OpenSSL Communities

OpenSSL Conference 2026 - Trip Report - Individuals

Chris Ward Thu 22 Oct 2026 10:31AMPublicSeen by 16

Hia! Please share post-conference updates from the Individuals community.

What worked? Where are the gaps? Any news to share? Any updates or action items to raise?

Carla JedaniSat 24 Oct 2026 6:56AM

Hi Chris,

This was my first OpenSSL Conference, and having only recently been elected as the Individuals Community Representative, it was a great opportunity to meet and engage with members of the community in person.

I had the opportunity to give a presentation on youth outreach, which was positively received and led to some interesting conversations and potential opportunities for collaboration.

Feedback

The entertainment was first-class and I loved the program and design/concept - very clever and creative. I would have loved to see more opportunities for community members to connect informally. For example, clearly signposted meeting points or dedicated spaces where members of the Individuals community could gather, meet and exchange ideas.

It would also be helpful to make it easier for attendees to learn how to join the Individuals community, perhaps through a dedicated information point or the ability to sign up on the spot during the conference.

News

Post-conference, I have been exploring a couple of potential opportunities to advance our youth outreach efforts:

  • Red Hat: I have connected with Red Hat (thank you @Dmitry Belyavsky) to learn more about their education outreach strategies and explore potential synergies. I am awaiting further discussions with their outreach team.

  • University of Konstanz: Following my presentation, Stefan Eberle (IBM/OpenSSL resesarch student) reached out with an interesting opportunity involving the university's KOIN project, which trains approximately 400 non-STEM teachers each year to teach computer science in middle and high schools. Their annual in-person event includes a fair showcasing educational tools and activities, and Stefan suggested that OpenSSL's Post-Quantum Trails board game could be a great addition (particularly as cryptography and data security are becoming part of school curricula). I've reached out to @Jon Ericson to explore the possibility of getting involved.

Both opportunities could provide interesting ways to introduce younger audiences to open source and cryptography and to introduce OpenSSL to a new audience.

A big thank you to everyone involved in organising the conference. I am looking forward to building on these conversations and to our next community meeting.

Enjoy the weekend ahead! Carla