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Here is where we have policy debates, project announcements, and assist community members in organizing events.
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A lot of our conversations 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/ and email are pointing to handbook pages.
The current list is a flat list and nine headings or sections. The education handbook is missing. It is difficult to learn which handbook is relevant where, especially for new contributors to the community team.
Current state
The landing page today:
Community Team Handbook
Community Team Supporter and Manager Handbook
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 Handbook
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. Organizer Handbook
Innovative WordPress Events Handbook (temporary)
Contributor Events Organizer Handbook
KidsCamp Organizer Handbook
Online Events Handbook
Incident Response Team Handbook
I am suggesting a revamp of the way we structure our handbooks and also help community members work better to navigate with tools and processes. Also it would be easier to onboard people contextually.
Part 1: Proposal to restructure the landing page
Group the nine handbooks into three sections by audience and purpose.
Each section gets a short description so people know whether they’re in the right place before clicking.
Make Community Team
For the people who run and support the Community Team itself.
Community Team Handbook (overview of 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., Events, WordCamps, WPCC and Credits and supporter roles like Event Supporters, Program Supports, Program Managers )
Incident Response Team Handbook
Education Program Team Handbook
Local Events Organizers
For anyone planning or running a WordPress event in their community.
Meetup Organizer Handbook
WordCamp Organizer Handbook
WordPress Campus Connect Handbook
Online Events Handbook
KidsCamp Organizer Handbook
Resource Handbooks
Reference material for people supporting events.
Sponsor Handbook
Speaker Handbook
Volunteer Handbook
The Sponsor and Speaker handbooks don’t currently exist as standalone documents. This content lives buried inside the WordCamp Organizer Handbook.
It would be good to have them as proper standalone handbooks.
Also should we add a one-page handbook for volunteers? so all WP event organizers can send it to their volunteers when they’ve been accepted?
Here is a mockup I created using some AI tools for representational purposes. (it is missing the Education program parts as it was based of current layout)
Part 2: Restructure the Community Team Handbook chapters
The Community Team Handbook is the most-used. The current chapter list is a bit flat and the names don’t always match what’s inside. I’d propose this outline:
Event Vetting
Event Orientations
Setting Up Meetups
Setting Up Events
Team Chats
Team Goals
Community Team Dir
Tools
Google Apps Email
HelpScout
Finance Tools
QuickBooks
Trademark FAQs
Can we add an invitation on the first page of each handbook to take the relevant learn.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/ course for self training?
For example, invite new contributors to take the training, etc.
What I’m asking for
I’d like around three Event Supporters to join me as a working group to ship parts 1 and 2.
The work breaks down into four chunks:
Audit. Go through each handbook and list what’s outdated, what’s missing, what’s duplicated across handbooks, and what should move where. This is the foundation everything else builds on.
Restructure. Finalize the chapter outline above (open to changes — the version in this post is a starting point) and migrate existing content into the new structure.
Publish. Fill the gaps. The Sponsor and Speaker handbooks need to be written and published as standalone documents. Any other gaps the audit surfaces get filled here.
Maintain. Define a lightweight review process and maybe have a rotating Docs Working Group.
Timeline
Six to eight weeks of work, with twelve as a hard ceiling. I’d rather we ship something solid than let this drag through a long unstructured stretch.
Weeks 1–2 — Audit. The working group meets, divides handbooks, and produces the audit document.
Weeks 3–5 — Restructure. Finalize the outline, migrate content, build the landing page.
Weeks 6–7 — Publish. Sponsor and Speaker handbooks drafted and published. Final review.
Week 8 — Launch. New landing page goes live.
Week 9 onward — Docs Working Group takes over with a quarterly review cycle.
Open questions for the team
A few things I’d specifically like input on before kicking off:
Is the two-section grouping the right cut, or are there handbooks I’ve put in the wrong section?
The “Innovative WordPress Events Handbook (temporary)” from 2023 is still active? Maybe we could turn it into a one-page handbook for “Other types of WP events”, and to add there the info about other types of events: Do_Actiondo_actiondo_action hackathons are community-organised events that are focussed on using WordPress to give deserving charitable organisations their own online presence. Learn more on doaction.org., WP Women Days, etc..
Is there prior work on a Sponsor or Speaker handbook I should pick up from rather than starting fresh?
Anyone already working on related cleanup I should coordinate with?
How to respond
If you’re an Event SupporterEvent 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., 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. or 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. who’d like to join the working group, drop a comment below or pingPingThe act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” me in #community-team on Slack or send me a DM on slack if you want to know more.
We will be focusing on being agile and quick to make changes, we rather ship these changes and then make regular updates – instead of trying to get everything right in one go.
I’ll close the call for volunteers by 17th July, 2026 and we’ll kick off the week after.
We were invited to give regular updates about GatherPress.
