FMS 2026: Lunch and Learn

jonatoni commented

2026-03-16 22:07:07 +00:00

Owner

Flock includes a catered lunch for attendees, and sharing a meal is often a great way to spark conversations. During this time, we plan to organize structured networking by setting up tables that connect mentors and mentees based on shared topics of interest. This will create a space for open discussions around mentoring and related experiences. Last year this approach worked really well and helped facilitate meaningful conversations.

From last year:

Fedora Discussion post: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/mentor-mentee-lunch-matching-fedora-mentor-summit-flock-to-fedora-2025/148855
Flock schedule: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2025/talk/YWCEJ9/

From this year:

Fedora Discussion post: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-mentor-summit-lunch-and-learn-flock-to-fedora-2026/189649

Flock includes a catered lunch for attendees, and sharing a meal is often a great way to spark conversations. During this time, we plan to organize structured networking by setting up tables that connect mentors and mentees based on shared topics of interest. This will create a space for open discussions around mentoring and related experiences. Last year this approach worked really well and helped facilitate meaningful conversations. **From last year:** - Fedora Discussion post: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/mentor-mentee-lunch-matching-fedora-mentor-summit-flock-to-fedora-2025/148855 - Flock schedule: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2025/talk/YWCEJ9/ **From this year:** - Fedora Discussion post: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-mentor-summit-lunch-and-learn-flock-to-fedora-2026/189649

jonatoni commented

2026-03-16 22:08:23 +00:00

Author

Owner

Agenda for March 17 meeting

Team working on this idea
Feedback on what to improve from last year
Timeline

Agenda for March 17 meeting - [x] Team working on this idea - [x] Feedback on what to improve from last year - [x] Timeline

Menu.png

304 KiB

jonatoni commented

2026-03-25 22:44:39 +00:00

Author

Owner

Notes from the March 17 meeting:

Challenges last year: unbalanced mentor/mentee ratio in the beginning from the Fedora Discussions and unclear logistics onsite
Proposal to reframe it as a broader “Lunch and Learn” format
Idea to make it more open and flexible (no strict mentor/mentee roles)
Potential to run it as a Flock-wide activity with stickers/badges and table prompts to encourage interaction

Action item:

@jonatoni to raise the “Lunch and Learn” format with Flock organizers
everyone, please review what we did last year for new ideas or improvements

Notes from the March 17 meeting: - Challenges last year: unbalanced mentor/mentee ratio in the beginning from the Fedora Discussions and unclear logistics onsite - Proposal to reframe it as a broader “Lunch and Learn” format - Idea to make it more open and flexible (no strict mentor/mentee roles) - Potential to run it as a Flock-wide activity with stickers/badges and table prompts to encourage interaction Action item: - @jonatoni to raise the “Lunch and Learn” format with Flock organizers - everyone, please review what we did last year for new ideas or improvements

t0xic0der commented

2026-03-26 02:34:34 +00:00

Member

Following the discussion here and from our previous sync, I want to express my interest in working on this.

Following the discussion [here](https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/call-for-volunteers-fedora-mentor-summit-flock-2026/177363/13) and from our previous sync, I want to express my interest in working on this.

jflory7 commented

2026-03-30 15:25:09 +00:00

Owner

Some fast feedback from me on the menu and last year's event:

By Flock-wide activity, what does this mean? We did do the activity for everyone at the conference last year. Do you mean advance registration is not required?
If switching to a "lunch and learn" format, we should shift the focus on identifying mentors/teachers/gurus to deliver topics during the lunch, and then attendees can sign up to join a specific table as long as there are seats.
We should to suggest restaurant layout options so we can make a request for the ideal table layouts for the mentoring. Maybe we can also introduce some advance signage.
The menu should be updated to align with the topics we plan to offer, based on the mentors/gurus we get to sign up for leading a table.
The "chili pepper" icon on some menu choices does not make sense. I get that the chili pepper is supposed to represent a "spicy" question or topic, but all of the current chili pepper items on the menu are things that don't seem so spicy or "hot take" kind of things. Perhaps we could think of really spicy questions that will get conversation but not flame-wars.

