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Kick off the new year with inspiring WordPress events! This edition features creative ideas, sustainable tips, and stories of community growth worldwide. From workshops to International Women’s Day celebrations, find insights to empower your community and make 2025 unforgettable.
Given the importance of thorough preparation, we recommend organizing teams to apply for events scheduled at least six months in advance. This ensures adequate time for the review process and the necessary planning to create a successful event.
Engaging WordPress Event Ideas to Kickstart the New Year
These ideas are perfect for inspiring and empowering your WordPress community in the year ahead!
New Year, New Website Workshop: Help beginners create and launch their first WordPress site with step-by-step guidance. Maybe with the help of AI.
Refresh Your WordPress Site: Guide attendees on redesigning, optimizing, and enhancing their websites for the new year, focusing on speed and usability.
Community Mixer & Trends for 2025: Host a networking event featuring lightning talks, Q&A sessions, and discussions on upcoming WordPress trends.
Tip of the Month for Creating More Sustainable Events:
When organizing an event, favor cities that have excellent low-carbon long-haul travel links (like trains) and reliable, accessible public transport. See more event location advice here.
How to Plan a Creative and Meaningful WordPress Event for International Women’s Day
WordPress Latin America: First mentoring session for women leading International Women’s Day events on March 8th.
Choose a Resonant Event Title
Pick a theme like “Breaking Barriers: Women Empowering the Web” to give your event a clear purpose that aligns with International Women’s Day.
Highlight Inspiring Speakers
Invite women leaders in WordPress or related fields to share their stories through presentations or panel discussions.
Host Interactive Workshops
Plan hands-on sessions, such as coding, content creation, or design tutorials, to empower attendees with new skills.
Create Networking Opportunities
Facilitate connections with activities like speed networking or breakout rooms focused on specific topics.
Celebrate Achievements
Showcase women-led projects or honor local contributors to highlight the impact of women in the WordPress community.
Ensure Inclusivity
Make the event accessible with hybrid options, translations, and an inclusive venue to welcome everyone.
Amplify the Impact
Share event highlights online to inspire others and encourage ongoing support for women in tech.
Reminder: WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia Tickets Are Available!
🌏 Get Ready for WordCamp Asia 2025! 🌏
Join the WordPress community at the first major WordCamp of the year! Tickets are on sale now—don’t miss out!
Let’s come together and make WordCamp Asia 2025 an incredible experience! ❤️ 🌏
Some recent Community Events
Looking for creative event ideas? Make Your Products Shine!
Organizers in WordPress Cartago, Costa Rica are hosting a hands-on workshop where participants learn to take stunning product photos using their smartphones. With tips on lighting, composition, and editing, attendees create eye-catching content for their E-Commerce or social media.
Participants bring a product and brand-inspired decorations to practice their skills and showcase their creations during the meetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook.. Optional props like parchment paper or cake bases add extra flair. This is a great example of how local events can deliver value and empower communities to grow their businesses.
Reviving Resilience: The Journey of the Buea WordPress Community
After being inactive for over six years due to the socio-political crisis in Cameroon, the Buea WordPress Community has made an inspiring comeback. In 2023, with unwavering determination, @kofimokome took the bold step to revive the community despite facing initial challenges with limited interest and engagement.
Fast forward to today, the tide is turning. Membership has grown significantly, and there’s a renewed enthusiasm among local WordPress enthusiasts. This growth speaks to the community’s resilience and shared commitment to building a vibrant learning, collaboration, and innovation space.
Looking ahead, the community has set an ambitious and exciting goal for 2024: to nurture and support their first CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. contributor to WordPress. This milestone will not only elevate the Buea WordPress Community but also amplify its voice on the global stage.
Let’s celebrate and support this thriving community as they overcome challenges and achieve new heights!
Growing the WordPress Community in Mexico City
The WordPress Mexico City Meetup recently hosted its latest in-person event, attracting an even larger crowd and showcasing the community’s steady growth. This vibrant group continues to thrive, reflecting the increasing interest in WordPress across the region.