Here are the advancements made by GatherPress since our initial proposal from January 2024 and our update from September 2024.
The GatherPress team has continued working toward the goal of testing GatherPress as a potential alternative for managing WordPress community events.
After several months of back-and-forth discussions with the MetaMetaMeta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. team, we’ve learned that integration with 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/ services (like user accounts or event listings) won’t be considered until the tool has been tested with real-world events. The technical tests that were requested in June 2024 and ran until the autumn provided a useful foundation, but they were not enough for the Meta team to properly evaluate GatherPress in a live setting.
To unblock the project and continue progressing, the GatherPress team has adjusted the approach. The next steps will be:
Run a real-world trial with a few selected local communities hosting events via GatherPress.
Use a self-hosted installation of GatherPress (hosting generously provided by Robotstxt.es) while waiting for potential .org integration. BuddyPress will also be installed on that instance. It’s a continuation of the previous test installation and all existing testing groups are welcome to participate.
We will start this new test phase as soon as we release GatherPress 0.33.0 and a new theme is developed by GatherPress team members.
Juan Hernando (@unintended8) is now overseeing the project for the Community Team, following the departure of the previous contributors involved.
What this means
Pros:
We move forward with actual testing using live events.
We collect feedback and usage data based on real organizer and attendee experiences, as well as input and needs from the Community Team, to support future scaling to more groups.
Cons:
As integration with WordPress.org won’t be in place for now, an activity update about organizing or speaking at an event won’t appear on WordPress.org profiles. This is already the case with 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., but one of the future goals of GatherPress on WordPress.org would change that and address invisible contributions for organizers.
Events won’t appear in the Events WidgetWidgetA WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. in WordPress dashboards or on https://events.wordpress.org unless the Meta team is able to support discoverability in the interim. We’re open to collaborating on a solution, such as providing an APIAPIAn API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. to support this. In the meantime, organizers can still publish their events on Meetup.com, linking to the ones on the new platform.
We hope that some minimal integration can still be explored to increase event visibility, even while the project remains self-hosted for now.
Latest version and features
The newly released version 0.32.x of GatherPress introduces a complete overhaul of the RSVP blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. system. This redesign allows organisers to design the RSVP block and its inner block such as modal per RSVP status with flexibility.
Upcoming
In upcoming releases starting with 0.33.0, new options will include:
RSVP by email handshake: attendees enter their email, receive a confirmation link, and confirm attendance without creating an account.
RSVP via Fediverse: attendees can confirm their presence using their Fediverse identity.
Events will optionally be federated with the event format to appear on the Fediverse
Rewrite of the calendar block
RSVP management screen
Those options are designed to make participation simpler and more privacy-conscious, whether events are hosted independently or eventually on WordPress.org.
What’s next
We’ll be supporting a handful of groups as they start running their 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. on the self-hosted version of GatherPress. The results will help assess how the tool performs in practical use and inform any next steps for broader testing or eventual integration.
If your community is interested in taking part in this pilot phase, or if you have feedback or questions, please leave a comment or join the discussion in the #gatherpress 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/. Development continues to be led by a group of contributors. We welcome new developers, testers, and organizers, as well as feedback of any form. You can participate in our weekly huddles on Fridays at 15:00 UTC. The upcoming huddles are always listed on the homepage of our website.
The long-term goal remains to provide a fully integrated, community-owned alternative for event management on WordPress.org.
If you are attending 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. Europe 2025, you can connect with me (Patricia) for any question about the GatherPress project.
Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to and support the GatherPress project!
This is a summary of the Community Team monthly meeting held on June 11, 2026. This month’s meeting was pushed from June 4 to June 11 because of WordCamp Europe 2026. Thanks everyone for joining and for keeping the Community Team work moving across time zones.
This month, we continued with the open meeting format. Instead of two separate sessions, we ran a single open meeting starting at 12:00 UTC and kept it open for 12 hours. People could drop in when it worked for them, leave check-ins, share thoughts on the topics, and carry on with their day.
The meeting followed the agenda published here. If you weren’t able to join live, this recap is for you, and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
📝 Meeting chat logs
June 11, 2026, 12:00 UTC open 12-hour meeting. Meeting host: @mohkatz Meeting Notes: @mohkatz View the chat log on Slack
👋 Attendance
We had participants from Uganda, China, Switzerland, Kenya, Pakistan, and other corners of the WordPress world. A good mix of time zones for the continued 12-hour open meeting experiment!
A special welcome to @duncangu87, who joined as a first-timer from China and asked about how to support people who may not speak English but want to join. He later shared that the new #general-zh channel is now available in Make WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ as a welcoming space for Chinese-language WordPress community discussions.
⚡️ Check-ins
It was great to hear from contributors working across different parts of the WordPress community. Among the updates shared were organizing and wrapping up tasks from 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. Europe 2026, organizing WordCamp US and WordCamp Jinja 2026, mentoring upcoming WordCamps, preparing local 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., and supporting WordPress community activity in different regions.
