Reflecting on the NextGen Events Pilot Project and Looking Ahead

Background

In May 2023, the WordPress Community Team embarked on an ambitious journey with the “Next Generation WordPress Events” pilot project. Our goal was to explore innovative event formats beyond the traditional WordCampWordCamp 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. or meetupMeetup 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., bringing fresh experiences to our community and attracting new audiences to attend WordPress events. Throughout the latter half of 2023, we experimented with a variety of creative events, each uniquely contributing to the WordPress community. Check out the full list of pilot events.

Today, @adityakane, @devinmaeztri, @no249a002, @francescodicandia, @unintended8, @lanche86, @samsuresh, @yoga1103 and I are excited to share our learnings, reflections, and a vision for the future of innovative WordPress events.

Broadening the Horizon of WordPress Events

Based on our experiences with the pilot program, we recommend concluding the NextGen pilot project, and permanently adopting an expanded scope of WordPress Events. This means expanding the WordPress Events program beyond just WordCamps, meetupsMeetup 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. and do_actions, to embrace a broad range of creative event formats. The sky’s the limit, and we encourage the community to keep experimenting with new ideas.

It’s important to clarify that “NextGen” is the name of the pilot project, not a new categoryCategory The 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging. of events. This project was a playground for experimentation and innovation in the WordPress Events program. Moving forward, we propose simply referring to these events as “WordPress Events.” This term encompasses WordCamps, meetups, do_actions, and an infinite number of other event types that are supported by WordPress Community SupportWordPress Community Support WordPress 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. and the Community Team.

The Ideal WordPress Event

We’ve learned that the ideal WordPress event should be:

  • Replicable: Easy for other communities to adopt and for the same community to organize again.
  • Desirable: Each event should serve a purpose within the WordPress ecosystem and generate excitement.
  • Sustainable: Events should be financially viable and not overly complex to organize, to prevent burnout among our valued community organizers.
  • Scalable: Ideally, events are able to grow and scale as a community grows. 

We wholeheartedly encourage creativity and experimentation in WordPress Events. Innovation is the lifeblood that keeps our community vibrant and helps grow the WordPress project, its user base, and WordPress communities worldwide!

A highlight from the NextGen Pilot project:

The Rome Community Day event format inspired the Swiss community to organize a Switzerland Community Day, demonstrating that this event format is truly desirable, replicable and sustainable! The Rome event organizer mentored the Switzerland organizing team, a testament to the project’s collaborative spirit.

Tools

To sustainably expand the WordPress events program, we need some new tools, workflows, and documentation that will assist Community Team Event Supporters, Program Supporters, and Program Managers in vetting, onboarding, and mentoring events that don’t fit neatly in the established categories of WordCamp, meetup, or do_actiondo_action do_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.. Our new WordPress Events page (events.wordpress.orgWordPress.org The 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/) is a crucial step in this direction, offering a central URLURL A specific web address of a website or web page on the Internet, such as a website’s URL www.wordpress.org and unified platform for all types of WordPress events. Additionally, we have a brand new WordPress event organizer application form, which streamlines the application review process (during the NextGen pilot project, event organizer applications were submitted through a Crowdsignal survey; this was unwieldy for the Community Team to review and process).

What this means for…

WordPress Event Organizers 

We invite you to think outside the box and consider organizing an innovative WordPress Event in your community! Let’s continue to experiment and grow together. Remember, some of the most impactful WordPress events are simple, low-cost, and easy to organize.

Apply now to bring a unique WordPress event to life in your community!

Global Sponsors

Sponsoring the WordPress community’s innovative events provides companies with a unique opportunity to reach new, diverse, and tech-savvy audiences. Global Sponsors already support WordPress Community Events worldwide; innovative event formats offer an opportunity to experiment with new sponsorship benefits and ways to connect with attendees. Do you have ideas that we could test at an innovative WordPress event in 2024? Let the Community Team know by commenting on this post!

Community Team Supporters

In the coming weeks, the Community Team will invite Community Team Supporters to participate in a Zoom session on innovative WordPress Events. This session will provide an opportunity to ask questions and share feedback so that Community Team Supporters are well-equipped to mentorEvent Supporter 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. innovative WordPress Events and amplify this exciting new development in WordPress Events. Stay tuned for more details!