As one of the few meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. offering two monthly events—one virtual and one in-person—the community ensures accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (commonly shortened to a11y) refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design ensures both “direct access” (i.e. unassisted) and “indirect access” meaning compatibility with a person’s assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) and engagement for all. In a city as large and bustling as CDMX, in-person meetups are held on weekends to accommodate attendees and avoid traffic challenges, while virtual events provide an excellent alternative for those unable to join physically.
WordPress Event Organizers, We Want to Feature You!
We love highlighting WordPress events from around the world in our newsletters. Want your Meetup to be featured? Share a picture with the Community team! Post it on the #community-eventsSlack channel. Remember to ask permission from your group members before taking and sharing photos.
Need Support or Guidance From the WordPress Global Community TeamGlobal Community TeamA group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps.?
If you have any questions, Community Team Supporters are here to help. Please email us at support@wordcamp.org or join the #community-eventsSlack channel. Thanks for everything you do to grow and support the WordPress community — let’s keep sharing knowledge and inspiring each other with our contributions!
We know recent changes announced by Automattic and its temporary reduction of contributor efforts have raised questions and concerns, and we want to reassure you that the Community Team remains committed to supporting you.
Since the announcement states that contributors from Automattic time will be greatly reduced and focused on other areas until further notice, this team needs to determine a path forward. Fortunately this team comprises dedicated individuals —independent contributors and those sponsored by other companies— who are doing their best to keep things running and will continue to do so.
We expect processes to be slower during this time, and we sincerely appreciate your patience and support as we navigate this situation. We also want to thank the contributors from Automattic who have been instrumental in building this program over the years, and we look forward to their return.
Our focus on helping every event and organizer worldwide remains unwavering. Together, with the invaluable support of the rest of program and event supporters, we’ll continue to maintain this incredible community.
This year’s selection process was a true celebration of community spirit, with record-breaking engagement and a shared commitment to shaping the future of our vibrant team.
🌟 Reflecting on Progress: Evolving the Role of Team Reps
In 2024, we introduced a new structure for Community Team Reps, inspired by thoughtful discussions at the 2023 Community Summit. This updated framework brought several key changes:
Extending the term for Team Reps to two years to ensure deeper impact and continuity.
Increasing the number of Team Reps to four,
with two Team Reps continuing from the previous year.
and two Team Reps newly elected annually.
These adjustments fostered a smoother transition between terms and allowed for a balance of fresh perspectives and experienced guidance. In 2024, our incredible team consisted of:
Their leadership and dedication have made a lasting impact, and we are profoundly grateful for their service.
💪 The 2025 Selection Process: A Community Effort
This year’s nominations and voting process set a new standard for community participation! We received an impressive nine nominations, reflecting the enthusiasm and dedication of our members.
During the final voting, we saw unprecedented engagement, with the highest voter turnout in recent history. The results presented us with an exciting challenge: a tie for the second new Rep position. After thoughtful deliberation, the current Team Reps made the decision to welcome all three top-voted nominees, recognizing the value they bring to the team.
🌟 A Fond Farewell and New Beginnings
As we welcome the new Reps, we also celebrate the achievements of those stepping down.
Leo Gopal (@leogopal) and Junko Nukaga (@nukaga) have completed their two-year terms, leaving a legacy of leadership and dedication.
Shusei Toda (@st810amaze) will continue into his second year, offering his invaluable experience and guidance.
Isotta Peira (@peiraisotta) will transition into an honorary role as a Team RepTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. Supporter, providing mentorship and advice to the new Reps while stepping back from the official title.
We deeply appreciate their contributions and know their influence will continue to shape the Community Team’s future.
🎉 Welcoming the 2025 Team Reps
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to the three exceptional reps who will help guide the WordPress Community in 2025:
Pooja began her WordPress journey in 2013 as a developer. In 2015, she co-founded WPVibes, a pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party development company. Her involvement with the WordPress community deepened in 2017 when she attended her first WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more., marking the start of her contribution journey.
