Empowering New Maintainers: Inside the OpenSSF Mentorship Program

Mar 17, 2026

Guest

Yesenia Yser

Guest

Kairo De Araujo

Yesenia Yser, co-lead of the OpenSSF Mentorship Program and BEAR advocate for accessibility in open source. Kairo De Araujo, open source engineer and rstuf maintainer focused on security supply chains. They discuss bringing newcomers into software security. They highlight team-based mentorship, surprising maintainer outcomes, onboarding improvements, mentor/mentee tips, and key dates for the next paid mentorship cycle.

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INSIGHT

Mentorship Lowers The Barrier To Entry

Mentorship lowers the intimidation barrier for newcomers lacking deep security backgrounds.
Kairo noted many beginners avoid open source; the program gives them entry, spreads security knowledge, and grows future contributors.

INSIGHT

Team-Based Mentoring Teaches Real Collaboration

Running multiple mentees as a single team can teach real open source collaboration dynamics.
Kairo structured teams across time zones with documentation and overlapping features so mentees learned to work together.

ANECDOTE

Mentees Promoted To Maintainers

Two of the three mentees from last year's rstuf mentorship became maintainers of the project.
Kairo described that they started as mentees, became contributors, and now help run the product alongside him.

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

Chapters:

00:01 – Welcome
01:43 – 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 page
Kairo De Araujo LinkedIn page
LFX Mentorships
BEAR Working Group
OpenSSF Participating Projects for 2026 Mentorship Program
BEAR Working Group Welcome Calls YouTube Playlist
Get involved with the OpenSSF
Subscribe to the OpenSSF newsletter
Follow the OpenSSF on LinkedIn