---
tags: GSoC, InterMine, GSoC-template
---

# GSoC cohort kick-off call

**Time/date:** [ Add date ]
**Other timezones:** [ add link to http://arewemeetingyet.com/ time ]

## Joining the call:
[Add videoconference link]
Once you've joined the call:
- Add your name to the attendee list below
- Don't forget to turn on your webcam! :)

Attendees: Name / Student or Mentor? / Project / Twitter / GitHub / Emoji mood
- Yo Yehudi / Org admin / t: @yoyehudi + @intermineorg / G: @yochannah 😊🎉
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Icebreaker question: [e.g. What’s your favourite dinosaur (or prehistoric animal) and why? ]
- [name=Your Name] [ answer]
- [name=Your Name] [ answer]
- [name=Your Name] [ answer]
- [name=Your Name] [ answer]

## Agenda

### Introduction (Call host)
- Welcome to GSoC 2020 with [Org name] (~7 minutes)
- Code of Conduct! [Link to code of conduct]
- Generally: please treat others with respect and kindness, no matter who they are. We know you do this already!
- If you have any issues, please speak to:
- [add contact name and email]
- [add contact name and email]
- What is [Org name], and where are we heading?
- [add details about your org]
- [add road map info]

## Group introductions
Quick intro for each student + project (students share their plans with the group, 1-2 minutes) ~10-15 minutes total. Feel free to add questions!

- [name=Student name here] / [project name]
- [add questions / comments here]
- [add questions / comments here]
- [add questions / comments here]

- [name=Student name here] / [project name]
- [add questions / comments here]
- [add questions / comments here]
- [add questions / comments here]

- [name=Student name here] / [project name]
- [add questions / comments here]
- [add questions / comments here]
- [add questions / comments here]

## Working practices over the next few months
_(~5 minutes)_

- When in doubt, ask your mentors!
- This applies for *anything* from technical assistance to blogging or worries about evaluations.
- If they’re not available or not responsive, you can always approach [insert org admin names here] as org admins - or any of the other mentors if needed. We’ll help redirect you to the correct person if we can’t help.
- Updates: Make sure your mentor knows you’re alive and busy!
- Exams, assignments, feeling unwell, vacation coming up? Tell your mentor so they don’t think you’ve disappeared.
- A good way to show you’re alive and working is via github commits. Aim to make small, granular commits and multiple pushes a day. These are your backups as well - computers do break sometimes.
- Social media and blogging:
- **Blogging:** [add notes about blog policy]
- **Twitter:** If you’re an active tweeter and you’d like us to retweet something related to your project (e.g. a blog post), be sure to mention [add org twitter handle].
- **Conferences:** Keep your eye open for open-source conferences that are related to your projects. If they’re relatively cheap and local we may be able to help you attend - speak with your mentor.

## Final Presentations
As part of your final evaluation, students need to present their projects at a community call. This call will be at [time / date]. See it in your time zone: [insert http://arewemeetingyet.com/ date here]

## 💬 What makes a project good?
_Break-out rooms (3-4 people per room, ~10 minutes in breakout rooms + 10 minutes follow up)_

- **When things are a train-wreck:** Think of a time when you tried to use or contribute to an open source project and things didn’t go all that well. What was the reason for this? Was there anything that could have been done better, and why? Perhaps this was community, documentation, code quality, or something else. Discuss in your groups and add your thoughts in the bullet points below. Add more bullets if needed.
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- **Now let’s focus on the positive:** Think of a time when you used or contributed to an open source project and things went really smoothly. What things did you really value or appreciate? Discuss in your groups and add your thoughts in the bullet points below. Add more bullets if needed.
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer
- [name=Your name here] / answer

### Open Q&A:
Anything we didn't cover? Feel free to add questions via text or verbally.
- [name=Name here] [type your question here]
- [name=Name here] [type your question here]
- [name=Name here] [type your question here]

## :camera: GROUP PHOTO

Let’s try to put on our cameras and snap a screenshot ;)
- If you _don't_ want to be in the photo, now's the time to turn off your camera
- If you _do_ want to be in the photo, turn it on!