Marina Zhurakhinskaya, Red Hat

The full potential of free software is to break down the barriers to technology and to participation, and to include users and contributors from a wide range of backgrounds. There are four key steps for making communities diverse and inclusive: creating a welcoming environment, teaching skills, fostering connections, and increasing visibility of contributors from underrepresented backgrounds. Whether you are a prospective contributor wondering what an inclusive community looks like, a project contributor wanting to take concrete steps to improve your project's outreach, or a project leader looking to create a diversity strategy for your community, this talk will have the information you need. Marina will share best practices and inspiring stories from her years of experience in free software diversity outreach in roles including outreach specialist at Red Hat, co-organizer of Outreachy, advisor and director for the Ada Initiative, and outreach lead for GNOME.