This year, we are introducing PyCon DE & PyData Speed Mentoring, a structured on-site mentoring session designed to help attendees make useful, focused connections during the conference. The format brings together senior and junior developers for a series of short 1:1 conversations that are practical, welcoming, and easy to join.
📅 15 April, 16:15 – 17:30
📍 Foyer 3.12
Interested? Sign up here until April 13, 12 pm CET. Places are limited, and if more people sign up than we can accommodate, participants will be selected at random from those who expressed interest.
Mentoring at conferences can be valuable, but informal networking does not work equally well for everyone. We want to create a format that helps people connect with intention, whether they are looking for guidance, offering experience, exploring career questions, or simply hoping to meet others in the community in a more structured setting. The goal is for participants to leave with a small set of meaningful new contacts and a clearer sense of possible next steps.
This format is designed to support different communication styles. It aims to be energizing for people who enjoy meeting others quickly, while also being accessible for introverts, newcomers, people with social anxiety, or anyone who prefers a more predictable interaction.
The session is a structured on-site speed-mentoring format with short timed conversations. In the full setup, it runs for up to 75 minutes in a large room with 10 mentors and 10 mentees. Each mentee rotates through the room and, by the end, will have met every mentor. That means participants can expect to make up to 10 direct connections during the session.
The session includes:
Each round is intentionally short, focused, and structured. Participants introduce themselves, look at each other’s intro cards, share what they are looking for and what they can offer, and then either use a pre-defined question or continue in a freer conversation style, depending on how they prefer to interact.
Speed Mentoring works best when participants arrive with some intention. Everyone who signs up is asked to think in advance about two things:
This helps keep the conversations practical and useful from the start. Rather than asking people to “work the room,” the format gives each conversation a clear starting point and makes it easier to find common ground quickly.
Participants will also be asked to choose up to three topic areas when signing up, based on the conference tracks. These include areas such as:
This gives each conversation a clearer focus and helps people connect around shared interests, practical experience, and specific questions.
The format is especially intended to connect senior developers with junior developers, but it also makes space for peer learning, community exchange, and mutual support. Some participants may come looking for advice, while others may be ready to share experience, feedback, and perspective. In many cases, both things can happen in the same conversation.
You might join if you want to talk about topics such as:
An important part of this initiative is that it is designed as an inclusive format. Participants can indicate what kind of interaction feels most comfortable for them, using one of three “interaction modes”:
In each mentor-mentee session, the conversation defaults to the most comfortable mode. For example, if a mentee prefers a free conversation but the mentor would prefer a quiet interaction, the two would choose quiet mode for their exchange, keeping it short and practical without small talk. This helps reduce pressure and makes it easier for people to take part in a way that suits them on the day.
There will also be a quiet zone available throughout the session, including during the midpoint break, so participants can step away and reset whenever needed. The format explicitly supports taking a pause if a conversation or the room becomes too much.
These are short, fast-paced conversations. The aim is to make introductions and open the door to further contact, not to force a long mentoring commitment on the spot. At the end of each round, participants can decide whether they would like to stay in touch. Follow-up only happens if both people agree. Contact exchange is optional, and the sign-up form includes a way to choose what information, if any, a participant wants to share.
👉 Interested in participating, as mentor or mentee? Click here to sign up!
(Registration closes April 13, 12 pm CET.)
In the sign-up form above, choose your topic areas, and share a short note on what you can offer and what you are looking for.
Because space is limited, not everyone who signs up may be able to participate. If the session is oversubscribed, we will use a random selection process among interested attendees. This helps us keep the process simple and fair.
We hope this session will make it easier for attendees to meet one another in a way that is focused, supportive, and low-pressure. PyCon DE & PyData is built by and for the community, and we want networking and mentoring opportunities to reflect that spirit as well.
Keep an eye on your inbox before the conference for the sign-up email. We look forward to helping more people make connections that are useful during the event and, if they choose, beyond it.