WordCamp WordCamps 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. Krakow 2025 became history on June 29th. And not just because it ended, but because it showed us that there is a space where we can invite new members into our WordPress Community.
One year ago, during WordCamp Krakow 2024, I decided to rethink how we run Contributor Day Contributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://2017.us.wordcamp.org/contributor-day/ https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/.. Instead of keeping it just for experienced WordPress users, I wanted to open it up to those who were completely new to WordPress, curious about it, or just starting their journey.
Why did I do it?
When inviting people to WordCamp Krakow 2024 last year, I noticed that many of them assumed that WordCamp was only for those who knew WordPress very well. Many of them have been declining my invitation, saying: “I am not a webmaster, so your WordCamp is not for me!”
After another such excuse, suddenly I felt like Archimedes who said in the past: “Eureka!”
Maybe only 10% of attendees joined Contributor Day in Poland because it felt like a day reserved for experienced users. But WordCamp lasts three days. Why not use Day 0 to welcome beginners too? We had space at the venue, so that wasn’t an issue.
The real question was:
How do we encourage them to come? What can we offer?
I realized we couldn’t expect them to contribute to a system they didn’t yet know. We needed a new format, something designed to bring newcomers into the community.
And so the WordPress Academy was born.
On June 7, 2024, we organized a series of four lectures, running concurrently with Contributor Day. There was no registration, we simply wanted to see who would show up and get benefit from the new format.
The response amazed us.
Over 50 people attended the Academy, about 20% of all WordCamp participants! It was more than I expected, and the feedback from long-time WordCampers was fantastic.
It was spectacular!
So in 2025, We decided to do it again, but… better.
We learned from the last year that even “simple” topics can feel overwhelming for true beginners. So this year, we made two big changes:
- Lectures for absolute beginners:– even more approachable than before.
- Workshops for “false beginners”:- where participants built their first WordPress site with guidance from experienced users.
And it was a huge success!
WordCamp Krakow 2025 had 275 attendees,and over 110 of them joined the WordPress Academy! This, combined with the Contributor Day participants (about 30), meant that over 50% of participants showed up on the first day!
What is the next step?
WordCamp Europe 2026 will be held in Krakow.
As Head of the Local Team, I dream of bringing the WordPress Academy to WordCamp Europe for the first time to connect experienced WordPress users with complete beginners..
My goal? To make Day 0 as big and exciting as Days 1 and 2.
Will it work?
I am sure it will!
Open for your suggestions and ideas on this initiative!
Thanks to @webtechpooja for reviewing this post.
#contributor-day,
#wordcamps
