Community of Practice
Contribute to real open-source projects for local organizations
What It Is
Students who demonstrate mastery of core skills and show the maturity, initiative, and enthusiasm to work independently may be invited to join our Community of Practice - a collaborative environment where they deepen their abilities by contributing to real open-source software projects.
This isn't the next workshop in a sequence. It's a different kind of learning environment - less structured, more collaborative, focused on shipping real software rather than completing exercises. Students work alongside experienced developers, learning professional practices by actually practicing them. These are the same skills and practices valued everywhere from local tech companies to major firms like Google and Microsoft.
The Projects
These aren't theoretical exercises or portfolio pieces. Students work on software that solves actual problems for nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses.
Shared Tools
Software that multiple organizations need but can't afford to have built individually. A volunteer management system used by three youth programs. An event scheduling tool for library networks. An inventory tracker for food pantries across the region.
By building once for many, we maximize impact while giving students exposure to real user needs and feedback.
Custom Solutions
Targeted tools for specific organizations that have unique needs. A membership database for a historical society. A custom reporting system for a nonprofit's grant tracking. A specialized scheduling tool for a community clinic.
Students learn to work with real clients, gather requirements, and build software that fits actual workflows.
Our Projects
How It Works
Project Stewardship
Every project has an experienced developer who serves as the technical lead and mentor. They review code, provide feedback, make architectural decisions, and help students navigate the messy realities of real software development.
This isn't sink-or-swim. Students get the support they need to succeed while gradually taking on more responsibility as they demonstrate capability.
Progressive Contribution
New members typically start with small, well-defined tasks - fixing bugs, improving documentation, writing tests, refactoring code. As they demonstrate understanding of the codebase and development practices, they take on increasingly complex features.
Eventually, experienced members might lead entire features, mentor newer contributors, or even steward their own projects.
What You'll Learn
Beyond coding skills, Community of Practice members learn the professional practices that make them effective contributors to software projects.
Technical Skills
- Version control workflows (Git, pull requests)
- Code review practices
- Testing and test-driven development
- Debugging production issues
- Working with existing codebases
- Documentation and technical writing
Collaboration
- Working on a team
- Asynchronous communication
- Giving and receiving code review feedback
- Coordinating with other contributors
- Project management basics
- Stakeholder communication
Professional Practices
- Understanding user needs
- Estimating and prioritizing work
- Shipping incremental improvements
- Balancing perfect vs. good enough
- Learning from production issues
- Continuous improvement mindset
Where Work Happens
In-Person Sessions
Regular work sessions hosted by partner organizations - libraries, community centers, or other spaces. Students work together, pair program, debug issues collaboratively, and get immediate help from mentors.
These sessions are crucial for building relationships, learning to communicate about code, and developing the soft skills that make remote work effective.
Online Collaboration
GitHub for code and pull requests. Slack or Discord for communication. Project management tools for tracking work. Students learn to contribute asynchronously, document their work, and communicate effectively in text.
This mirrors how professional open-source development happens, preparing students for remote work while keeping them connected to the community.
Building Your Portfolio
The work students do in the Community of Practice becomes part of their public portfolio. All projects are open-source, contributions are visible on GitHub, and students can point to real code solving real problems.
What This Means
When you're ready to pursue internships or employment, you have tangible evidence of your capabilities. Not theoretical exercises or tutorial projects, but real contributions to real software that real people use.
Project stewards can serve as references, speaking to the quality of your work, your communication skills, and your growth as a developer.
More Valuable Than Tutorials
A GitHub profile full of half-finished tutorial projects tells employers very little. A history of contributions to maintained open-source projects, merged pull requests, code reviews, and shipped features tells them everything they need to know.
You're not just claiming you can code - you're proving it.
Interested in Contributing?
We'll reach out & let you know when we think you're ready. You can also reach out to us if you think you meet the criteria and want to get involved. We're always looking for capable, motivated contributors.