Travis Foundation Statement
The past few months have been a testing time for us all. As the global pandemic led to the cancellation of so many events and created new challenges for nonprofits, we remained steadfast that Rails Girls Summer of Code should go ahead as planned.
Despite this determination and the extra measures put in place to safeguard the program, we have been unable to gather the resources necessary to keep Travis Foundation running. Sadly, it will soon close its doors for good.
Without the team to manage the program, we regret that Rails Girls Summer of Code has also been cancelled.
Many of you will share our disappointment at this turn of events. Thanks to the incredible efforts of this awesome community, fully committed to increasing inclusion and diversity in open source, we have witnessed huge improvements over the past 7 years. While we see this as a genuine success, we know there is still much to do.
It is comforting to know that you - thousands of inspirational coders of all genders and backgrounds - will continue to advocate for diversity, challenge discrimination, and bring about societal change.
While Travis Foundation will no longer be an influential force in this movement, we step aside gracefully in the knowledge that new - and even more groundbreaking - initiatives and opportunities will certainly develop in its place.
Thank you for making the past 7 years so awesome! ❤️💛💚💙
Thank you to our supporters
Our appreciation goes out to all the individuals who have helped make RGSoC such a successful program. This includes all our sponsors and donors over the years who invested in the people who can create a better, more representative tech environment. We thank everyone who dedicated countless hours to assist in organising and planning RGSoC; each one an incredible role model for aspirational programmers, who deserve our genuine recognition and respect. 🙏
The applications received this year were of exceptional quality. We are grateful for the support that mentors have provided student teams over the past few months. With your help, coders new to FOSS have already made many valuable contributions. We hope that your project has genuinely benefitted from this process and that you have gained some life-long contributors along the way.
A special message to applicants
We were overwhelmed by the almost 600 people, from all around the world, who applied to RGSoC this season. That’s incredible! We have been moved by the passion shown by each of you.
It is important to reflect on everything you have achieved by applying to RGSoC. In the process, you’ve honed some super-valuable skills:
- communication skills utilised in finding a teammate who compliments your technical ability and goals for the program
- negotiation and decision-making in determining your choices as a team
- time management, collaboration and learning new tools to write an application to the best of your ability
- researching and having the guts to reach out to coaches, proposing your ideas to successfully encourage them to participate on your team
- and of course, everything you have learned while delving into the codebases while contributing to open source projects
Rails Girls Summer of Code may end here, but your journey in tech shouldn’t have to. Please continue making contributions to open source projects. In this way, you will have a profound impact on some of the most pressing real-world problems faced by our generation. We genuinely look forward to seeing the difference you make.