Some of the updates shared included work around WordCamp Europe 2026, WordCamp US 2026, WordCamp Jinja 2026, WordCamp Mannheim, WordCamp Bretagne, WordCamp Switzerland, and local 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. activity in Nairobi and Islamabad.
There were also updates from the WordPress Nairobi community, including a hike and photo walk at Oloorua in Nairobi, with photos shared to theWordPress Photo Directory. The group is also organizing a picnic and networking meetup for the WordPress Nairobi community this month.
Several contributors are also helping with Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, GatherPress, meetup planning, and local community growth.
✨ Highlights
A few things worth noting from the agenda that came up during the session:
How to Bring Your Community to Make WordPress Slack explains how local meetup groups, locale communities, and flagship event teams can now request dedicated channels in Make WordPress Slack. Communities are asked to join #community-slack-migration and share their group name, Meetup.com URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org or equivalent community page, and the channels they need created. This is an important step toward bringing more local and regional community conversations closer to the wider WordPress project.
Open Source Starts in the Classroom: WordPress Education in Poland highlights how WordPress Credits, Campus Connect, and student showcases are growing in Poland, including work with universities and high schools ahead of WordCamp Europe 2026. It’s a strong example of how 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. education can connect students, educators, and local WordPress communities.
WCEU 2026 Contributor Day: Community Team Agenda shared the Community Team table focus at WordCamp Europe Contributor DayContributor DayContributor 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://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/, including meetup program health, GatherPress, contributor onboarding, the Contributor Dashboard, and hands-on support tasks. If you joined Contributor Day, please share reflections, follow-up items, or anything that should continue after WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event..
Monthly Education Buzz Report – May 2026 shares updates from Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and Student Clubs. WordPress education initiatives continue to grow, with more events, student-led activity, and regional participation across the program.
📣 Announcements
A few recent announcements and updates were shared:
WordCamp India 2027: What’s Next? Applications for the WordCamp India 2027 host city are open until the end of June 2026. Community Team managers are expected to review applications in mid-July, with the host city announcement planned for early August.
Community Slack migration is now open for local communities Communities interested in joining Make WordPress Slack can now begin requesting channels through #community-slack-migration. This is especially relevant for local meetup communities, locale groups, and event teams that want to connect more directly with the broader WordPress project.
@patricia70 noted that she had published the question because the call for the WordCamp Europe 2028 host city is open, and if a Community Summit is organized alongside it, applicant teams need to know early so they can ask for the corresponding venue and catering offers before applying.
@malgra added that, ideally, a decision needs to be made as soon as possible because teams are preparing applications, and this would require additional reservation and space planning.
What do you think? Leave a comment on the post.
📌 Open posts
Check out these new and ongoing discussions needing review, feedback, thoughts, and comments.
Automating WordPress Campus Connect application processing looks at streamlining the Campus Connect application pipeline, including automation for vetting, status transitions, organizer emails, and site creation. If you are involved in Campus Connect or education programs, your feedback would be especially useful.
Peer Review Needed: Hands-On WordPress Meetup Activity Library proposes a shared hands-on activity library for meetup organizers. Meetup organizers often hear that attendees want to do things with WordPress, not just watch presentations. If you organize meetups, this one is especially worth your time.
Introducing the WordPress Facilitator Training Program is aimed at equipping WordPress community members with the skills to lead sessions, workshops, and discussions more effectively. It’s useful for meetup organizers, trainers, 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 anyone helping others learn or contribute.
Community Summit alongside a flagship event for 2027 or 2028 explores whether the next Community Summit could be located with a flagship WordCamp in 2027 or 2028. The original comment deadline has passed, but it is still useful context for future planning and ongoing community conversations.
🎤 Open floor
The open floor included a reminder that the meeting would stay open for 12 hours so contributors could take their time, drop in throughout the day, leave check-ins, and share thoughts on any of the topics above.
@duncangu87 also shared that there was “a lot to read about,” which was very true for this agenda!
💬 Join the conversation
If any of these topics sparked a thought, especially the 12-hour open meeting format, Community Slack migrationMigrationMoving the code, database and media files for a website site from one server to another. Most typically done when changing hosting companies., WordPress education initiatives, Campus Connect automation, or the Community Summit discussion, drop a comment below. These conversations are better with more voices.
🙋 Call for meeting facilitators
Community Team monthly meetings can be facilitated by any team member. It’s a great way to engage with the broader community. If you’re interested in hosting a future meeting, reach out to one of the Team Reps: @adityakane, @thehopemonger, @unintended8, or @webtechpooja.
⏰ Next Meetings
Community Team meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month, with two sessions to accommodate different time zones, in the #community-team channel on Slack.