Within the WordPress project, Pooja has held several significant roles. She served as Co-Team Rep of the Training Team for the 2022 and 2023 terms and made notable contributions to the WordPress releases.
She was part of the release squad for 6.3 & 6.4 as Test Lead. In 2024, she represented the Test Team and continues to serve as a General Translation EditorGeneral Translation EditorGeneral Translation Editor – One of the polyglots team leads in a geographic region https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/. Further information at https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#general-translation-editor. (GTEGeneral Translation EditorGeneral Translation Editor – One of the polyglots team leads in a geographic region https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/. Further information at https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/handbook/glossary/#general-translation-editor.) for the Hindi locale. She is a member of the Plugin Review Team, and a co-organizer of the Ajmer WordPress MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook.. She is one of the organizers of the WordCamp Asia.
Pooja’s dedication to WordPress was recognized with the Kim Parsell Scholarship, which granted her the opportunity to attend WCUSWCUSWordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event. 2022.
Unfortunately, visa issues prevented her attendance. Based in Ajmer, a picturesque city in Rajasthan, India, Pooja balances her WordPress contributions with hobbies like gardening, exploring new places, and listening to music.
He is passionate about community building and that passion led him on starting his journey as a contributor in 2012. He co-founded the WordPress meetup in Mumbai, which was the very first one in India.
He currently contributes to the project as a Program ManagerProgram ManagerProgram Managers (formerly Super Deputies) are Program Supporters who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. on the Community Team, along with being part of the WordPress Incident Report Team.
Aditya Kane lives in Pune, India. He works as a freelance consultant for WordPress projects and agencies.
He believes that open-source, the open web, an open culture that nourishes, informs, changes and invites participation feels inherently authentic.
Arthur Kasirye is a founding member of the WordPress community in Uganda, renowned for his leadership and mentorship roles. He has supported the global WordPress ecosystem as a community lead, mentorEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues., and program supporterProgram SupporterCommunity Program Supporters (formerly Deputies) are a team of people worldwide who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about program supporters in our Program Supporter Handbook., guiding numerous WordCamp organizers worldwide.
A passionate advocate for localization, Arthur has contributed significantly to translating WordPress into Ugandan languages, including Luganda. He is also the founder of Kasiryelabs, a digital agency he established eight years ago, where he continues to excel as a web creator and creative designer.
Shusei is a creative director and business strategist based in Tokyo, Japan. With a background in web design and engineering, Shusei specializes in crafting comprehensive brand, corporate, and visual content for clients.
His expertise spans project management, photography, videography, and creative strategy. Since joining the WordPress Community, Shusei has been an active contributor both locally and globally.
We are excited to see their unique perspectives, creativity, and leadership come to life as they work alongside the broader community.
🚀 Looking Ahead
This announcement marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the WordPress Community Team. Thank you to everyone who participated in the nominations, voting, and discussions—it’s your engagement and passion that keep our community thriving.
Together, let’s continue to innovate, support one another, and grow as a community in 2025. Here’s to an incredible year ahead!
A big thanks goes out to (@nukaga) (@peiraisotta) (@st810amaze) for all their hard work and contributions during this process. None of this would have been possible without their deep care and understanding.
The Community Team chat takes place the first Thursday of every month in the #community-team channel on SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/..
This meeting is meant for all contributors on the team and everyone who is interested in taking part in some of the things our team does. Feel free to join us, even if you are not currently active in the team!
You will find a preliminary agenda for the meeting below.
If you wish to add points to discuss, comment on this post or reach out to one of the team reps: @peiraisotta or @Shusei. It does not need to be a blog post yet, the topic can be discussed during the meeting nevertheless. We use the same agenda for both meetings.
Call for meeting host and notetaker If anyone is available to host this month’s or next month’s Community Team meetings and/or write the recap notes , please reach out to one of the team reps: @peiraisotta or @Shusei.
Check-ins: Program and Event Supporters / Contributors
What have you been doing and how is it going?
