GitHub celebrates All in Africa program's first graduates

Welcome Remark - Sarah Oyetubo (00:00:00)

• GitHub believes everyone should have an equal opportunity to use and create technology.
• GitHub aims to skill 5,000 people in Open Source by FY2 to drive diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community.
• The GitHub all-in program is dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the open-source community.
• The program brings together corporate partners, industry leaders, researchers, and foundations to build upon existing research and initiatives.

Introduction - Ruth Ikegah (00:05:40)

• Ruth Ikegah, the program manager at all in Africa, introduces herself and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to host the graduation ceremony.
• The All in Africa program started in August 2022 as an expansion of the All in Open Source project.
• The program was designed and launched in October 2022.
• Applications were open from October to November and received over 1,500 applications from across Africa.
• The pilot phase of the program included 250 participants from 32 different African countries.
• The program aimed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in open source.
• 106 students successfully completed the program requirements and graduated.
• The graduates put in a lot of hard work, time, and effort to contribute to projects and participate in hackathons.
• The program would not have been possible without the support of regional ambassadors and partners.
• Regional ambassadors advocated for the program and represented it in the five regions of Africa.
• Partners, including GitHub, provided support throughout the three-month program.

Partner Recognition - Ruth Ikegah (00:10:29)

• GitHub made the All in Africa program possible.
• Fidelity, a hackathon partner, collaborated with MLH to organize hackathons.
• Students built open-source projects, learned a lot, and had behavioral interview sessions to prepare for job interviews.
• Cisco sponsored the hackathon and interview sessions.
• Devel Hope hosted a career-building session on writing CVs, applying for international jobs, and interviewing in the job market.
• Justin Flurry gave a presentation on the history of open source and how to contribute to open source in the social impact sector.

Participant Feedback - Motlasi Moea (00:12:21)

• Massi, a graduate from Lesotho in the Southern Africa region, shares his experience.
• He struggled to find software developers who used the same frameworks as him but connected with like-minded people through the program.
• He participated in his first hackathon, collaborated with new people, and secured an entry-level job as a software developer.
• Massi expresses gratitude to GitHub and emphasizes the importance of open source in his career.
• He encourages others to contribute to open source and acknowledges the impact of free access to frameworks like Django and Pandas.

Participant Feedback - Elisa Capololo (00:14:48)

• Elisa is from Angola.
• The All in Africa program was an amazing experience for her.
• She learned about open source in depth for the first time.
• The program provided clear and easy content to learn about Git and GitHub.
• She enjoyed the sense of community and support among the participants.
• She learned about contributing to open source and that it involves more than just coding.
• She thanks the All in Africa program, Mary, Ruth, and her colleagues for the opportunity and support.

Participant Feedback - Hamza Haji (00:16:10)

• Hamza is from Kenya.
• He highlights the sense of community among participants and support from organizers.
• The community gave him the confidence to contribute to more open source projects.
• He is passionate about the intersection of open source projects and quality healthcare.
• He thanks the All in Africa team for a seamless program and encourages more people to participate.

Participant Feedback - Abdessamad Touzani (00:18:06)

• Abdessamad is from Morocco.
• He always wanted to contribute to open source projects on GitHub.
• Through the program, he learned GitHub, contributed to suggested projects, and found interesting projects on his own.
• He contributed to a project in data science by writing Jupyter notebooks for AI and machine learning to share knowledge.
• He believes spreading knowledge is key to fostering innovation and empowering individuals.
• He thanks the All in Africa program and wishes everyone the best.

Participant Feedback - Chisom Catherine Dick (00:19:48)

• Chisom Catherine Dick, an All in Africa participant from Nigeria, shares her experience in the program.
• She joined the program to learn how to contribute to open source using her skills.
• She served as a non-code contributor to a project during Major League Hacking and collaborated with team members from different countries despite time zone differences.
• Chisom highlights the team spirit and support within the All African Slack community, which encouraged her to seek help when needed.
• She expresses gratitude for the support and guidance provided by the program.