Our next meetings will be held on Thursday, July 2, 2026:
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!
In the November 2025 Community Team meeting in SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/, I asked the following question:
[…] Is there any plan for a Community Summit alongside a flagship event in 2027 or 2028, so future organizers know about it when applying to be a host city?
[…] If you and other community members want to organize it, please start a discussion and publish a post with what you have in mind so everyone can chime in, and if it moves forward, an organizing team can be created.
Looking back at previous Community Summits
The WordPress project has already benefited greatly from Community Summits in the past. For reference and historical context, you can find:
These past editions show how valuable it is to have a dedicated space, alongside a flagship event, for deeper conversations focused specifically on the WordPress Community.
A proposal for 2027 or 2028
The idea is to explore whether a Community Summit could be organized alongside a flagship WordPress event in 2027 or 2028, for example alongside 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 or WordCamp Europe, given that the most recent Community Summit took place in the United States in 2023.
This post is an invitation to Community members from those regions, or from the Community at large, to chime in, share perspectives, and, as a next step, potentially take on roles in shaping and organizing the Summit.
What organizing a Community Summit involves
Based on previous editions and experience from flagship events, organizing a Community Summit would require:
Working with the Local team and the Local Team Helper (if an external company is involved, like at WordCamp Europe) for venue, catering, and other logistics.
Coordinating with WordPress leadership and the WordPress FoundationWordPress FoundationThe WordPress Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Matt Mullenweg to further the mission of the WordPress open source project: to democratize publishing through Open Source, GPL software. Find more on wordpressfoundation.org. to ensure alignment, support, and clarity around goals and constraints.
Drafting a program and discussion formats that reflect current community topics, challenges, and opportunities, and that allows for meaningful discussions.
Call for interest
If you are interested in:
Helping organize a future Community Summit
Sharing thoughts on whether 2027 or 2028 would make sense
Sharing thoughts on which flagship WordCamp it could be organized alongside
Suggesting formats, goals and potential new ideas that would differ from past Summits
Participating in program design or facilitation
Suggesting approaches for post-event follow-ups, to help ensure that the projects, decisions, and actions agreed on during the Summit can effectively move forward
Please leave a comment on this post by April 30, 2026. Showing interest is the first step toward seeing whether there is enough energy and commitment in the Community to move this forward and, if so, to form an organizing team.
Looking forward to hearing the Community’s thoughts.
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. organizers can request up to $400 for advertising and marketing through the Global Sponsorship grant. The goal is simple: reach new attendees and raise awareness in the local community.
In all honesty, we don’t currently have a good way to know whether it’s working.
Are social media ads bringing in new faces, or are they reaching the same people who were already coming? Is a listing in a local tech newsletter worth more than a Facebook campaign? We have guidelines on how to allocate the budget, but not much data on what actually drives attendance.
We want to track this for the better, and we’d love your help.
What we’re exploring
A few ideas are on the table:
A short mandatory question included on the ticket purchase screen– something like “How did you hear about this event?” with simple options: social media ad, word of mouth, organizer newsletter, local community group, or other.
A question to the post-event organizer survey for any WordCamp that used the marketing budget: what channel(s) did you use to promote the event, and what did you observe in relation to ticket sales and interest?
Better tooling over time to make this easier to track consistently across events.
But before we build anything, we want to hear from people who have been using the advertising budget and have experience they can share with us.
We’d love your input
If you’ve organized a WordCamp and spent funds on advertising/marketing, did you feel like the added spend was impactful? Did you try any creative approaches that surprised you? Have you tried tracking effectiveness in any way, even informally?
If you’ve attended a WordCamp recently, how did you first hear about it?
If you’re a 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. or 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.: Have there been any events you’ve been a part of that have experienced a positive impact as a result of the advertising/marketing spend? If so, please share details. Any reason the ideas above wouldn’t work in practice?
Drop everything in the comments below. All feedback will directly shape how we move forward
It all started during one business meeting organised by MZP “Lewiatan”, where I met Maria Kucińska from ROPS – Regionalny Ośrodek Pomocy Społecznej (Regional Center for Social Policy).
She mentioned that it was possible to establish cooperation between businesses and people whose work focuses on something more than just profit – people who want to work despite various, not always favorable, life circumstances. At the time, I had no idea that this meeting would be the beginning of something special
A few weeks later, my Local Team of WordCamp Europe 2026 was wondering what to give to the organizers and speakers of 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. Europe, who were coming to Kraków from all over the world in June 2026. Then I recalled my conversation with Maria, combined with a fondness for mascots that had grown over several WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. organizers’ meetings, and something clicked.
I reached out to her and asked if she could help me connect with people who could make Wapuu. She put me in touch with Ms. Dorota from Warsztat Terapii Zajęciowej (the Occupational Therapy Workshop) at 3 Basztowa Street in Kraków, so I arranged a meeting.
