In 2020, WordPress events adapted to online formats, including 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. events and Open-source workshops. It took some time to figure out how to do so, but the community held 5 do_action hackathons and a handful of open-source workshops in 2020!  In moving charity hackathons and introduction to open-source workshops online, community organizers not only brought their WordPress community closer together, but they were also able to make a positive impact on their local or regional community in an exceptionally-difficult year.  

Seeing this impact, the Community team would like to help more organizers host even more of these online charity hackathons (do_action events) and Introduction to 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. workshops in 2021. This post shares some ideas around how the Community team could support do_action and Introduction to Open Source organizers… 

do_action events

Based on feedback from the community, do_action events so far have been quite impactful in how they bring participants together to help non-profits establish an online presence – something all the more significant in 2021. Here are some ideas on how the community can support do_action events:

• Improve the online do_action event documentation: The documentation on online do_action events can be expanded to include tips on remote collaboration, using collaboration tools, remote project management etc.
• Outreach for do_action events: This is something the Community team is equipped to do, with mentions in the Make blogs, 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. newsletters, and news posts. The Marketing team could also be very helpful with this effort.
• Mentorship: DeputiesProgram 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 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. 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. could 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. do_action organizers.
• Technology changes to the doaction.org website such as:
  • Adding doaction.org to Google Workspace / G Suite (so that organizers can use custom emails)
  • Modifying the do action event date section to accommodate multiple days. 
  • Moving the do_action application to doaction.org

P.S. If you would like to organize a do_action event, please send in your application through this form.

Introduction to Open-source workshops

Introduction to Open Source workshops help spread knowledge and understanding of the open web and open source. They have also been instrumental in onboarding new contributors to WordPress. With the Learn WordPress workshops on Introduction to Open-source, meetup groups could host a watch party of the recorded workshop, or organize a discussion group. Here are some ideas for organizing Introduction to Open-source workshops in 2021:

• Community members could host Introduction to Open-source workshop discussion groups in the Learn WordPress meetup group. 
• Lesson plans for the Introduction to Open-source workshops are available! Any meetup group can plan their own open-source workshop based on the lesson plans. 
• Meetup groups across the world are also encouraged to organize an Introduction to WordPress discussion group (based on the Learn WordPress workshop on Introduction to Open-source) as part of their meetup (it does not need any prior approval).

Organizers can feature these workshops and discussion groups in 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. blogs by reaching out to the community team. Since Open-source workshops are online, there is no cost involved in organizing them, but organizers can always request paid zoom accounts for their event. 

Proposed Goals

Because charity hackathons and Introduction to Open Source Workshops benefit WordPress communities and beyond, I’d like to propose some goals around hosting these events:

• There were 4 do_action events in 2020. Let’s aim for at least 8 events in 2021!
• Organize at least 12 discussion groups based on the Introduction to Open-source workshop in 2021, held in the Learn WordPress meetup group. 

Request for Feedback

I would love to hear suggestions and feedback community deputiesProgram 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 members!

• Do you have any suggestions, changes, or additions to the proposed goals? 
• Can you share any ideas that you may have on improving do_action events and Introduction to WordPress workshops?
• Do you have ideas for any new events that can be organized by the WordPress Foundation in 2021? 
• Would you be interested in helping to implement suggestions for supporting organizers of these events??

Please share your thoughts in the comments by January 25, 2021 (Monday). 

Thank you once again for all you do to support the WordPress community in these tough times!

+make.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//marketing

The following people contributed to this document: @andreamiddleton @angelasjin

#wpf-events-2021 #do_action #introduction-to-open-source