Mentorship Outline – for Mentors

We are currently updating the names of our contributor roles throughout our resources. The new role names are Community Team Event SupporterEvent 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. (formerly 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.), Community Team Program SupporterProgram Supporter Community 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. (formerly DeputyProgram Supporter Community 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.), and Program ManagerProgram Manager Program 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. (formerly Super DeputyProgram Manager Program 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.).

Thanks for taking part in our mentoring program! This is a great way for every KidsCamp organizer to get structured support and guidance. The format we have successfully used is to ask groups/pairs to meet every two weeks for 12 weeks to talk over the following points:

Session 1: Recruiting organizing team / Finding a venue / Drawing up a preliminary budget

  • building an organizing team
  • identifying what you want in a venue, and tips to get it for free or cheap
  • budget setup: fixed vs variable expenses, “must-have” vs “nice to have”
  • event revenue: ticket pricing, multi-event sponsorship, local sponsorship packages, in-kind sponsorship

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Session 2: Recruiting volunteers

  • setting up volunteer background checks
  • setting goals for your schedule
  • setting the length of sessions, and breaks

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Session 3: Registration / Food and parties

  • setting up registration with Camptix (badge design), coupon codes, managing sell-outs
  • planning lunch, coffee, and snacks for the event
  • planning events, speakers, and post-camp parties

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Session 4: Designing swag and badges / best practices and back-up plans

  • badge design best practices
  • swag design best practices
  • pre-event emails to attendees, speakers, sponsors
  • back-up plans

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Session 5: Scheduling and plans

  • finalizing kid-friendly schedule
  • finalizing hosting

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Bonus session: Week-before WordCamp check-in

  • review backup plans
  • don’t panic

For some organizers the scheduled chats are enough, others need additional communication to be kept assured and on track. Do what works best for you and your mentees. Volunteers in the 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. will still be available for tricky questions, but we’re hoping to make peer mentoring our first line of awesomeness for KidsCamp organizers.

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