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# Mission, vision, and values

## Our vision

pyOpenSci envisions a world where the software that powers open science is supported and valued in academia — where open, reliable, secure, and well-documented code is recognized as a critical component of scientific discovery.

We see a future where open source is inclusive and welcoming and where more people feel empowered to participate as maintainers and contributors, building real workforce skills. In an era of increasing automation, we believe the human infrastructure behind open source — the people, mentorship, and culture that welcome new contributors — matters more than ever.

## Our mission

> pyOpenSci broadens participation in scientific open source by breaking down social and technical barriers.

### Who we are

We are a community of novice to expert Pythonistas; together, we make creating, finding, sharing, and contributing to reusable code and software more accessible to everyone everywhere, supporting open science and advancing discovery.

### How we support our mission

* Curate an open, supportive, and inclusive community of practice — hosted in our Slack, where members connect and support each other
* Run [open software peer review of scientific software](https://www.pyopensci.org/about-peer-review/) and offer mentorship for new reviewers and editors
* Run [mentored sprints](https://www.pyopensci.org/blog/pyopensci-pyconus-2024-sprints.html) at conferences like SciPy, EuroPython, and PyCon US, welcoming newcomers to make their first contributions to open source
* Run [trainings, workshops, and BoF events](https://www.pyopensci.org/blog/pyos-education-announcement.html) to connect people and share knowledge
* Build open education resources — including our [lessons](https://www.pyopensci.org/lessons) and [tutorials](https://www.pyopensci.org/python-package-guide/tutorials/intro.html) — so anyone, anywhere has access to the skills that power open science

## Our values

* **Openness**
  * We build and share open source software and open education content using open licenses, transparent platforms (GitHub) with open access to text, code and resources

* **Transparency**
  * We develop materials and make decisions in the open, so our process is visible and workflows are clear

* **Inclusion & belonging**
  * We welcome a supportive, diverse community with the goal of making more people feel like they too belong to the scientific Python community

* **Equity**
  * We welcome editors, reviewers  and contributors across backgrounds, geographic locations and work to remove barriers that prevent people from participating

* **Empathy & support**
  * We communicate with thought and compassion, and support one another through the different circumstances people bring to this work

* **Thoughtful consensus-building**
  * We build consensus on challenging, technical topics by listening, respectfully challenging each other's ideas, and working through disagreement with thought and care

* **Empowerment through training, mentorship and education**
  * We offer training and mentorship that both build real skills and access to knowledge

* **Contribution**
  * We create pathways for newcomers through sprints, lessons and materials, and a community that offers support along the way

## Why open science?

Open science ensures that every part of the scientific workflow—including data, code, and methods—is openly available. This **promotes transparency**, fosters collaboration, and allows scientists to build upon each other's work. By sharing data and tools, open science **accelerates discovery** and makes research more reproducible.

## Why is free and open source software important?

A key part of open science is using **open source software**, which provides scientists with the tools to access, process, analyze, and visualize data. **Free software makes workflows reusable and ensures more equitable access.**

<i class="fa-solid fa-book"></i> **Open source software is essential for building fully reproducible scientific workflows.** By ensuring that research tools remain accessible to all, we support more transparent and inclusive scientific research.