When I arrived, I instantly felt I was in the right place. The kindness of the people I met there, combined with the realization that we, as the WordPress community, could help them, got us moving quickly. The results exceeded my expectations – the prototype of Wapuu was already waiting for me, which made my day! I simply couldn’t resist it. And since a charming Dragon was created as the second prototype it was … accepted as well!
From order to handmade mascot
At that moment, production kicked off at the Workshop on Basztowa Street. But it didn’t involve setting up a few machines, threading spools, or uploading templates into software. Instead, real people divided the process into dozens of smaller steps so that everyone could get involved (and given the scale of the order and the tight deadline, they actually had to).
Some traced patterns, others cut them out, and others stitched or stuffed the mascots. Meanwhile, the embroidery machine did its job (that part is automated), but someone had to supervise it – changing the pieces of fabric, stretching them over the embroidery hoops, and catching stray threads.
Sure, this could have been done in a factory somewhere far away, but then our Wapuus and Dragons would have just been another mass-produced item. By outsourcing the job to the Occupational Therapy Workshop, many people were able to use their skills during production, giving each mascot a deeper meaning. We got handmade mascots, and people with intellectual disabilities got work and an income that will support their social integration.
I brought them home a week before the WCEU (which instantly attracted my cat Toffee’s attention, so I had to store them very carefully!) 😄
During WCEU Wapuus and Dragons reached the organizers, speakers, and table leads of Contributor DayContributor DayContributor 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://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/. Seeing their reactions, I’m certain that the Wapuus and Dragons will be widely appreciated, and will give these people every reason to return to Kraków.
Every order placed with the Workshop is also an investment in the development of people with intellectual disabilities, fostering their independence and ultimately giving them a chance at employment. It is also a reminder that people with intellectual disabilities are not only individuals in need of care, and they have far more to offer. Thanks to this, together we can change the world and make it more open, accessible, and less driven by stereotypes and prejudice.
As for me, I already know what I’m going to do with swag for WordCamp Kraków 2027 😄
karenalma
6:19 pm on June 9, 2026 Tags: community-slack-migration
Here’s how to get your community set up Join the #community-slack-migration channel in Make WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ and post a request with: * Your group name * Your Meetup.com URLURLA specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org or equivalent community page * A list of any channels that need to be created
We’ll work with you to take care of the rest and let you know the timing based on your needs. What you’ll get: A dedicated channel in Make WordPress Slack where your members can connect, share updates, and connect with the broader WordPress project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about our message history?
We can import messages. File imports aren’t currently supported, but existing workspace exports can be converted to HTMLHTMLHTML is an acronym for Hyper Text Markup Language. It is a markup language that is used in the development of web pages and websites. and stored in Google Drive so your history isn’t lost. Just mention it in your request and we’ll work with you on it.
What if we need more than one channel?
Start with your main channel and see how it goes. If your community grows and needs more structure — separate channels for docs, events, or dev discussion, for example — we can work with you on that.
What about private channels for organizers?
Private organizer channels are handled case-by-case. Just mention it in your request.
Do our members need a 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/ account?
Yes, a WordPress.org account is required to join Make WordPress Slack. If your members don’t have one yet, they can create one here.
Ready to get started? Drop a request in #community-slack-migration and we’ll get your community connected.
Many thanks to @_dorsvenabili@kossmann@nilovelez@supernovia and all the early adopters from BlackPress, Spain, Brazil, Pakistan, Japan, Italy, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, India, and more!!
We ran a Community Booth at 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 2026, a staple at past flagship events that hadn’t been present at WCUSWCUSWordCamp US. The US flagship WordCamp event. 2025 or WCA 2026 until now. A huge thank you to everyone who showed up and staffed it: @gomp, @kel-dc, @karenalma, @clk87, @marutim, @sumitsingh, @raitissevelis, @chetan200891, @webtechpooja. 💙 Thank you as well to the WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. Events Team and WCA Organizing Team for helping make the booth an on-the-ground reality.
This post summarizes the team’s collective experience and feedback, with an eye toward making the booth stronger at upcoming flagships.
What Went Well
Despite setup and visibility challenges (more on those below), the booth delivered real moments of connection across every shift.
Contributor and program onboarding:
Kel brought contributors Sumit and Dilip to the booth during Maciej’s WordPress Credits slot. Sumit was already a 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.; Dilip signed up as a new one on the spot.
Sumit used his booth time to introduce several new folks to the Training Team and helped a contributor from the MiniOrange team get started with Polyglots support.
Kel also used her scheduled time to talk about the contributor dashboard and made several new contacts.
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. and community growth conversations:
Chetan had four visitors during his slot, each with distinct community-building questions: one wanted to start a meetup chapter in Tanzania, another in Indore, India, a third wanted to revive the inactive WordPress Delhi Meetup by becoming an organizer, and a fourth was looking for tips on sourcing speakers and venues (including free vs. paid options). All four walked away with guidance on starting chapters and applying as organizers.