Introduction: Fireside Chat - Ruth Ikegah (00:21:53)

• Ruth Ikegah introduces a Fireside chat with inspiring individuals from the open-source community to prepare the graduating students for the open-source ecosystem.
• Samson Godi, co-founder of Open Source Community Africa and a GitHub star, is one of the guests.
• Shunde Zhang, creator of Chakra UI and a GitHub star, is also present.
• Gift Nwosu, a developer advocate at Cloudflare and a GitHub star, joins the discussion.
• Karim, who helped with outreach in the Northern Africa region, is acknowledged for his contributions.
• The students will have the opportunity to ask questions to these experts during the Fireside chat.

Fireside Chat Session: Samson Goddy, Segun Adebayo, Karim Hosny, Gift Egwenu (00:23:30)

• The GitHub All in Africa program's first graduates share their advice for starting tech careers.
• Samson emphasizes sharing knowledge, consistent writing, and showcasing skills.
• Tracy highlights the value of the program, writing for effective communication, and exploring different areas in open source.
• Karim stresses the importance of soft skills, teamwork, communication, and giving and receiving feedback.
• Tracy encourages stepping out of comfort zones, embracing challenges, and trusting in personal growth.
• Tony expresses gratitude for mentorship and networking opportunities.
• Seon advises starting with simple open-source projects to build confidence and community.
• Gift emphasizes sharing work and not fearing visibility for opportunities and improvements.
• Graduates should take incremental steps, build confidence, and seek feedback.
• Open source is integral to the tech industry, not a separate skill.
• GitHub platforms serve as open resumes for companies to see contributions and achievements.
• Consistency, commitment, and perseverance are key to success in open source and personal growth.
• Open source is about sharing knowledge and being open to everyone, encouraging graduates to give back to their communities.

Panel Wrapup - Ruth Ikegah (00:50:46)

• The chat was disabled, but the participants provided a lot of positive feedback.
• The panelists will now be dropped.
• The students and participants who asked questions provided insightful contributions.

Graduation Walk - Ruth Ikegah (00:51:25)

• The graduation walk will showcase the faces of the graduates from the program.

Introduction: Farewell Address - Ruth Ikegah (00:52:45)

• Ruth Ikegah expresses excitement and emotions during the graduation ceremony.
• Some graduates' pictures were not available in time for the ceremony, but they are still considered graduates.
• Sid, the head of social impact at GitHub, will deliver the farewell address.

Farewell Address - Sid Espinosa (00:53:22)

• The GitHub "All in Africa" program, led by Ru, celebrated its first graduating class.
• The program equips individuals with technology skills and open-source contribution expertise through training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
• Graduates are encouraged to use their skills for open-source projects, scientific research, and addressing societal challenges with technology.
• The curriculum empowers graduates to shape the future and tackle global challenges through innovation, emphasizing continuous learning and curiosity in the rapidly evolving tech landscape, especially with the rise of AI.
• Graduates are inspired to dream big and make a positive impact on their communities, countries, and the world.
• Mary Blessing will present the awards to the graduates.

Award Presentation - MaryBlessing Okolie (00:59:30)

• The "All in Africa" program, a GitHub initiative that fosters a sense of belonging among its participants, celebrated its first graduates.
• Awards were presented to recognize outstanding individuals, including Felix Domingos, who completed the course curriculum and assessment first.
• Dr. Roll received the "Share Leader" award for their cheerful and encouraging attitude, while Chis earned the "Inquisitive Learner" award for continuously seeking support and clarity.
• The "Community Champion" award was given to an individual who consistently shared resources and supported fellow participants.
• Another award recognized an individual for their consistent presence, support, and contributions both within and outside the "All in Africa" community.
• The graduates were congratulated for their achievements, and the event concluded with a handover to "Root."

Closing Remark - Ruth Ikegah (01:06:06)

• Ruth Ikegah thanks the award presenters and participants for their hard work and dedication.
• She announces that all graduates will receive a thoughtfully curated swag box, a badge of recognition, and a $50 gift card.
• Ruth mentions that recommendation letters can be provided upon request and that graduates will be added to the alumni network for continued support and opportunities.
• She encourages graduates to keep learning about open source and participating in hackathons.
• Ruth announces that another cohort is coming and it will be bigger than the previous one.
• Applications will open in April and will be announced on the All in Open Source Twitter and LinkedIn channels.