Camaley Jennings @camaleyjennings1 | Marketing & Project Manager, GitHub Social Impact

GitHub Universe, our annual developer conference, took place from October 28-29, 2025 at Fort Mason in San Francisco, CA. The GitHub Social Impact team was excited to host events in person and virtually during our annual month of giving, GitHub Gives. 

Care Kits for GLIDE - Discussions Lounge

In collaboration with one of our 2025 GitHub Partner Award winners, Xebia, conference attendees and GitHub employees assembled 400 care kits for individuals experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. These kits were donated to local nonprofit GLIDE to be distributed during their community outreach walks. 

With tables for packing essentials and writing heartfelt cards, this hands-on volunteer activity invited conference attendees to meaningfully connect and support the local community. 

Continuous AI: The next frontier of digital sustainability

On October 28, the stage was buzzing with conversations about Continuous AI. In a packed session led by GitHub Next, speakers explored how AI agents are reshaping software development. For years, Continuous Integration (CI) has automated testing, but developers are still responsible for writing and maintaining the test code itself. Now, we can imagine a future where AI agents run those tests—and developers simply describe what they need in plain English.

In the audience was Social Impact’s Paull Young, who is excited about the sustainability implications of this shift:

“Imagine an AI agent running while your team sleeps, constantly scanning your code, finding small ways to make it more efficient and higher-performance. All these small, daily wins add up. You get faster code which is great for users, but it also uses less compute.

Less compute means less energy, fewer carbon emissions, and a smaller environmental footprint for your software. We're really excited about this and are already running tests at GitHub.”

The conversation is just beginning. Stay tuned to see how these ideas continue to evolve beyond Universe and how GitHub is helping bridge the gap between Continuous AI and digital sustainability.

Micro-mentoring with GitHub employees and students - Virtual

To reach eager students around the world, we hosted a virtual mentoring opportunity with GitHub employees in the week leading up to and during Universe 2025. 

Now in its seventh year, this micro-mentoring program facilitated nearly 100 one-on-one sessions in 2025, connecting students with GitHub volunteers for a conversation about technical career pathing or resume feedback. Here’s what a few mentees had to say about their mentorship meeting:

“I’m really grateful to GitHub for creating this opportunity. The program was so well-organized, and I loved how open and supportive everyone was. As an undergraduate, experiences like this are truly valuable—they give us real insight into the tech world and motivate us to keep learning, improving, and exploring new paths in our journey.”

“I’m truly grateful for this mentorship opportunity. It came at a time when I was feeling uncertain about my future, and it gave me new motivation and clarity.” 

“I really appreciated how open [my mentor] was about his own journey, the challenges he faced, and the way he approaches building and problem-solving. I am genuinely grateful for the guidance and encouragement he shared throughout the session.”

“The match was absolutely perfect. He had a background aligning with my future goals and was knowledgeable about the things I want to do. The mentorship session really boosted my confidence.”

See you at Universe 2026!