Community Inclusion Initiatives

The WordPress community is diverse and global. The power of open sourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL. is that anyone can contribute from anywhere at any time, regardless of their background.

The more diverse our community is, the stronger it becomes. With different perspectives come new innovations, ideas, and solutions. Our diversity helps to create a more accessible user experience, whether that’s as a blogger setting up a site or a contributor to our community of in-person events 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..

Inclusive environments don’t happen overnight – or without effort. To fulfill WordPress’s mission to democratize publishing, the Community team seeks to actively reduce barriers to current and future participation, engagement, and sense of belonging in all WordPress events. This guide is a living document to support contributors in creating diverse, welcoming and inclusive WordPress communities.

For a quick start, view the Building a Diverse Speaker Roster handbook page and the Encouraging Diversity in Meetups and WordCamps panel.

Code of Conduct

The Code of ConductCode of Conduct “A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party.” - Wikipedia (for in-person events and for virtual events) is a living, community document that was adopted to help ensure safe meeting spaces for all community members. You are always welcome to provide input on and ask questions about the Code of Conduct in the #community-team channel in the 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/ 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/..

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Diverse Speaker Training Group (#WPDiversity)

The Diverse Speaker Training group offers three programs:

Diverse Speaker Training: A live, pre-recorded, or interactive (hybrid of live and pre-recorded) workshop that empowers speakers whose identities are underrepresented in WordPress to overcome personal obstacles, develop, and deliver a 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. talk. This program aims to cultivate a diverse pool of prospective speakers for WordPress events. A recording of this workshop is available on Learn WordPress: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Organizing Diverse & Inclusive WordPress Events workshop: A pre-recorded or interactive (hybrid of live and pre-recorded) workshop that empowers community members to cultivate welcoming and diverse WordPress events and communities. A recording of this workshop is available on Learn WordPress: Part 1 and Part 2. All WordPress Meetup and WordCamp organizers are encouraged to complete this training!

Diverse Speaker Support: A Slack channel that brings together alumni of the above #WPDiversity trainings, 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., and WordPress event organizers. The purpose of this channel is to build meaningful community connections, provide ongoing support to diverse speakers as they develop talks and build confidence as speakers, and connect diverse speakers with speaking opportunities (for example, by sharing WordCamp calls for speakers, etc).

Contribute

If you would like to join the Diverse Speaker Training working group, follow the #WPDiversity tag on the Community blog for updates or reach out in the #community-team channel in the WordPress.org Slack.

Are you a multilingual community member who would like to contribute? The Diverse Speaker Training working group welcomes your support translating #WPDiversity materials into different languages. See translations by the Japanese, Spanish (Latin America), Portuguese BR (Brazil), and Italian WordPress communities.

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do_action 

do_action events are hackathons in which WordPress communities volunteer time and expertise to help local nonprofits develop an online presence, so as to be more impactful and effective in their work.

To organize a 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. event in your area, follow the do_action guidelines and application process in the Meetup Organizer’s Handbook.

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Five for the Future

Five for the Future is a community initiative to encourage organizations to contribute five percent of their resources to WordPress development. Receiving sponsorship from an organization to contribute a certain amount of time to the WordPress community can help individuals from various backgrounds to participate in a way that may not have been accessible before.

If you’re an organization interested in donating time and resources to the community, check out the Contribute as an Organization page.

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Introduction to Open Source Workshops

In 2019, the WordPress FoundationWordPress Foundation The 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. organized an Introduction to Open Source workshop in Ghana, India, Colombia, and St. Lucia. The workshops are organized to help educate and engage potential contributors in regions where there is less participation in Open Source Projects.

While there are currently no upcoming workshops planned, interested organizers and participants can watch the WordPress Foundation website for updates. A pre-recorded Introduction to Open Source workshop is also available.

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Youth Events 

Youth Events are locally-organized events dedicated to engaging and educating kids and young adults about WordPress. They provide an opportunity for young adults to learn more about open source software, technology, and community organizing; they provide parents and organizers with an opportunity to engage the next generation in tech.

If you’re interested in organizing a Youth Event in your area, please follow the Organizer Handbook.

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Additional Resources and Groups

Many individuals and organizations are dedicated to improving inclusion in the WordPress ecosystem and beyond. Below are some of those resources.

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Affinity Groups

  • BlackPress (on Slack and Meetup): This is a global WordPress community that aims to raise awareness about WordPress among creators of Black African descent by connecting them to other community members, and growing participation and sponsorship toward WordPress.
  • Mulheres do WordPress: A public Facebook group for women based in Brazil who are involved in the WordPress open source project.
  • Balkan Women WP: An online meetup encouraging and empowering women to not only watch or attend a webinar, talk, Q&A session but participate actively, get involved, contribute and speak. You can also find them on Instagram.
  • WordPress Women of Color: Connects cis and transgender women and non-binary people of color throughout the WordPress community.
  • WPAfrica.org:  A directory of WordPress users on the African Continent with the goal of bringing us together. The mission of WP Africa is to form a strong bond between communities in different countries on the African Continent, a bond that encourages us to grow individually and give back to WordPress thereby allowing us to lend our voice to the conversations surrounding WordPress as an Open Source Software.
  • Perempuan WordPress was created in October 2019 and aims at providing a safe space for female WordPress users in Indonesia to participate in WordPress events, support each other and get involved in WordPress.org projects in Indonesia. It also aims to invite the wider community members to respect and support diversity and inclusion within the WordPress sphere.
  • WPFem.org aims to make visible and increase the participation of women within WordPress events and Community. The project aims to be a resource for women who have already been encouraged to collaborate with the WordPress Community, and a reference and point of support for those who have not yet taken the plunge. WordPress Fem es un proyecto sin ánimo de lucro que pretende visibilizar y aumentar la participación de las mujeres dentro de los eventos y la Comunidad WordPress. El proyecto pretende ser un altavoz para las mujeres que ya se han animado a colaborar con la Comunidad WordPress, y un referente y punto de apoyo para aquellas que todavía no han dado el paso.

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Third Party Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives

  • WP Speakers: Find speakers for your WordPress events through this directory, which connects speakers and organizers. There is an “underrepresented” drop-down field.
  • Yoast Diversity Fund: This fund aims to increase the diversity of the WordPress community by taking away financial barriers for people from typically underrepresented groups in tech. The fund reimburses travel and accommodation costs for speakers, up to €1,000 per event.
  • Support Inclusion in Tech: Assists underrepresented groups in the WordPress community in overcoming the financial burden that holds them back from participating in WordCamp programming. It provides a directory for speakers of underrepresented groups accepted to speak at WordCamps to connect with companies and organizations for financial support.
  • Underrepresented In Tech: A free database meant to connect skilled members of underrepresented groups with people who have open job positions or other opportunities. 
  • Big Orange Heart: An organization dedicated to mental health support for remote workers.

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Further Learning

In addition to the Allyship training, the following resources contain helpful information and concrete actions that community members can take to create more diverse, inclusive WordPress spaces:

  • How to be a WordPress Ally by Allie Nimmons.
  • Women in WordPress: A bi-monthly podcast dedicated to highlighting women in the WordPress community.
  • HeroPress tells the stories of a diverse mix of people around the globe who have leveraged WordPress and its community to change their lives and achieve their goals.

Are you aware of additional resources, efforts, or organizations dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the WordPress community? If so, please offer a suggestion via the form below or in the #community-team channel in the WordPress.org Slack.

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