Maruti spoke with a member from the Ahmedabad community about joining the WP Mentorship Program and is following up with them on next steps.
Maruti also had conversations with new attendees who weren’t familiar with what the community booth was — which turned into meaningful discussions about what the WordPress community is, how to contribute, and why staying engaged and attending more WordCamps matters.
Education and Campus Connect:
Raitis had two students come to the booth specifically to learn more about education initiatives — he guided them to the org site and pointed them toward the community panel.
Pooja connected with several attendees who showed genuine interest in Campus Connect and WordPress Credits, followed up with them 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/ afterward, and started ongoing conversations. 🌟
Cheyne had a hallway conversation with someone who wanted to run a WordPress Campus Connect event and lit up when they heard the program existed.
Handling community inquiries:
Cheyne helped an attendee check on their pending Meetup application (now vetted ✅), directed someone whose 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. was flagged to the right Make WordPress Slack channel, and connected a sponsor-curious attendee to the global community sponsorship handbook.
The booth also served as a natural networking touchpoint, with LinkedIn connections made across multiple shifts and Automattic job inquiries fielded.
Challenges
Booth Setup and Physical Layout
The booth’s physical setup was a consistent limiting factor:
It was configured like a counter with a single chair, which is suitable for a sponsor’s quick pitch, but not for the open, two-way conversations the Community Booth is meant to host.
The booth was small and positioned at the end of a row, making it easy to miss and somewhat isolated from the flow of foot traffic. Maruti noted that being in a corner made it particularly hard for people to find.
A photo backdrop wall sat behind the booth, but unlike WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. 2025 Basel, where the Community Booth was centrally placed in the hall with a shared table, seating, and photo wall, WCA’s layout didn’t allow for the same open, integrated feel.
Showing content on a laptop from across the counter wasn’t practical; people ended up huddling on the booth side to see anything.
The booth appeared well-lit in photos but was noticeably darker in person.
Signage and Awareness
The booth was labeled simply “Community Booth”, but many attendees didn’t know what it meant or what they could get from stopping by.
There was no visible schedule or topic guide to help attendees know when to visit or what conversations were happening at any given time. Cheyne’s session focused on contributing to learn.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/, but without signage, no one engaged with the topic at the booth.
A few visitors came by while strolling the venue out of curiosity, but without context to convert that interest into a real conversation.
Staffing Gaps
Not every hour in the booth schedule was filled, and the booth was unattended at times, including on the second day and during high-footfall periods like breaks and post-talk windows.
Several staffers reported little to no engagement during their shifts, in part due to low visibility.
Maruti noted that on at least one occasion, multiple attendees came by at the same time, making it difficult to manage conversations alone; this is a case for having more than one person present during peak hours.
No Swag or Materials
The booth had no physical materials, screens, or printed resources for people to browse or take away.
There was no WordPress swag or stickers, and this was felt. Raitis observed that people visibly showed disappointment when they saw an empty table, and that even basic items like Wapuu stickers or pins would have served as conversation starters and a reason to linger.
At WCEU 2025 Basel, the community booth had exclusive swag drawn from the general event swag budget, which created real incentive to visit. Remaining items were passed to local organizers afterward.
Karen noted that the Career Corner used framed info sheets with QR codes to good effect and a format worth replicating.
Recommendations for Future Booths
The consensus is clear: the Community Booth is absolutely worth continuing — it just needs better planning and a more intentional setup. Here’s what we’d like to see for future flagship WordCamps.
Redesign the physical space. Move away from a counter-style setup toward a table with seating on both sides, creating a space that invites conversation. Placement should be central and high-traffic, not at the end of a row or in a corner.
Ensure consistent, overlapping staffing. Keep someone at the booth at all times, especially during breaks and between talks. Karen’s suggestion: staff people in 2 to 3 hour stretches as a baseline, with topic-specific guests layered on for highlighted sessions. Maruti echoes this, recommending two or three people at the booth simultaneously to handle multiple conversations without leaving anyone unattended. Pooja also recommends implementing a volunteer shift system to ensure there’s always someone present to engage with attendees.
Add clear signage. Display a schedule of topics and who’s staffing the booth at each time slot (e.g., WordPress Credits, Campus Connect, Contributor Dashboard, Mentorship). Promote the schedule on social media and event signage in advance so attendees know when to come by.
Bring materials. Framed info sheets with QR codes pointing to key programs (Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, contributor pathways, etc.) would give people something to engage with even when booth staff are mid-conversation.
Bring swag. Even something small and exclusive to the booth drives foot traffic. Raitis suggests exploring a Wapuu sticker or pin exchange which is a simple, on-brand, and a natural conversation starter. Exclusive booth swag drawn from the general event budget has worked well before.
