There has been a lot of talk and momentum lately about WordPress in the education space. From the development of the WordPress Campus Connect event series and its affiliated WordPress Student Clubs, to the new WordPress Credits initiative, there is so much the community can offer the youth in education now in a way that is more recognized by 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.. This post will break down the current initiatives, how you can get involved as a volunteer, contributor, or organizer, and how sponsors can also get involved.

WordPress Campus Connect

WordPress Campus Connect events aim to educate and empower the next generation of WordPress users and developers by providing accessible, hands-on learning experiences. They are one or multiple day events that aim to introduce students to WordPress capabilities, equip them with essential skills like website building and SEO, and expose them to diverse career opportunities within the WordPress ecosystem.

Goal and Purpose:

• To educate and empower the next generation of WordPress users and developers by providing accessible, hands-on learning experiences.
• Introduces students to WordPress’ capabilities, highlighting its versatility.
• Equips students with essential WordPress skills (website building, theme/pluginPlugin A 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 usage, basic SEO).
• Exposes students to diverse career opportunities within the WordPress ecosystem (web development, design, content creation).
• Fosters networking and mentorship opportunities with industry professionals.
• Aims to make WordPress education inclusive and widely available, promoting a free and open web.

How to Get Involved:

• Organizers: If you’re a contributor or member of an educational institution interested in organizing this kind of event, fill out this form.
• Companies: If your company is interested in sponsoring these events, please fill out this form.
• Learn More: Find more details on how to organize a Campus Connect event in this handbook page.
• Join the Conversation: Join the #campusconnect channel in the Make 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/..

WordPress Student Clubs

WordPress Student Clubs allow students to sustain on-campus activities and events, encouraging ongoing engagement and education around WordPress. They provide opportunities for students to learn more about WordPress and empower student organizers to grow their local, on-campus community group.

WordPress Student Clubs allow students to sustain on-campus activities and events, encouraging ongoing engagement and education around WordPress. These clubs can be formed by campuses that have hosted a WordPress Campus Connect event, or by those that have not.

Key Benefits:

• Provides opportunities for students who missed initial events to learn about WordPress.
• Empower student organizers to grow their local, on-campus community group.
• Student Clubs may host various types of events like monthly 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 support recurring WordPress Campus Connect events.

How to Get Started:

• Request Creation: Note in your WordPress Campus Connect application that you’d like to create a Student Club, or request the creation of a WordPress Student Club through this form.

WordPress Credits

WordPress Credits program integrates students from universities and other educational institutions into the WordPress open-source project by providing structured guidance and real-world experience. It aims to eliminate barriers to entry, foster transferable skills, and nurture the next generation of contributors, creating connections between academic institutions, students, and companies.

While the name includes “Credits,” participation is open to institutions that do not use a credit-based system, as long as they formally recognize the completion of the contribution program as part of the student’s curriculum.

The coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. activity of the program is contributing directly to WordPress, meaning students work on projects that help maintain, grow, and make WordPress more accessible to users worldwide.

Goal and Purpose:

• To integrate university students into the WordPress 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. project by providing structured guidance and real-world experience.
• Aims to eliminate barriers to entry for students and newcomers (lack of guidance, practical experience).
• Participants develop transferable skills and actively engage with the WordPress community through structured onboarding and personalized contribution projects.
• The program’s core activity is WordPress contribution: students work on projects that support the maintenance, growth, and global 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) of the WordPress ecosystem.
• Seeks to nurture the next generation of contributors, ensuring WordPress remains innovative, inclusive, and sustainable.
• Fosters connections between academic institutions, students, and companies within the WordPress ecosystem.

How to Get Involved:

• Universities and Educational Institutions: If you are interested in participating in the WordPress Credits program, please reach out by filling the interest form.
• Students: If you’re a student and find this project interesting, please share it with your professors or academic advisors, as applications must be submitted by your institution.
• Companies: We invite companies in the WordPress ecosystem to support this initiative by:
  • Sponsoring 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. to guide new contributors.
  • Providing tools and resources that help students succeed.
  • To learn more, visit the Company Guide and fill out the form to join the program.
• Join the Conversation: Join the #wpcredits channel in the Make WordPress Slack.

Thank you @peiraisotta @unintended8 and @anandau14 for reviewing this post!

#campusconnect, #wpcredits