Share your thoughts, ideas, and questions in the comments below. Your input is the catalyst for continued innovation and growth in our community. Let’s continue building the next chapter of innovative WordPress Events, making them more inclusive, engaging, and impactful than ever!

Props to the fantastic pilot event and future WordPress event organizers; Community Team NextGen Event Supporters, who reviewed event applications and mentored pilot events; and the entire Global Community TeamGlobal Community Team A group of community organizers and contributors who collaborate on local events about WordPress — monthly WordPress meetups and/or annual conferences called WordCamps. for their incredible effort to make the NextGen Pilot Project a reality by engaging in discussions, sharing ideas, and spreading the word!

The following people participated in writing this post: @juliarosia @devinmaeztri @peiraisotta @_dorsvenabili.

#community-events, #next-gen-events

Report: Diverse Speaker Workshop September 2023

In September 2023, the #WPDiversity group held a 2 day workshop for women in India (and other countries) who were thinking about speaking at a WordPress MeetupMeetup 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 WordCampWordCamp 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. to help them to own their expertise and generate WordPress-related topics to give a talk on.

September 2023

Diverse Speakers Program

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community, September 23 & 24, 2023.

Facilitator: @jillbinder, @pastelito, and @annagargioni

  • Number who attended: 28
  • From number of cities: 14
  • From number of countries: 2 (India and Costa Rica)
  • Self-report increase in public speaking confidence after taking the workshops: 27%

Testimonials

“To the women who feel they aren’t good enough, attend this workshop to know about how we can help and encourage each other! Boost your confidence to become a speaker through this workshop. Everything worked well! From the zoom setup to great coverage of myths and why one should speak. We brainstormed ideas, discussed them, encouraged which topic is good and more appealing, and much more to learn from this workshop!”

Nikita Sawarkar, Blogger, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India

“I’ll encourage everyone who has already spoken at meetupsMeetup 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 WordCamps or at some event to attend this workshop. This will leave you with simple steps on how to structure, approach the topic and clarify some myths. This is also a good opportunity to learn from other members about their experience. The setup, clear instructions, Interactive sessions are good.  The exercises in the workshop were to help us to apply the knowledge right after we learned it were an excellent help!

Akshaya Rane Wed Developer, Thane, Maharashtra, India

“This foundation workshop is very insightful and helps gain confidence to speak at WordPress events.  The Speaker Workshop is very well structured and helps both beginners or experienced speakers. The experience of brainstorming together helps refine our ideas and build up a solid talk. The workshop was well structured and covered all aspects right from choosing a topic to guidelines for becoming a good speaker.”

Shamali S, Web Developer, Maharashtra, India

“This workshop will be useful even beyond WordPress events, though it focuses on WordPress-related themes and the community. Another benefit is interacting with very different people than the ones at the top of the organiser groups of local events. It helps make WordPress more accessible and welcoming.  This workshop is a good module if you have no experience at all in speaking and want help in conceptualizing a talk, through to tips on delivery. 

Idea Smith, Wed Developer and Blogger, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Thank you

A lot of people contribute to making these workshops successful. Thank you to each and every one!

#diversespeakerworkshopsreports

#diversespeakerworkshopreports, #wpdiversity

Innovative WordPress Events: Discover the Future of WordPress Gatherings

This is a living handbook page for WordPress Events. We will continue to update this page with upcoming events.


All About Innovative WordPress Events

WordPress events are the evolution of traditional WordPress gatherings (WordCamps and meetupsMeetup 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.). They aim to spark innovation and adoption through accessible training and networking for users, builders, designers, and extenders. These events celebrate the community by accelerating 21st-century skills, professional opportunities, and partnerships for WordPress enthusiasts of today and tomorrow.

Additionally, WordPress events should be doable (not requiring too great an effort by organizers), replicable, scalable, and desirable for attendees.

The WordPress community is ever-evolving. Ideally, WordPress events are designed to help address the challenges of organizer burnout, increasing costs, and the need for more diverse event formats. WordPress events can be curated for specific audiences, focus on particular content topics, and offer a variety of engaging formats.


Get Involved

Feeling inspired? If you’re looking to organize, we want to hear from you!


