between May and August.

New changes are coming to GSoC
GSoC has exciting changes this year, including:
* Eligibility criteria redefined–the program is now open to all open-source newcomers 18 years and older. It will no longer be solely focused on university students or recent graduates.
* Multiple sizes of projects supported–ranging from ~175 to ~350 hr long.
* Increased flexibility in project timing–project deadline can be extended to up to 22 weeks.

Tips for proposing projects
* Follow this task description template when you propose a project in Phabricator: <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects> [4]. Add #Google- Summer-of-Code (2022) or #Outreachy (Round 24) tag.
* Project should require an experienced developer ~15 days and a newcomer ~3 months to complete.
* Each project should have at least two mentors, and one of them should hold a technical background.
* Ideally, the project has no tight deadlines, a moderate learning curve, and fewer dependencies on Wikimedia's core infrastructure. Projects addressing the needs of a language community are most welcome!
* If you don't have an idea in mind and would like to pick one from an existing list, check out these projects: <https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/tag/outreach-programs-projects/> [4]
* To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of mentors, visit our resources on MediaWiki.org: <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Outreachy/Mentors> [5], <https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Google_Summer_of_Code/Mentors> [6].