Some fast feedback from me on the menu and last year's event: 1. By Flock-wide activity, what does this mean? We did do the activity for everyone at the conference last year. Do you mean advance registration is not required? 2. If switching to a "lunch and learn" format, we should shift the focus on identifying mentors/teachers/gurus to deliver topics during the lunch, and then attendees can sign up to join a specific table as long as there are seats. 3. We should to suggest restaurant layout options so we can make a request for the ideal table layouts for the mentoring. Maybe we can also introduce some advance signage. 4. The menu should be updated to align with the topics we plan to offer, based on the mentors/gurus we get to sign up for leading a table. 5. The "chili pepper" icon on some menu choices does not make sense. I get that the chili pepper is supposed to represent a "spicy" question or topic, but all of the current chili pepper items on the menu are things that don't seem so spicy or "hot take" kind of things. Perhaps we could think of really spicy questions that will get conversation but not flame-wars.

theprogram commented

2026-04-02 21:49:41 +00:00

Regarding unbalanced mentor / mentees, were their too many mentors or to many mentees?

lochipi commented

2026-04-05 20:06:54 +00:00

Owner

I'm not sure what to suggest since I wasn't there:) But still, I'm interested in helping with this.

t0xic0der commented

2026-04-07 05:08:39 +00:00

Member

As I was present in the pilot meeting for the 2026 iteration as well as in the previous iteration of the event itself, I suppose I can answer a few of the questions here.

For the first question, previously we had registrations with well-defined roles (as in people stated if they would play the part of a mentor or a mentee) and depending on that, groups were formed. We do not necessarily want to skip folks who happen to be there at the time but could not register, and as such, keep the roles dynamic in nature (that is, anyone can be a mentor or mentee like we want our community to be, anyway), and previously, we had more mentors than we had mentees when we stuck close to the folks who happened to register before.

To be honest, I am not sure if I agree completely with the second point. The "lunch and learn" format, along with the dynamic mentor/mentee role at the dining table, means that we are opening ourselves up to a wide range of conversations. We can have recommendations as we did before, in those beautifully crafted menu cards, on what people should talk about, sure - but a part of me wants this to be around the general idea of mentoring. The participants would anyway hail from certain subprojects, so they would know the direction of the conversation.

For the third point, an easy +1 to this!

For the fourth point, recommendations on how to drive conversations over what to talk about could be valuable.

For the fifth point, I suggest removing those chilli-pepper icons entirely, and instead having a general recommendation to the participants to be mindful of what they communicate. This allows folks to not subconsciously avoid those questions and yet be nice, in general.

As I was present in the pilot meeting for the 2026 iteration as well as in the previous iteration of the event itself, I suppose I can answer a few of the questions here. For the first question, previously we had registrations with well-defined roles (as in people stated if they would play the part of a mentor or a mentee) and depending on that, groups were formed. We do not necessarily want to skip folks who happen to be there at the time but could not register, and as such, keep the _roles dynamic in nature_ (that is, anyone can be a mentor or mentee like we want our community to be, anyway), and previously, we had more mentors than we had mentees when we stuck close to the folks who happened to register before. To be honest, I am not sure if I agree completely with the second point. The "lunch and learn" format, along with the dynamic mentor/mentee role at the dining table, means that we are opening ourselves up to a wide range of conversations. We can have recommendations as we did before, in those beautifully crafted menu cards, on _what_ people should talk about, sure - but a part of me wants this to be around the _general idea of mentoring_. The participants would anyway hail from certain subprojects, so they would know the direction of the conversation. For the third point, an easy +1 to this! For the fourth point, recommendations on _how_ to drive conversations over _what_ to talk about could be valuable. For the fifth point, I suggest removing those chilli-pepper icons entirely, and instead having a general recommendation to the participants to be _mindful_ of what they communicate. This allows folks to not subconsciously avoid those questions and yet be nice, in general.

t0xic0der commented

2026-05-07 14:18:28 +00:00

Member

The discussion thread with the poll was created here
https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-mentor-summit-lunch-and-learn-flock-to-fedora-2026/189649

And it has been promoted on LinkedIn too, by @jflory7
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/flock2026-prague-fedoramentorsummit-share-7457724031249645568-8IhE/

Also, @gwmngilfen, will bring it up in the CLE call
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMT5U5Nxdqb_5DOLuGgHNGMiz7ub0lnlGoprkPzGmQw/edit?tab=t.mhbgzrfzctz2#heading=h.ob5n0vmt7gaq