Upcoming WordPress Events

In Pre-Planning

  • Catalonia
  • Santander
  • Sofia

Past WordPress Events

The events below were part of the NextGen WordPress Events pilot project:

  • Japan Community Building Workshop In-Person Event – February 22, 2024
  • WordCamp Pune – February 17, 2024: Day-long workshops for freelancers and people who are new to WordPress
  • WordPress Photo Festival – February 3 – 10, 2024
  • Jakarta WordPress Website Challenge – January 27, 2024: A website pitching competition where participants are encouraged to submit and showcase their websites. A panel of expert judges will evaluate various aspects of the websites, providing constructive feedback and praise for outstanding work. There will be a website showcase, panel discussion, workshop, sponsor exhibition, quizzes, and giveaways.
  • Kolkata CareerCamp – January 6, 2024: An in-person event focused on lighting talks, panel discussions, and workshops to connect job seekers and students with professionals and companies.
  • WordPress School Day (Valencia) – November 10, 2023: The WordPress School Day at WordCampWordCamp 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. Valencia 2023 united the WordPress community in a day full of learning, inspiration and new ideas with 87 students who use WordPress.
  • WordCamp (NextGen Event) Tegal – October 22, 2023: This one-day “Scale Up” workshop in Tegal, Indonesia will focus on enhancing participants’ WordPress skills for the enterprise world. Approximately 50 local WordPress enthusiasts will gather to learn from four experienced WordPress experts who will serve as mentorsEvent Supporter 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. and facilitators.
  • WordCamp Gdynia – September 30, 2023: Focused on ‘Optimization: Work and WordPress’.
  • Community Day (Rome) – September 29, 2023: A day dedicated to WordPress Community Event organizers, offering tools and insights for local meetupMeetup 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. organizers.
  • Japan Community Building Workshop – monthly: A series of online events in 2023 that will become in-person events in 2024. The objective of this event series is to create a study session for not only existing Meetup organizers but for all community members in Japan. The group will have a 6-month learning period with topics that include: understanding GPLGPL GPL is an acronym for GNU Public License. It is the standard license WordPress uses for Open Source licensing https://wordpress.org/about/license/. The GPL is a ‘copyleft’ license https://www.gnu.org/licenses/copyleft.en.html. This means that derivative work can only be distributed under the same license terms. This is in distinction to permissive free software licenses, of which the BSD license and the MIT License are widely used examples., what diversity is and how can one make events more diverse, how to use social media more efficiently, learning about de-escalation, etc. View the October report.
  • WordCamp Bengaluru – July 29, 2023: A unique blend of traditional culture and WordPress discussions.
  • WordPress Day (Sevilla) – July 2, 2023: A simple, small, easy-to-organize Contributor DayContributor 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/.
  • WordCamp LeipzigJuly 1, 2023

Feedback & Discussions

Your thoughts shape the future of WordPress events.

Visit make.wordpress.org/community and join the #community-team channel in Making WordPress Slack to participate in the conversation, share your experiences, help us envision the next generation of WordPress events, and stay up to date.

For the Community: WordPress Diversity #WPDiversity Resources

Permalink of this material: https://tiny.cc/wpdiversity (https://make.wordpress.org/community/handbook/meetup-organizer/event-formats/diversity-speaker-training-workshop/)

Video

A video walk-through of these #WPDiversity resources

What is the Diverse Speaker Training Group (#WPDiversity)?

  • We are a working group within the WordPress Community team
  • Our mission is to create diverse speaker lineups and inclusive, diverse WP events for official WordPress MeetupsMeetup 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. and WordCamps.

Our Programs and how to get involved

Running a #WPDiversity group meeting


Resources for WordPress MeetupMeetup 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. and WordCampWordCamp 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. Organizers

Creating a Diverse Speaker Lineup

Creating a Diverse, Inclusive, Welcoming WordPress Meetup or WordCamp

Resources for Underrepresented Speakers in WordPress

Resources for Underrepresented Speakers in WordPress

Resources to Hold a Diversity Workshop

Hold An Underrepresented Speaker workshop (aka “How to Own Your Expertise and Start Speaking at WordPress Events”)

Hold an “Organizing Diverse and Inclusive WordPress Events” workshop

Resources for WordPress Diversity and Community Workshop Organizers

Template of workshop background admin tasks for a successful workshop and to collect data

Resources for WPDiversity Material Translators

Instructions to translate WPDiversity material

Have you run a diversity event or workshop?

Have you run a diversity event or workshop? Tell us here!

