Empowering New Maintainers: Inside the OpenSSF Mentorship Program

In this episode of What’s in the SOSS? host Sally Cooper sits down with Yesenia Yser, co-lead of the OpenSSF Mentorship Program and the BEAR Working Group, and Kairo De Araujo, Open Source Software Engineer and mentor for rstuf. They dive into the success of the OpenSSF Mentorship Program, which focuses on bringing underrepresented voices into software security. Kairo shares an incredible outcome from the last cycle – where two out of three mentees became project maintainers – while Yesenia discusses the evolution of the BEAR Working Group (Belonging, Empowerment, Allyship, and Representation) mentorship program. Whether you are a potential mentor or a mentee looking to break into open source, this episode provides a roadmap for the upcoming paid mentorship cycle.

Important Dates for the 2026 Mentorship Cycle:

Applications Open: March 24, 2026Applications Close: April 12, 2026Selection Period: April 13 – April 30, 2026Notification Date: May 1, 2026Onboarding: May 5 – May 29, 2026Mentorship Period: June 1 – August 21, 2026

Chapters:

00:01 – Welcome01:43 – Kairo on his work with the Repository Service for TUF (RSTUFF).02:30 – Yesenia on the BEAR Working Group and making open source accessible.04:30 – The "Why" behind mentorship: Solving the barrier to entry for security beginners.07:28 – Success strategies: Working as a team across time zones with multiple mentees.09:28 – The ultimate goal: Moving mentees from learners to official project maintainers.10:58 – Challenges and growing pains: Managing deadlines and interview chaos.13:48 – Advice for Mentors: The importance of clear communication and flexibility.15:02 – Advice for Mentees: Don't be afraid to join; focus on "pre-onboarding".17:13 – Key Dates for the 2026 Mentorship Cycle.20:15 – Call to Action: Get to know this year’s participating projects (gittuf, rstuf, SBOMit, Minder) and how to get involved.

Episode links:

Yesenia Yser LinkedIn pageKairo De Araujo LinkedIn pageLFX MentorshipsBEAR Working GroupOpenSSF Participating Projects for 2026 Mentorship Program
Repository Service for TUF (rstuf)gittufSBOMitMinder
BEAR Working Group Welcome Calls YouTube PlaylistGet involved with the OpenSSFSubscribe to the OpenSSF newsletterFollow the OpenSSF on LinkedIn