What did you accomplish after the last meeting?
Are there any blockers?
Can other team members help you in some way?
Highlights to Note
Here are a few things everyone should be aware of.
MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. Organizer Newsletter was sent on December 7th. Here is the full detail of the newsletter.
WordCamp Central Website had a content update. The updates contain: content alignment, visibility enhancement of WordPress Events, promoting other WordPress Events, and some clean up/modernizing. Here is a full announcement about it.
3 Flagship WordCamps are planned for 2025 with WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia 2025 coming up next month and WordCamp Europe 2025 opening calls for multiple roles for the event.
Check out these new and ongoing discussions needing review, feedback, thoughts and comments.
In honor of International Women’s Day, a proposal was made to host WordPress Events to celebrate the occasion. Make sure you check the post if you are interested.
The voting for 2025 Community Team Reps have finished and the final results are in. New Reps will be announced soon. Keep an eye on the Make WordPress Community posts to know more about the new Team Reps for 2025.
Open Floor
This is your chance to discuss things that weren’t on the meeting agenda.
We invite you to use this opportunity to share anything that you want with the team. If you currently have a topic you’d like to discuss, add it to the comments of this post and we will try to update the agenda accordingly.
A big thank you to everyone who applied to be part of the Community Team’s event program as Supporters! We appreciate your enthusiasm and involvement! We also apologize for the delay in processing applications.
After reviewing 28 applications, we are pleased to announce that we have accepted 22 applicants. Successful applicants will be contacted by their assigned mentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues., with onboarding scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2025. For those who were not selected, you will receive a notification by the end of December 2024.
We’ve created several groups of Mentors/Mentees and they’ll start the onboarding and training sessions starting in January 2025.
During the onboarding process and their first few months, newly onboarded Supporter groups are encouraged to reach out to their mentors and collaborate with other Supporters. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow together!
For more details, please refer to our original announcement here.
Thank you once again for your interest and commitment to the WordPress community!
Thank you, @_dorsvenabili, for your collaboration on this post!
In honor of International Women’s Day, we propose that local WordPress communities around the globe consider organizing WordPress events for women to celebrate, empower, and inspire women within our ecosystem.
Note: This WordPress event is for women and gender minorities in tech, and we kindly request for organizers of these groups to apply to be the organizers.
Why This Matters:
The WordPress community thrives on diversity, inclusivity, and collaboration. Hosting women-focused WordPress events provides a safe and welcoming space for women to:
Share their experiences, challenges, and successes in WordPress and tech.
Learn and grow through focused workshops, talks, and discussions.
Build networks, gain mentorsEvent SupporterEvent Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues., and foster confidence to take up leadership roles within the WordPress community.
Inspire women in the tech world through the experiences and leadership of other professional and accomplished women.
What These WordPress Events Could Look Like:
Inspiring Talks: Invite women leaders, contributors, and professionals in WordPress and related IT communities to share their journeys.
Hands-on Workshops: Cover topics like WordPress basics, pluginPluginA plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party/theme development, blogging, digital marketing, design, business, entrepreneurship…
Networking Sessions: Facilitate connections among women to build strong, local support networks.
Inclusive Stories: Create a platform for women from diverse backgrounds to share how WordPress has impacted their lives and careers.
Highlight Local Success Stories: Share stories of women in your local community who have achieved milestones in WordPress or tech.
Fun Games and Learning Activities: Include interactive games and activities that are both engaging and educational, such as quizzes, or team-building challenges.
Offer Mentorship Opportunities: Pair beginners with experienced WordPress users for one-on-one guidance during or after the event.
Follow-Up Events: Plan follow-up meetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. or workshops to keep the momentum going and track participants’ progress.
How to Get Started:
Collaborate with Local Groups: Partner with women-focused organizations or tech communities to expand your outreach. Start discussions with them and begin planning your event.
Secure a Venue: Look for an inclusive and welcoming venue. If possible, secure a free or donated venue. If that’s not feasible, opt for the most cost-effective option. You can also host your event online.