In conclusion
The Community Booth is a valuable community-building and direct-engagement tool; one that clearly resonates when the conditions are right. Nearly every staffer had at least one meaningful conversation: a new mentor signed up, a new Polyglots contributor onboarded, four meetup chapters set in motion, Campus Connect connections made.
With better visibility, consistent staffing, and a few engagement elements, this booth can be a genuine highlight of any WordPress event. Let’s make that happen. 👏 🙏
Get Involved
The plan is to continue Community Booth presence at future flagship events.
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. Europe 2026 in Kraków marked a significant milestone for WordPress Educational Initiatives. For the first time ever, WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. featured a dedicated Education Table at the Contributor DayContributor DayContributor 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://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ and Education Track, bringing together students, 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., educators, and institutional partners to explore what it truly means to learn, teach, and contribute through WordPress.
But this wasn’t just about building websites.
A New Kind of Learning
The long-term health of the project depends on something less visible than market share: a steady, growing community of contributors who understand 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., care about its values, and have the skills to move it forward. That’s what WordPress educational initiatives are really about, and the direction of WordPress education has evolved to. Today, students aren’t just learning how to install a theme or configure 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.. They are developing critical thinking, collaborative skills, and real-world project experience using open source tools. They are discovering how to contribute back to a global community. They are learning what it means to be part of something bigger than a grade.
Growing the next generation of contributors isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s essential to the sustainable future of WordPress as an open source project. The WordPress Credits Program, Campus Connect, and other education programs exist to create that pipeline, connecting universities, educators, and students directly with the contributor community, often for the first time. WordCamp Europe 2026 in Kraków was a significant milestone for these initiatives. Taking place in a city where we’ve been building genuine, long-term partnerships with universities and technical schools.
Student Showcase: Real Projects, Real Skills
One of the highlights of the Education Track was the Student Showcase, featuring work from students at Kraków University of Technology, Kraków University of Economics, and VIII LO high school. These weren’t toy projects. Students presented work developed over a full semester, demonstrating how they incorporated WordPress into advanced, professional-grade workflows.
The standout project was WapuuGo — a gamified WordPress learning platform designed for children aged 10 to 14. Students create blogs, share their work with peers, earn badges, and unlock custom Wapuu characters as they progress through the curriculum. The platform includes dedicated areas for teachers and parents, and it’s built entirely on WordPress. It’s a creative, thoughtful project that demonstrates just how versatile the platform can be when students approach it as a tool for solving real problems rather than just a CMS to learn.
What made it stand out was the approach: students weren’t just told to “make a website.” They were challenged to use WordPress as a tool to solve real problems, build creative projects, and reflect on how open source technology integrates into modern work, bring ideas to life, and create things with purpose.
Big shoutout to @tadamarketing, Joanna Micek, and @twloczkowski, who were the project leads for the student groups.
What It Really Means to Be Part of the WP Credits Program
The WordPress Credits Program is often misunderstood as purely technical or contributor-focused. In reality, it is a bridge between business, education, and open source community values.
@organvlasti, a WordPress Credits 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., took to the stage to break down what participation in the program actually looks like from a business and mentorship perspective. She shared how companies can support educational initiatives in a meaningful way, and featured a student whose path was shaped by that collaboration.
This talk is a must-watch for anyone considering institutional or business involvement in WordPress education.
A highlight from our university partnerships
A reflection of how deeply we collaborate with local educational institutions came in the form of a talk by @dannykrk of Kraków University of Technology. In “The New Engineer: Psychology, Systems, and Open Source,” Daniel explored how the role of the engineer is evolving, and the place open source communities play in shaping that. It’s a thought-provoking contribution from a partner who has become a real part of this community.
A recognition from Kraków University of Technology
One of the most meaningful moments of WCEU 2026 happened on the main stage at the beginning of Fireside Chat & Q&A. Kraków University of Technology presented a formal institutional recognition to @matt, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, in acknowledgment of his contributions to open source, education, and the open web. The award was presented by Natalia Ryłko on behalf of the university, and accepted by @4thhubbard in Matt’s name.
The letter from Rector Professor Andrzej Szarata expressed the university’s alignment with the values WordPress has long stood for: that knowledge should be shared, that technology should serve society, and that a university’s responsibility extends beyond its own walls. It also acknowledged the collaboration already underway between Kraków University of Technology, the WordPress FoundationWordPress FoundationThe WordPress Foundation is a charitable organization founded by Matt Mullenweg to further the mission of the WordPress open source project: to democratize publishing through Open Source, GPL software. Find more on wordpressfoundation.org., and the broader WordPress community, pointing to student projects presented at WCEU as a tangible result of that partnership.
It’s a moment that speaks to something larger. When a major technical university formally recognizes the impact of an open source project and its educational initiatives, it signals that this work is being taken seriously at an institutional level. That kind of validation opens doors, and we look forward to building on it.