The discussion thread with the poll was created here https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-mentor-summit-lunch-and-learn-flock-to-fedora-2026/189649 And it has been promoted on LinkedIn too, by @jflory7 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/flock2026-prague-fedoramentorsummit-share-7457724031249645568-8IhE/ Also, @gwmngilfen, will bring it up in the CLE call https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bMT5U5Nxdqb_5DOLuGgHNGMiz7ub0lnlGoprkPzGmQw/edit?tab=t.mhbgzrfzctz2#heading=h.ob5n0vmt7gaq

jonatoni commented

2026-05-14 21:00:19 +00:00

Author

Owner

Notes from the April 17 meeting:

Last year's event received great positive feedback
This year, greater organization is needed to prevent the same people from sitting together and remaining in their comfort zones. The strategy involves creating "topic tables" that attendees can choose based on their interests.
A critical requirement for the new approach is recruiting mentors/facilitators for these topics, ensuring that someone experienced is present at each table to represent and speak expertly on the subject. The plan is for this topic-based seating arrangement to be the format for lunch throughout the entire conference.
Note: we might need to consider options like an "opt-out" mechanism or a "quiet table," but the primary focus must be on determining the topics and recruiting the mentors/facilitators.
We should ensure that there is an experienced facilitator at each table to help attendees form meaningful connections relevant to the Fedora Project and the community
Deadline to vote on the topics: May 15

Action items:

@t0xic0der Prepare/draft discussion post content for mentor/mentee lunch topics: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-mentor-summit-lunch-and-learn-flock-to-fedora-2026/189649

Notes from the April 17 meeting: * Last year's event received great positive feedback * This year, greater organization is needed to prevent the same people from sitting together and remaining in their comfort zones. The strategy involves creating "topic tables" that attendees can choose based on their interests. * A critical requirement for the new approach is recruiting mentors/facilitators for these topics, ensuring that someone experienced is present at each table to represent and speak expertly on the subject. The plan is for this topic-based seating arrangement to be the format for lunch throughout the entire conference. * Note: we might need to consider options like an "opt-out" mechanism or a "quiet table," but the primary focus must be on determining the topics and recruiting the mentors/facilitators. * We should ensure that there is an experienced facilitator at each table to help attendees form meaningful connections relevant to the Fedora Project and the community * Deadline to vote on the topics: May 15 Action items: - [x] @t0xic0der Prepare/draft discussion post content for mentor/mentee lunch topics: https://discussion.fedoraproject.org/t/fedora-mentor-summit-lunch-and-learn-flock-to-fedora-2026/189649

jonatoni commented

2026-05-14 21:26:58 +00:00

Author

Owner

Notes from the May 7 meeting:

We don't have many votes on the topics, so we should promote it more.
We reviewed the previous year's menu and agreed removing the "spicy" (chili pepper) for questions

Action items:

@gwmngilfen will promote the lunch poll to the CLE call.
@t0xic0der post the lunch matching Discussion post on the Flock Matrix channel.
@gwmngilfen will review again the lunch menu and comment on this ticket with suggestions.
@jflory7 post the lunch matching discussion text on the Matrix announcements channel. Use the LinkedIn post content for text.

Notes from the May 7 meeting: - We don't have many votes on the topics, so we should promote it more. - We reviewed the previous year's menu and agreed removing the "spicy" (chili pepper) for questions Action items: - [x] @gwmngilfen will promote the lunch poll to the CLE call. - [x] @t0xic0der post the lunch matching Discussion post on the Flock Matrix channel. - [x] @gwmngilfen will review again the lunch menu and comment on this ticket with suggestions. - [x] @jflory7 post the lunch matching discussion text on the Matrix announcements channel. Use the LinkedIn post content for text.

jonatoni added the

labels

2026-05-14 21:36:46 +00:00

jonatoni commented

2026-05-14 21:56:52 +00:00

Author

Owner

Agenda for the May 15 meeting:

Topics review
Pending AI from previous meetings
Facilitators for the topics
Update the title/abstract for the Flock agenda

Agenda for the May 15 meeting: - Topics review - Pending AI from previous meetings - Facilitators for the topics - Update the title/abstract for the Flock agenda

jonatoni changed title from ~~Mentor/Mentee Lunch Matching 2026~~ to FMS 2026: Lunch and Learn

2026-05-14 22:02:26 +00:00

jonatoni added this to the FMS 2026 project

2026-05-14 22:06:11 +00:00

jonatoni added the due date 2026-06-16

2026-05-14 22:10:24 +00:00

jonatoni added this to the June 2026 Goals milestone

2026-05-14 22:27:34 +00:00

jonatoni commented

2026-05-15 14:54:55 +00:00

Author

Owner

Notes from the May 15 meeting:

12 topics in total, maybe we can divide 4 topics for each day and have more tables for the popular/most voted topics
facilitators for the topics - ideas on who can help/support with this?