Plan Your Budget: Budget for venue costs (if applicable), refreshments, snacks, and/or childcare. WordCampWordCampWordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Community Support will offer a stipend of $100 – $500 USD (depending on the host city’s cost of living and average size of MeetupMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook. events) to support your event.
Curate Inclusive Content: Design a program that caters to all skill levels, from beginners to experienced WordPress users.
Promote Your Event: Use social media and local channels to spread the word and attract attendees.
Prepare Swag and Materials: If local businesses would like to support your event, consider printing swag items or stickers locally to enhance the experience.
Please note that if you would like to offer childcare services at your venue, you can encourage women to bring children under 10 to join the event!
We’re seeking assistance with the following:
A designer to create a banner for the event that all the communities can use.
A designer to craft a sticker sheet featuring female-gendered Wapuu designs.
A designer to develop a unique logo for WordPress Women’s Day.
If you would like to volunteer for the designing part, please comment on this post!
Our Vision:
By organizing women-centric WordPress events on International Women’s Day, we can spark meaningful conversations and encourage more women to join, lead, and contribute to WordPress. It’s an opportunity to strengthen our community and amplify women’s voices in open sourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL..
We hope this initiative inspires WordPress organizers worldwide to celebrate and empower women in their communities. Let’s work together to make WordPress a more inclusive and diverse space!
Title: Celebrating Women in WordPress on International Women’s Day
Description: Join us for a special WordPress event for women as we celebrate International Women’s Day! This event is dedicated to empowering women in the WordPress community and beyond.
Whether you’re a blogger, developer, designer, marketer, just starting your WordPress journey or any online professional, this is a perfect opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together in a supportive environment.
What to Expect:
Inspiring talks by women leaders in WordPress.
Networking opportunities to build meaningful connections.
Stories of success, challenges, and lessons from women in tech.
Refreshments and snacks.
Date: March 8, 2025 Time: TBD Venue: TBD Who Can Attend: Women WordPress enthusiasts of all experience levels.
Note: This event has been created for women and gender minorities in tech, and we kindly request that other attendees please do not register.
Let’s come together to celebrate, inspire, and create a stronger community for women in WordPress. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the change!
I’m happy to announce a content update to the WordCamp Central website! 🎉 These updates have been carefully designed to align with our new purpose, better serve our diverse audiences, and shine a brighter spotlight on the full spectrum of WordPress events.
Why the Update?
Our goal was to revise and enhance the content across several key pages to:
Reflect on the evolving purpose of WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. and WordCamps.
Emphasize the visibility of all WordPress events, including MeetupsMeetupMeetup groups are locally-organized groups that get together for face-to-face events on a regular basis (commonly once a month). Learn more about Meetups in our Meetup Organizer Handbook., WP Events, and Do_Actions.
Follow an SEO-driven strategy to ensure the website is discoverable and informative for the WordPress community and beyond.
What’s New?
Here’s a quick overview of the updates:
Aligning Content with Our New Purpose
Top Description Section: The main description has been refreshed to communicate our website’s broader goals and new audience focus.
About WordCamps: This page now highlights the evolving purpose and mission of WordCamps in the WordPress ecosystem.
What to Expect: Updated to provide accurate and relevant information for attendees based on the latest expectations.
Enhancing the Visibility of WordPress Events
Global Sponsors Page: Featuring more engaging content to showcase the invaluable contributions of our sponsors to the WordPress community.
Sponsor Multiple WordCamps: This page has been revised to present up-to-date details about sponsorship opportunities.
Promoting Other WordPress Events
Event Listings and Schedules: We’ve added mentions of Meetups and WP Events to pages.
Organizer Information: The Become an Organizer page now provides updated links and mentions of organizing several types of events.
Contact Us Page: Includes references to Meetups, WP Events, and links to relevant application forms.
Cleaning Up and Modernizing
Footer Links: Outdated links, such as Mercantile, have been removed to ensure our website remains current and user-friendly.