The event started strong on July 4th, 2026 at the WCEU Contributor Day, where the Education Table brought together one of the most engaged and diverse groups of the day.
It opened with introductions and a simple but powerful framing: What’s your background? What’s your campus or education experience? From there, the group moved into open brainstorming and discussion, and contributions came from two perspectives: students and mentors on one side, and institution representatives on the other.
What Students and Mentors Brought Up
The student and mentor group generated rich feedback and ideas, including:
Creating a new fellowship model for mentors, enabling them to prototype and design solutions for their own institutions (new programs, communication campaigns, internal platforms)
Adding a Human-Centered Design (HCD) module to the course to foster creative and solutions-oriented thinking
Building a contribution wizard tool directly into the course to help students navigate where they can get involved
Creating a contribution or project dashboard so students can clearly see open tasks and needs
Addressing the confusion between 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/ and WordPress.comWordPress.comAn online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/ in the course curriculum, which currently leads to disorientation
Dividing the course into technical and non-technical tracks to better serve different audiences
Improving language clarity throughout course materials and documentation
Institution reps came with strategic and structural thinking:
Developing an elevator pitch presentation specifically designed to help universities understand and join the program
Defining clear next steps for students after graduation, including the concept of a WPCredits Alumni Club
Framing contributions as a genuine career path, not just a classroom exercise
Making the course available in multiple languages
Encouraging participating institutions to collaborate with each other, rather than working in silos
Creating a mini-grant program, co-funded with institutions, to sponsor student projects
Introducing modern, relevant tools to the curriculum (for example, exploring an education partnership with Figma)
Developing audience-specific courses and certifications: WordPress for Business Owners, for Designers, for Project Managers, and so on
A Broader Request
One idea that surfaced from multiple directions: move Education to the WordPress.org main menu. It’s a small change with a big symbolic and practical impact, signaling that education is a first-class part of the WordPress ecosystem.
Also running on Contributor Day was Akademia WordPressa, a beginner-focused workshop initiative organized by the local Polish WordPress community. For the first time in WCEU history, the event included dedicated hands-on workshops for people who had never used WordPress before.
The concept originated at WordCamp Kraków 2024 and made its WCEU debut this year, with a four-hour curriculum running entirely in Polish and aimed at the local community. Participants built their first website from scratch using WordPress Playground, learned to work with the blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor, explored how AI tools can assist in content creation and site planning, and then found and fixed intentional 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 SEO errors in their own sites as a practical learning exercise. No coding required, no prior experience needed.
The session accommodated 40 participants, and all materials including the agenda, site project, exercise list, and facilitator notes are being published after the event so future organizers can freely adapt, translate, and reuse them.
This is exactly the spirit the Education initiatives are trying to scale. A community-led, low-barrier entry point into WordPress and open source, built by people who care about bringing new voices into the ecosystem. A dedicated post about the Akademia is coming soon, with a deeper look at the format, how it ran, and how other communities can pick it up and run it at their own events.
The hope is that Akademia WordPressa grows into a fixture at flagship WordPress events worldwide.
Sponsoring Students Is Investing in the Future of WordPress
Five students from the WordPress Credits Program attended WCEU 2026 in Kraków, representing Latvia, Italy, and Spain. Their participation was made possible by company sponsorships specifically dedicated to bringing WordPress Credits students to the event.
During the conference, those students had the chance to meet in person with the companies that sponsored their trips. That kind of connection matters. Students see firsthand what it looks like when a business genuinely invests in open source education. Companies meet the people their support made it possible for to be there.
What’s just as important: these students weren’t passive attendees. They volunteered at the event and attended the Contributor Day, contributing alongside the broader community. They came as sponsored participants and left as contributors.
This is worth naming as an open opportunity. Sponsoring a WordPress Credits student’s travel to a flagship event like WCEU is a concrete, meaningful way for a company to invest in WordPress education. It creates a direct connection between a business and a student at a formative moment, and it contributes to the contributor pipeline that the project depends on.
Looking Ahead
WCEU 2026 in Kraków was proof that WordPress education is growing up. The first-ever Education Track, a packed Contributor Day Table, and new institutional partnerships forming all point to a community that is taking education seriously.
The next step is to follow up with the mentors, institutional representatives, and supporters who contributed ideas during the Contributor Day Education Table. The session generated a rich list of proposals, from fellowship models and contribution dashboards to multilingual course materials and alumni pathways. Those conversations don’t stop when the event ends. I’ll be working through the ideas raised, engaging the people who raised them, and turning the most actionable ones into concrete next steps for the program.
The work continues. If you are a WordCamp organizer, university, educator, mentor, or student interested in getting involved with WordPress Educational Initiatives, WordPress Credits or Campus Connect, reach out. There is a place for you here.