Action items:

@jonatoni floor map for the lunch break
@jonatoni check with the Flock team if they are fine with us running this during the 3 days (instead of one)
@jonatoni update the Flock session: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/talk/7RZDUL/

Notes from the May 15 meeting: - 12 topics in total, maybe we can divide 4 topics for each day and have more tables for the popular/most voted topics - facilitators for the topics - ideas on who can help/support with this? Action items: - [x] @jonatoni floor map for the lunch break - [x] @jonatoni check with the Flock team if they are fine with us running this during the 3 days (instead of one) - [x] @jonatoni update the Flock session: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/talk/7RZDUL/

jonatoni commented

2026-05-21 11:57:42 +00:00

Author

Owner

Agenda for the May 21 meeting:

AI from previous meeting
Facilitators for the topics
Divide topics for each day
Menu ready? + printing

Agenda for the May 21 meeting: * AI from previous meeting * Facilitators for the topics * Divide topics for each day * Menu ready? + printing

gwmngilfen commented

2026-05-21 12:18:17 +00:00

Member

Greg will review again the lunch menu and comment on this ticket with suggestions.

I had another look, I think it's fine as-is. I don't see anything missing from absolute basics such as "whats your backstory", "what do you work on" or "what are you excited about". I agree with @t0xic0der from earlier that dropping the "spicy" icons seems wise, they don't add anything useful.

> Greg will review again the lunch menu and comment on this ticket with suggestions. I had another look, I think it's fine as-is. I don't see anything missing from absolute basics such as "whats your backstory", "what do you work on" or "what are you excited about". I agree with @t0xic0der from earlier that dropping the "spicy" icons seems wise, they don't add anything useful.

jonatoni commented

2026-05-21 12:29:23 +00:00

Author

Owner

Notes for the May 21 meeting:

@jonatoni floor map for the lunch break, check w/ Dorka
@jonatoni update the Flock session: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/talk/7RZDUL/
Ask in Fedora Discussion + Matrix for Facilitators for the topics we have @echevemaster
@jonatoni print the menu

Day 1

Documentation
Operational
Development
Marketing

Day 2

Packaging
Infrastructure
Interpersonal Skills
Events

Day 3

Artificial Intelligence
Governance
Release Engineering
Design

Notes for the May 21 meeting: - [x] @jonatoni floor map for the lunch break, check w/ Dorka - [x] @jonatoni update the Flock session: https://cfp.fedoraproject.org/flock-to-fedora-2026/talk/7RZDUL/ - [ ] Ask in Fedora Discussion + Matrix for Facilitators for the topics we have @echevemaster - [ ] @jonatoni print the menu Day 1 - Documentation - Operational - Development - Marketing Day 2 - Packaging - Infrastructure - Interpersonal Skills - Events Day 3 - Artificial Intelligence - Governance - Release Engineering - Design

jonatoni commented

2026-05-27 17:11:44 +00:00

Author

Owner

Some updates:

Flock schedule is updated and I have added everyone as a speaker:
The restaurant has seating for 220 people, tables for 4, 6, and 8 - waiting for a picture of the layout.
We should update the menu from last year, and have it ready as a PDF for printing.
Notes what we need at Flock: A4 white papers to write the topics, something else?

Agenda for the May 29 meeting:

AI from the previous meeting
Topics facilitators
Menu update ready for printing

Some updates: * Flock schedule is updated and I have added everyone as a speaker: * The restaurant has seating for 220 people, tables for 4, 6, and 8 - waiting for a picture of the layout. * We should update the menu from last year, and have it ready as a PDF for printing. * Notes what we need at Flock: A4 white papers to write the topics, something else? Agenda for the May 29 meeting: * AI from the previous meeting * Topics facilitators * Menu update ready for printing

jonatoni commented

2026-05-29 14:17:34 +00:00

Author

Owner

Notes from the May 29 meeting:

@jonatoni menu update ready for printing
@all suggest/reach out to folks who could be good facilitators for the topics

Notes from the May 29 meeting: - [ ] @jonatoni menu update ready for printing - [ ] @all suggest/reach out to folks who could be good facilitators for the topics

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FMS 2026: Lunch and Learn #21