Proposed 2024 Global Community Sponsorship Program

If your company is interested in global sponsorship, please indicate your interest by emailing support@wordcamp.org by November 30, 2023.

After deliberation and conversation with current Global Sponsors, we have the proposed draft for the 2024 Global Community Sponsorship Program. If you know a company that you think would be a good candidate for global sponsorship, please suggest they review this post, provide feedback, and email support@wordcamp.org for more details!

TL;DR

In 2023, the in-person WordCampWordCamp 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. number increased by 60% compared to 2022. With the new Next Gen Events, we expect the number of events to keep growing in 2024. Package rates will increase from 2023 to 2024 to reflect that growth, as well as the rising cost of hosting events.

Highlights from 2023 that will be kept in 2024

  • One package for the whole program, with three tiers: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
  • For top level sponsors (Gold), the option to have one brand as the global sponsor, and select affiliated brands for representation at each WordCamp (one brand per WordCamp). This is in reflection of the high number of mergers and acquisitions in the WordPress space in recent years.

Questions? Feedback?

If you have any questions, observations, or critical feedback about the program in general or these proposed changes, please comment on the post! Thank you for the diligent work in creating this year’s program, @kcristiano, @sippis, @harmonyromo, @angelasjin, @cbringmann, and thank you to our current Global Sponsors for their input.

Read on for full detals

#global-sponsorship

Attention WordPress women in India and those who support you: This important workshop this weekend is for you!

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community

September 23 and 24, 2023
9:30am-12:00pm IST
check your time

This is a 2-day workshop (2.5 hours each day) for women in India (other countries are welcome to join us, too) who are thinking about speaking at a WordPress MeetupMeetup 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 WordCampWordCamp 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..

When we say women, we include anyone who identifies as a woman some or all of the time.

Does the thought of speaking at a WordPress Meetup or WordCamp intrigue you? The focus of this hands-on, online workshop will be to generate WordPress-related topics for a talk, boost your speaking confidence, and allow you to practice speaking in a safe space. At the end of the workshop you will have a few ideas for talks, an outline on one topic, a title, a pitch/proposal for applying to events, and a chance to practice speaking.

***You do NOT have to have any experience in public speaking. This workshop is for all levels of experience.

WordPress Meetup and WordCamp organizers in India: Want to empower the women in your community? Invite them to this workshop! Promo materials

Register now

P.S. Plus be sure to bookmark this resource! You can find all of our upcoming #WPDiversity events on our handbook page.

#wpdiversity, #wpdiversityworkshops

Report: #WPDiversity Inclusion and Diverse Speaker Workshops July to August 2023

In July and August 2023, the #WPDiversity group held several DEI workshops and knowledge-sharing events.

July 2023

July 2, 2023:  “How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at WordPress Events APAC”

We held a 2-hour interactive watch party to help boost speaking confidence, which included exercises for speaking topics and real-time feedback. The attendees were supported by speaker mentorsEvent Supporter 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. who shared their expertise through the experience.

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended: 15
  • From number of cities: 12
  • From number of countries: 9 (Bangladesh, Cameroon, Egypt, India, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, USA)
  • Self-reported increase in public speaking confidence: 72%!

July 20, 2023: “Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events #WPDiversity

An interactive watch party workshop to help MeetupMeetup 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. and WordCampWordCamp 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. organizers, as well as anyone in WordPress who would like to champion this work, create diverse and inclusive events. We added new material: 1. Why do we care about diversity in WordPress?  2. What does diversity look like in your part of the world? 3. How do we move towards that?

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended: 21
  • From number of cities: 21
  • From number of countries: 11 (Canada, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, The Netherlands, United States)
  • Self-reported increase in preparedness to run an inclusive event: 32%

This material is available online:

  1. Diversity in WordPress: Why and what is it in your part of the world?
  2. Creating a Welcoming and Diverse Space Part 1
  3. Creating a Welcoming and Diverse Space Part 2

Testimonials:

“I recommend that you attend this workshop if you want to expand your understanding of what diversity means and how to begin to think about it.”
~ Dave Margowsky, Project Manager, Washington, United States

“This workshop is a safe place for people of all creeds to be they’re utter, vulnerable selves and to be heard and listened to! It’s too easy to get caught up in the technical and business aspects of WordPress, forgetting the greatly diverse human element that makes the WordPress Community really stand out.”
~ Christos Paloukas, Proud Weird Human, Athens, Greece

