RGSoC Returns for 2020
It’s back! We’re thrilled to announce that Rails Girls Summer of Code (RGSoC) will return in 2020.
Following a brief hiatus last year, we’re looking forward to helping a whole new bunch of students jumpstart their careers in coding.
But first we want to thank everyone who made the 2018 program such a roaring success. This program can only happen thanks to the involvement of our diligent students and support from the many dedicated volunteers and generous donors. Each and every one of you helped make it an incredible year. A special and heartfelt “thank you” goes out to Anika and Laura for everything they did to make RGSoC run so smoothly since day 1.
🍀Thank you & good luck to Laura and Anika who have left Travis Foundation to pursue exciting new challenges. Their hard work on projects like @RailsGirlsSoC has improved the lives of so many underrepresented people in tech, which we’ll continue in 2020 and beyond💪 pic.twitter.com/JMYT3xH8gq
— Travis Foundation (@travis_fnd) October 29, 2019
So, what’s it all about?
RGSoC champions underrepresented people in tech. It’s our dream to make diversity more visible in Open Source by creating opportunities for women and people who identify as non-binary.
The concept is simple but effective. By connecting budding developers with volunteers in the field, RGSoC provides the chance to do, learn, and develop. Students receive a scholarship to work on an Open Source project full-time for three months (July-September) removing the financial barriers otherwise preventing them from pursuing a career (or career change) in coding.
Ultimately, this program acts as a springboard for future programmers and a more inclusive OSS community. In turn, participants become ambassadors for RGSoC and inspire others to take up coding.
What next?
Stay tuned! Each step of the way we’ll be making announcements on social media and this blog. Whether you’re keen to be involved as a student team, or putting your expertise to good use in a volunteer role, we’ll let you know how and when to get started.
Don’t forget - if you’re a former student, you can always participate in 2020 as a volunteer. Who better to support newcomers than someone who has already benefited from the experience?
We’ll soon launch the call for open source projects. So, project maintainers, get your thinking caps on; would your project be suitable for our students to work on?
Early in the New Year the crowdfunding campaign will commence. We hope we can rely on your support.
Sponsorship packages have changed
Every cent from our fundraising campaign will directly fund students’ scholarships. This year we’re offering a choice of three sponsorship packages with dynamic new names and more attractive rewards. Check out the new sponsorship packages.
What about conferences?
In the past we collaborated with conferences all over the world, offering students a chance to attend for free. While recognizing the excellent opportunity for networking and development this offers, we’ve decided not to run this part of the program in 2020.
However, you may be able to source tickets to conferences via our friends at Diversity Tickets.
How can I find out more?
In the meantime, click around our site for further information and feel free to email us on contact@rgsoc.org if you have any specific questions.
Don’t forget to follow RGSoC on Twitter and Facebook. One of the most powerful ways for you to make a splash is by sharing our social media posts. Don’t forget to use the #RGSoC hashtag.
2020 promises to be another exciting year. We hope you’ll join us for the wild ride.