We’re excited you’re joining us for the Mentor Summit! To make the most of it, we recommend:

Prepare by reading and getting connected

We provide a lot of information to help you navigate the Mentor Summit. Take some time to explore the pages of the 2026 GSoC Mentor Summit site. Pay close attention to the announcement emails we send you each morning of the Mentor Summit as well.

You can participate in the Mentor Summit in many ways -- host and attend unconference sessions, give a lightning talk, take part in the hallway track or contribute to, and enjoy, the Rob Kaye Memorial Chocolate Room!

Organize meetups and share information with other attendees using the group mailing list. Met someone fascinating but can’t remember their name? We have contact directories at the Information Desk.

Pace yourself and ask for help

Every day is a long day with events running from morning into the night. Enjoy an occasional coffee, tea or chocolate break, or some fresh air. Need help with anything? Please ask! Visit the Information Desk, email gsoc-support@google.com, or ask other attendees on the mailing list.

Learn the way of the unconference

Un-conference sessions can be very informative and also fun, if not always life-changing balls of OMG! - but the odds of revelatory coolness emerging are greatly improved by a small amount of thought in advance. We recommend you read this article, but in case you don’t get around to that, here are condensed thoughts:

Proposing a session

Billboards, not abstracts

Propose a session by writing 1 short, pithy topic on one of the provided sticky notes in LARGE and LEGIBLE text and place it on the giant session boards. Remember - people will be reading the schedule boards from a distance.  Include your name & email in small letters at the bottom so people can find you if they want to collaborate on a session with you or maybe trade session time slots. Do not go into paragraphs of detail or include footnotes. (Seriously. It has happened.)

Scheduling

The rooms designated for sessions will be across the top of the boards followed by a number which indicates the size of the room. Take a best guess as to how popular the session will be but remember, the largest room, Ballroom, that holds 190 people should be used for sessions like “When should a student be failed/Why it’s important to fail a student”, ie. the topics that are a hot topic on the mentor lists every year…

Google Program Admins will pre-populate a few sessions like ‘GSoC 2026 Feedback’ and some sessions related to ‘AI concerns in GSoC’ and a session discussing our ‘AI Mentor Survey Results’ into the schedule. The feedback session is usually a very popular session so you may not want to host a session at the same time. 

Honor your commitments

If you post a session, do show up! If you change your mind, please take the session off the board.

Small can be beautiful

Don't be upset if you only have 2 people show up - sometimes those are the best sessions for the people who do participate.

Don't be grabby

Please, only 2 sessions per person. Pick the topics that you're most interested in and go with that. We will have some slots blocked off for people who arrive late and session ideas that emerge overnight, and if those don't fill up you can add one more when we release those midday on Saturday.

Leading a session

Conversations are more interesting than monologues. 

While some people do start with a presentation the best sessions involve framing a topic by posing a related question or situation and letting people share their ideas. After all, would you rather watch someone read a stack of slides or have dinner with smart people who share your interests? 

Be a good host: part 1

Some people have a lot to say, but as the host, it's your job to pay attention to who is and is not talking and encourage everyone to contribute. Sometimes this means drawing people out - "We haven't heard from you - do you have anything to add?" - and sometimes it means shutting them down - "Thank you for that (bone-crushingly long-winded and only vaguely on-topic) comment - let's move on."

Be a good host: part 2

We all love tangents (look, squirrel!) so don't assume that a session topic can't evolve from its starting point. If you find your session topic has shifted and everyone is engaged, just point this out: "I noticed that we're talking about "y" more than "X"; is everyone good with "y" or is there more to cover re "X"? If one person won't stop talking and it's all about "y", see Part 1 above.

Participating in a session

Brevity

If the session leader asks for introductions, keep it tight: name, project and maybe a very brief sentence about what you hope to learn from the session. It's super frustrating to spend the whole hour on lengthy intros and have no time left for the session.

Law of 2 feet

In un-conferences it is fine to slip in and out of sessions for whatever reason, just be quietly thoughtful of others as you do so.

Don't be that person

If you are making what you are sure is (yet another) crucial point, observe the room.  If more than 1 person in the group won't make eye contact with you or is checking their phone, finish your sentence and then stop talking to let others contribute for a while.

“Fake it ‘till you make it”

In general, pretend you're an extrovert surrounded by friends. The latter will be true so the former will be easier ;-) You'll have more fun.