In the past two years, the WordPress Community has launched a handful of education initiatives. These initiatives are designed to help introduce, onboard, and educate students into the WordPress open source Open 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.
Programs like Campus Connect and WordPress Student Clubs offer students the opportunity for hands-on learning with WordPress, through workshops or ongoing meetups Meetup 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. on campus. WordPress Credits, a contribution-focused initiative, offers onboarding and mentorship that helps learners satisfy academic requirements while directly contributing to WordPress.
Since their launch, these initiatives have grown from the community’s dedicated efforts, whether that’s organizers bringing Campus Connect to their local communities or experienced contributors sharing their knowledge as mentors Event 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. in the WordPress Credits program.
Connecting with educational institutions
There are a number of ways to get involved with these programs, including program support and mentorship. Additionally, spreading the word to other educational institutions is an excellent way to help raise awareness and expand outreach to students.
If you’re interested in supporting the education initiatives through expanding their reach, here are some ideas to consider:
- If you already host your local meetup Meetup 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 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. on a school campus, consider sharing these programs with your contact. These programs are flexible and designed to help accommodate new organizers and small teams.
- Are you connected to a school or other educational institution? Whether a teacher or an active alum, warm introductions can be a helpful way to help start any conversations around bringing these programs into the classroom.
- Explore ways to integrate student participation into existing local events, whether that’s sharing an upcoming meetup with your local college or inviting student volunteers into your community events. You never know who you will inspire to create the next student group!
I want to help, but what should I say?
A good place to start is with the WordPress Education page, which offers a helpful overview of all community education initiatives. You can also use the template below for inspiration:
Hi [Name],
[Insert a short summary of your connection to the institution and why you wanted to reach out.]
WordPress is an open source software that powers roughly 43% of the web. The WordPress community recently launched several education initiatives that focus on providing students with hands-on learning experience in WordPress. These programs include:
- WordPress Credits – a contribution-based program where students from partnering institutions receive onboarding, mentorship, and guidance as they directly contribute to the WordPress project.
- Campus Connect – a hands on, on-campus workshop event or series led by experienced WordPress contributors or faculty.
- WP Student Clubs – student-run WordPress meetups that regularly host on-campus events, providing ongoing education and leadership experience for students.
You can find an overview and contact information for each of these initiatives via https://wordpress.org/education/
Each of these initiatives provide great opportunities for students to grow their WordPress experience, while also building transferable skills in a global open source community. If you’re interested in any of these programs, let me know and I can help connect you to the right teams to talk about next steps!
Let’s connect!
If you’re interested in helping to connect these initiatives to other institutions, reach out in the comments or in the wpcredits or campusconnect Make Slack channels with any questions. Together, we can chat through ideas on the best way to approach educational connections and brainstorm ways these programs might fit into your local schools, event series, or communities.
Thank you to @piyopiyofox @webtechpooja @lidarroy @peiraisotta for reviewing this post!