Explore the Updates!
These updates mark a step forward in ensuring the WordCamp Central website continues to be a valuable resource for the WordPress community. We encourage you to explore the updated pages, discover how you can get involved, and share these updates with your networks.
With most of the Program Managers who routinely handle WPCSWordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support PBC is a Public Benefit Corporation, created specifically to be the financial and legal support for WordCamps, WordPress Meetup groups, and any additional “official” events organized within the WordPress Community Events program. banking, and many program supporters offline to celebrate end of year holidays we’ll be pausing our payments program Saturday December 21 through Sunday January 5.
During this time we’ll halt all vendor payments, reimbursements, sponsor invoicing, sponsor payment attribution, and contract review and approval. If you’ll need to pay for goods or services during that time please submit all requests no later than FridayDecember 20th 10:00 UTC.
Requests and invoices submitted after Friday 20th will not likely be processed until Monday, January 6, 2025. Sponsor invoices paid during the intermission won’t be marked paid until after January 6, 2025.
First, the current Team Reps of 2024 would like to thank each one of you for voting. Voting has ended.
You made your voices heard and participated in voting.
Your selection of the two new nominees means they will join the Team Reps in 2025.
What happens next?
The Voting Process has ended, and we are counting the votes to ensure everything was done correctly and fairly.
The next steps are contacting the nominees who have the highest votes. We will ask them again. We want to know if they are willing to accept the role. They would represent the WordPress Project’s Community Team in 2025.
Once they accept, we will announce who they are to the entire community. We will arrange a series of Hand-offs and Onboardings for them. These steps will make their role official in January 2025.
In 2025, I, @leogopal, and our dear @nukaga will step down as Team Reps. We have had the honor of serving this amazing community for the last 2 years.
We are happy and confident. We are grateful to have served alongside @peiraisotta and @st810amaze. They will stay as they continue supporting and welcoming our two new chosen representatives. They will onboard them just as we did for them. As well as continuing in their support, advocacy, and representation of the Community Team.
The next are the words & thoughts of me, @leogopal, and is not from my role as existing Team RepTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. or any official capacity:
This is a coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. and fundamental distinction of a truly Community-lead, Community-driven, and Community-focused open-source project such as WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/.
Your voice matters. Your votes matters. Your nomination matters. You, fellow community member, you matter!
– Leo Gopal, to the WordPress Community (and probably some politicians and philosophers before him)
You, the community, ultimately decide who will guide and represent you. You made the decision and participated in selecting our next 2 representatives of the community team. Just as you did for me 2 years ago. It was an honor. I am grateful to every one of you.
This exists in many other open-source projects. I have to admit that I am biased. I have spent over 15 years in the WordPress ecosystem (People of WordPress – Leo Gopal). Most of that time, I was a developer writing code or managing other developers. I spend all my volunteer hours in the community team. I came for the code, but I stayed for the community.
I have never met another community with so much heart, so much care, and so much genuinekindness and a inner strive to bothdogood and be good than I have within this global WordPress community.
Thoughts of most in the Community
During my tenure as Team Rep, it was @nukaga, @peiraisotta, @st810amaze, and last year @mysweetcate that helped drive the day to day of the Community Team, while I had the honor of working on projects such as the GithubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/ and Attribution standardization and automation’s which we have adopted and so has many other teams behind the scenes (more on that in a separate post)
Reflection: Transitions over Endings
Conclusion – Transitions over Endings
As I reflect on the last 2 years, I realize there are definitely things I wished to have accomplished. I never quite got to some of these tasks. There are others that I wished I did better.
However, I am in contentment with the things I have done. The impact they have had is meaningful. This impact will continue long after I step down.
Most of the Community may not know this. There are many contributors behind the scenes like the Team Reps. They do so much work. Most of it is only known by a few. Typically, those who worked alongside them or helped in feedback or review are aware.
This is partly why I chose a project with the dear Isotta. We used Github as a tool. It helped us show contributions that were not previously attributed or recognized.