“My point of view was broadened, and I’m more aware of what we’re trying to do as a community to improve DEI in WordPress events. We all got personal insights on what we’re trying to do as a community, which tools are available and what’s our general approach about improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at WordPress events, and ultimately make our community even more friendly and welcoming.”
~ Piermario Orecchioni, Web Designer, Olbia, Italy

“I really liked the new section on what diversity looks like in WordPress. It was important for setting the stage. Many of us were surprised when we looked up our region’s actual diversity data! All meetup organizers should attend this workshop – you’re missing out if you don’t!”
~ Sallie Goetsch, WP consultant and meetup organizer, California, USA

“This workshop was fantastic. It is tailored for WordPress event organizers, but it would also be helpful for sponsors and volunteers on WordCamps to attend a similar workshop.”
~ Birgit Olzem, Freelancer, #DEIB advocate, Germany

“In two short hours, I learned tools I’ll use for a lifetime to make events better by being more diverse, inclusive, and welcoming.”
~ Eric Amundson, Web Developer

“This a great starting point to open up to being more inclusive and helping diversity flourish.”
~ Wendie Huis in ‘t Veld, Lead Organiser WordCamp Europe 2024

July 30, 2023: Contributor Mentorship: A Primer for DEIB at WordPress Events (#WPDiversity)

@jillbinder held a workshop for @harishanker‘s Contributor Membership Pilot program to talk about: what does diversity mean in the context of WordPress and why does it matter?

This workshop is available online: A Primer for DEIB at WordPress Events (#WPDiversity) (video)

August 2023

August 17, 2023: Inclusion Follow-up SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. Chat

We hold a “Follow-up Slack chat” a month after the Inclusion workshop to help people with their diversity efforts at WordPress events ongingly.

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 8
  • From number of cities: 8
  • From number of countries: 5 (Cameroon, Germany, India, Spain, USA)

August 30, 2023: #WPDiversity Resources Walk-Through Workshop

@jillbinder held a walk-through of all of the #WPDiversity workshops, systems, and resources available on https://tiny.cc/wpdiversity

This information is available now and is good for:

  • Event Supporters
  • #WPDiversity Members
  • WordPress Meetup and WordCamp organizers
  • Translators
  • Community organizers of any workshop in WordPress
  • Anyone who cares about diversity in WordPress

The video will be available online soon. This post will be updated with the link when it is available.

Thank you

A lot of people contribute to making these workshops successful. Thank you to each and every one!

Upcoming Workshop

Speaker Workshop for Indian Women in the WordPress Community
Saturday, September 23, 2023 and Sunday, September 24, 2023
9:30am-12:00pm IST
For women in India
Register now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/speaker-workshop-for-indian-women-in-the-wordpress-community-sept-23-24-tickets-633636773647

The list of upcoming #WPDiversity events is posted on the Diverse Speaker Group (#WPDiversity) page in the Community handbook. Please check there for upcoming events.

#diversespeakerworkshopsreports

Report: #WPDiversity Inclusion Workshops April to June 2023

In April to June 2023, the #WPDiversity group held 3 “Organizing Diverse and Inclusive WordPress events” events.

Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events

An interactive watch party workshop to help MeetupMeetup 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. and WordCampWordCamp 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. organizers, as well as anyone in WordPress who would like to champion this work, create diverse and inclusive events. We hold a “Follow-up SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. chat” a month later.

April 20, 2023: Follow-Up Slack chat

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 14
  • From number of cities: 14
  • From number of countries: 6 (India, Luxembourg, Mexico, Philippines, Uganda, United States)

May 13, 2023: Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events APAC

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 8
  • From number of cities: 8
  • From number of countries: 5 (Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, United States)
  • Self-reported increase in preparedness to run an inclusive event: 50%

Testimonials

“Everything about the workshop was mind-blowing. People should take this workshop because it will open their minds to what’s possible in organising successful WordPress Meetup events.” – Emmanuel Ekanem, Web Developer, Calabar, Nigeria

June 17, 2023: Follow-Up Slack chat

Facilitator: @jillbinder

  • Number who attended online: 7
  • From number of cities: 6
  • From number of countries: 6 (Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Philippines, United States)

Diverse Speaker Support Channel

We have a Slack channel (#diverse-speaker-support) in the Make WordPress Slack for:

  • getting to know other speakers and event organizers
  • workshopping talks with each other and with mentorsEvent Supporter 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.
  • finding out about WordPress speaking opportunities from WordPress MeetupsMeetup 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. and WordCamps
  • getting connected with support for speaker travel expenses

Wins these months:

A win counts as:

  • Applying to speak at an event
  • Speaking at an event
  • Getting speaker mentorship in the channel

There have been so many of these (but most of them not reported in the channel itself) that it’s been hard to keep on tracking. We created a form for this that has not been well used.

