Open Source Summit + Embedded Linux Conference North America 2026

The OpenSSF BEAR (Belonging, Empowerment, Allyship, and Representation) Working Group is on a mission to make cybersecurity a place where everyone belongs! We knock down barriers and crank up the volume for underrepresented voices. We've learned that true representation is about building fun, lasting paths for participation.

In this session, we'll take you on a journey through the evolution of BEAR, culminating in the exciting launch of our newest global family member, SIG OSSAfrica (Open Source Security Africa)! We'll share some insights and "Aha!" moments from our monthly Community Office Hours - including those unexpected successful strategies - and get honest about the triumphs and challenges of our mentorship program.

Looking to level up your community game? Whether you want to understand the real-world challenges facing diverse groups in security or just need some practical, battle-tested frameworks for building vibrant community programs, this session is your toolkit. Get ready for an open, fun look at building a truly inclusive open source security community!

Open source projects everywhere are asking the same question: where will the next generation of reliable contributors or maintainers come from? The answer is already here, students, but most projects lack a repeatable, maintainer-friendly system to convert student interest into sustained, high-quality contributions.

This session presents a field-tested, scalable framework for turning students from first-time contributors into long-term community members and technical collaborators. Drawing from real program experience working with student contributor pipelines, we will break down how maintainers and organisations can design contribution pathways that reduce review burden, improve contribution quality, and increase retention, without diluting project standards.

We will cover practical ideas for structuring beginner-to-advanced issue ladders and contributor experience design that keeps students engaged beyond their first pull request. The talk will also address common maintainer concerns around signal-to-noise ratio and review bandwidth when working with early-career contributors.

Open source inclusion strategies often overlook the unique business goals and scaling complexities of large organizations. This talk addresses that disconnect, offering experience-led guidance on establishing effective cross-functional communication channels.
While many programs exist to encourage community inclusiveness, they rarely translate to corporate environments "as-is." Based on challenges observed in previous BoF sessions - although many people were interested in adopting open source, they were also frustrated with the same issues, yet did not have a functioning cross-BU channel in which to discuss. To close this gap I ran several programs to execute that:
• Connect and learn: Align teams through shared interests
• Shift mindsets: Instill an "upstream first" culture and environment
• Break barriers: Identify and remove obstacles preventing contributions
• Drive strategy: Leverage market and company trends to support decision-making
Participants will walk away with actionable strategies to enhance inclusiveness, ensuring that engagement efforts benefit both the organization’s bottom line and the wider open source ecosystem.

Open source has made progress in recognizing neurodiversity, but most conversations remain at the level of awareness and good intentions. What happens on Day 2, after we agree that inclusion matters?

We will examine what is still missing in the open source neurodiversity conversation, critique the narrative of neurotalent, and evaluate whether framing neurodivergent contributors as inherently gifted helps inclusion or creates new pressures. We need to ask: are we reinventing existing initiatives, or does the real gap lie in how our contribution models, communication norms, and governance structures are designed?

Our goal is to tackle structural questions rather than proposing a new label or movement. How can open source communities reduce cognitive friction, clarify expectations, and design processes that support a wider range of thinking styles? What concrete steps move us beyond fundamentals and into sustainable practice? Join Merge Forward to help move open source from a culture of good intentions to one of engineered accessibility.