These contributions now are on their WordPress profile. This gives them the recognition they deserve.
2 years is a long time to serve as a volunteer in a single position for an Open SourceOpen SourceOpen Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. project. When it ends, one reflects immensely on those 24 months. They find all that they are grateful for and all they have accomplished or have not. Additionally, they reflect on the failures or things they hoped to have done better or more of.
After doing such reflection, I wondered what is next for me now that this is over. I realized that life is much like the passion work we do. It’s a series of transitions rather than endings. I am excited to see where my work transitions me to next.
It has also left me grateful for my team-mates in the Team Reps team. They have supported me across the years. I am also thankful to the Community itself.
I would not have been able to do this without you. I also probably wouldn’t have wanted to do it without you.
Advice for our new and future Reps
Advice To the future Team Reps
(or, things I wish I knew from the start):
Firstly, never ever lose the wide-eyed motivation, you start this role with.
and keep hold of the the innocence of believing you can accomplish anything (especially if at first you fail or encounter obstacles)
Importantly, Never forget that feedback is there to help you succeed. Even when it’s not always what you want to hear or easy to hear.
Those who give their feedback have spent their time. They provide it with the sole hope of helping you succeed. Never fail to to thank those who give you their time in this way.
Learn to appreciate feedback that contradicts your current perspective. Search out opposing opinions. This is how you nurture your ability to understand others perspectives & viewpoints and adapt accordingly.
You learn nothing if you always succeed. It’s also a sign that you are staying safe in your comfort zone.
Understand that you always have only two options. You will either succeed or you will learn. Failure only exists for those who quit.
Learn how to fail fast. Learn how to fail often. Learn how to quickly pivot when you fail. Learn how to minimize the impact and always have a plan to reverse or revert should something fail.
Getting great at dealing with failure is an invaluable skill. It helps you become someone who can succeed where others dare not travel.
Seek out others who have succeeded and learn from them.
Find individuals with skills you want to acquire. Do everything you can to learn from them. You can’t learn everything on your own. Gain knowledge from those who have already done the hard work.
And finally, you are not alone. You have both a team of reps and a whole community. They are there for you to support and who are more than willing to support you.
Get help when you need it. Our community is full of delightful people, always eager to lend a hand.
I am stepping down as a Community Team Rep for 2023 to 2024. I want to thank everyone. This is also a farewell to all who have been a part of this great journey for me. As I step down, I am excited to see our new Team Reps. They will step up and accomplish great things.
I do not know what my next adventure in the Community Team (or other teams) would be. Whatever it is, I know that whatever it is, I will be doing it alongside the best of people.
As we approach 2025, we want to express our gratitude for your dedication and contributions to this wonderful team. Your work in supporting organizers and events worldwide, prioritizing flexibility and inclusivity, is invaluable.
Recently, we’ve been reflecting on how to support better our whole team, especially supporters who may need to take a temporary step back. We’re implementing a thoughtful off-boarding process to support team members transitioning out of active roles, understanding that personal circumstances and commitments change over time.
Our goal is to maintain a healthy and engaged team, welcoming active contributors while respecting the needs of those who may need to adjust their involvement.
To ensure we remain welcoming, flexible, and inclusive, we’re introducing a more structured approach for supporters who may have to step back:
Inactive: Temporarily step back (e.g., for vacation, sick leave, sabbatical, parental leave, etc.).
Stepping Back: Pause your involvement and transition your focus to other teams or priorities.
We’re asking anyone planning to step away for more than 3-4 weeks to shift to inactive status. You can stay up to 12 months on the team with inactive status. After 12 months, we’ll consider you stepping back and will offboard you from the team.
This approach allows us to manage responsibilities more effectively, temporarily revoke tool access for inactive members (increasing our security), and welcome new contributors without significantly increasing the team’s size. It also avoids sending unnecessary notifications or creating more pressure for contributions. We’re always happy to restore access and welcome you back when you’re ready.
Your contributions, past and future, are always valued.