Thank you

A lot of people contribute to making these workshops successful. Thank you to each and every one!

Upcoming Workshops

The list of upcoming #WPDiversity events is posted on the Diverse Speaker Group (#WPDiversity) page in the Community handbook. Please check there for upcoming events.

#diversespeakerworkshopsreports

Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on August 23, 2023

Attending: @coachbirgit , @franrosa, @jillbinder, @martatorre, @onealtr

Host: @jillbinder

Start: wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1692810111358429

Summary

0 – Check-ins (everyone)

1 – First time here

Information for newcomers

2 – Who we are (@jillbinder)

Our goals, our 3 initiatives, how people can help

3 – WPDiversity Member Updates (everyone)

@martatorre starting to prepare material for diversity in Spain

4 – New DEIB group (@jillbinder on @coachbirgit’s behalf)

Please join #deib-working-group

5 – Setting you up for my time away (@jillbinder)

6 – Bonus meeting next week! Zoom call (@jillbinder )

  • @jillbinder will be holding a Zoom call next week
  • Walk-through of all of the #WPDiversity workshops, systems, and resources.
    • All of the material is available for the whole WordPress community to keep doing our material in 2023 and beyond.
  • Wednesday, August 30, 2023 @ 5pm-6:30pm UTC  (just in case there are a lot of questions)
  • Ask me for an invite. I also might put it up on Meetup Learn.

7 – Workshops (@jillbinder)

8 – Comments, questions, ideas (anyone)

End: wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1692813789894869

Recap of the Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) AMER/EMEA on August 9, 2023

Attending: @coachbirgit, @franrosa, @jasonways, @jillbinder, @martatorre, @onealtr, @sc0ttkclark, @wpfangirl

Host: @jillbinder

Start: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1691600448570469

Summary

0 – Check-ins (everyone)

1 – First time here

Info for newcomers

2 – Who we are (@jillbinder)

Our goals, our 3 initiatives, how people can help

3 – WPDiversity Member Updates (everyone)

@coachbirgit:

  • Reached out to diverse groups of speakers for the upcoming WordCampWordCamp 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. Germany
  • Working on organizing a global DEIB working group team on the WordPress SlackSlack Slack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.
  • Will facilitate a session on DEIB in WordPress at the WordPress Community Summit

@martatorre:

  • interviewed on a podcast and we talked about the DEIB diversity initiative and this group 


4 – Setting you up for my time away: (@jillbinder)

  • @jillbinder is taking an extended break for 4 months, starting September 1, 2023
  • Jill invited the group to keep the work going:
    • these 2nd and 4th Wednesday #WPDiversity Slack meetings
    • our 2 workshops -> especially for local WordCamps / meetupsMeetup 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.. There is a growing need for more localized help.
    • How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at WordPress Events
    • Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events



5 – Shorter version of our Inclusion workshop with the Training team – who can take this on? (@jillbinder)

We are looking for someone to:

  • Work with @webtechpooja in the Training Team to put it into the format that the Training Team needs it in – to make it into shorter, more digestible content.
  • Create quiz questions
  • Work with the Training Team on creating polished videos –> you don’t need to be in the videos yourself, but you would be the contact leading finding the person/people to be in them



6 – Diversity in Spain projects (@martatorre)

  • Marta will be working on materials next week with @franrosa
  • Next year Marta will organise an event specialising in accessibilityAccessibility Accessibility (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)



7 – Diversity in Asia (@onealtr)

  • Lots of events coming up in Asia: Meetups and WordCamps are in full swing.
  • Some WordCamps are already announcing their speaker lineup and you can clearly see the diversity in the selection!


8 – Comments, questions, ideas (anyone)

End: https://wordpress.slack.com/archives/C037W5S7X/p1691603997037569