Welcome! This is the home of the Make Community Team for the WordPress open sourceOpen SourceOpen 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!
This team helps the community with official events like:
Discuss: Here we have policy debates, project announcements and status reports. Everyone is welcome to comment on posts and join the discussion.
Plan: Want to organize a meetupMeetupMeetup 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. in your community? Excited to host a WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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.? Check out one of our handbooks to get started.
Assist: Participate in the Meetup Reactivation project, apply to be a Community DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook., or help out as a WordCamp MentorMentorSomeone 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..
Discover: Any skill level can find a way to be involved in our Team Projects.
Let’s Talk
Office HoursOffice HoursDefined times when the Global Community Team are in the #community-events Slack channel. If there is anything you would like to discuss – you do not need to inform them in advance.You are very welcome to drop into any of the Community Team Slack channels at any time. are held on Slack in #community-events
While @devinmaeztri and I have been working on ways to make our current mentorMentorSomeone 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. program more flexible and inclusive something interesting came to light: our current contributor journey is more like a maze than a ladder.
The Community Team has multiple areas of contribution, most of which can only be accessed through separate applications. This makes the system difficult to navigate and can result in frustrated contributors, as well as a lot of extra unnecessary questions and tasks to be done.
Beyond the difficulties of moving between the roles, questions arose about overlapping roles and access to tools. We realized we could continue as we have and continue to build on the complex structure we have now, or we could choose as a group to make some small changes that refine the entire contributor experience.
Before we dive into those changes, let’s take a look at our current contributor ladder.
Our Current Ladder
Here you can see what I’m talking about. We require a new application to move from one stage to the next. Each application takes time to vet and then onboard, and each comes with its own separate information and processes. That creates extra work for everyone and a frustrating path for contributors. No one wants that.
New Options
Either of these new contributor ladders would help streamline our process, and each option would be simple to implement alongside the other mentor program updates.
Option 1: We improve just the Mentor Program and leave the DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. Program as is, creating two disconnected contributor opportunities and a new oversight role for mentorsMentorSomeone 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.. (below left)
Option 2: We combine our contributor paths into a single contributor ladder that starts everyone at one of three mentor opportunities and provides advancement to move up. Community DeputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. get a name change and move into the new mentor oversight role. Super DeputiesSuper deputySuper Deputies are Deputies who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. primarily get a name change. (below middle)
Option 3: We create a single ladder with the addition of the Mentor Advocate/Support role between Mentors and Community Advocates (Community Deputies). Mentor Support would help guide the growing group of mentors and interact more closely with Community Advocates, so they have a chance to learn what’s involved in the next stage of contribution.
If we’re already restructuring some of our roles, it’s reasonable to consider an additional change, which in this case, also simplifies things.
Option 1: The New Ladder under the Proposed Updates
This model still has a division between deputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. and mentors, but fewer hoops to jump through. If someone wants to take on multiple mentor roles and qualifies, then they can more simply change or add those responsibilities.
However, it does still require that any mentors who want to become deputies, and vice versa, must submit an additional application. It also brings up the question: What is the difference between Mentor Advocates and Deputies?
Right now, the roles are set up with completely different tasks and responsibilities, and you can see those here. That was done intentionally to create an option that kept the two programs separate similar to how they currently exist. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Option 2: A Unified Contributor Ladder
In a unified ladder, Community Deputies can be renamed and smoothly moved into the mentor oversight role as Community Guides. A reasonable move as their tasks already involve supporting our events and community.
This move would allow Deputies/Community Guides a closer connection to mentors and through them the a wider interaction with more of the community. It also has the potential to create a more satisfying contributor experience as roles can expand into new areas of community support and offers options for dividing up some of the tasks that can become repetitive, like vetting.
Super Deputies, or Community Advocates as is suggested, would maintain their high level support and oversight role, and would largely stay the same for now.
We’ll also need to consider:
Adjusting the Mentor Advocate role to combine in the current Community DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. tasks and expectations.
Adding in requirements for moving into the Super DeputySuper deputySuper Deputies are Deputies who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule./Community Advocate role.
Discussing dividing the vetting process into two parts: Public Search and Private Search.
Determining if all Community Deputies will be moved into the Community Guide role; or if those that don’t have mentorship experience will be asked to become a mentor for awhile.
Option 3: A Unified Ladder that Includes the Mentor Support Role
Based on feedback, we’ve added a third option. This one is similar to Option 1, and creates a singular connected path like Option 2.
Like Option 1, the Community Deputy and Super Deputy roles and duties stay as they are. Their name would change. Like Option 2, the contributor roles are all connected into one ladder and we create one unified application for everyone contributing at the Mentor level and above.
The Mentor Support/Advocate role would be added in to create support for the new mentors and to give veteran mentors a path to becoming a Community Guide/Deputy. The Mentor Support role would focus on mentoring events as they choose and Community Guides would continue the tasks they have traditionally done. In the future, we could discuss sharing some of the responsibilities, like vetting, but that is not in the current plan.
What can you do?
In the comments, please share your thoughts on Options 1, 2, and 3, as well as whether you’d prefer to leave the Contributor Ladder as it is. Have your comments in by 28 March 2023.
If you’re interested in reading learning more about the proposed changes to the mentor program, read the separate post creatively titled: Updates to the Mentor Program, and leave your feedback there.
@devinmaeztri and I have been working on ways to make our current mentorMentorSomeone 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. program more flexible and inclusive, and here is our proposal.
The goal is to define the information around existing and new roles so contributors know what to expect when signing up. Then, to have a balanced set of tasks that get the necessary work done without making it overwhelming.
Updated Expectations, Requirements, Etc. for Our Contributor Roles
The information in the blue boxes below applies to all mentorsMentorSomeone 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..
Basic Information for Mentors
The information in this box applies to all mentors.
Expectations
Help other organizers have a great time planning events
Help organizers avoid problems before they become problems
Help make events easier to organize and improve attendee experience
Time Commitment
At least 4 hours a month, depending on your desired level of involvement.
Qualifications
Successful lead or co-organizer of the type of event you want to mentor — both financially and in team management
No previous incidents or conflicts with the Community Team. This includes any incidents and conflicts within the WordPress project sphere and any events you were involved in.
Requirements
Finish the appropriate training courses and pass the quizzes
Exhibit appropriate communication skills
Be organized and reliable
Be able to meet with event organizers and other community members when necessary on SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/., Google Meet, and/or Zoom, your choice
Help Path
Check the handbook
Next, ask your fellow Mentors
Ask the Mentor Advocates/Community Guides
Ask a Community DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. (if position remains)
Ask a Super DeputySuper deputySuper Deputies are Deputies who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule./Community Advocates
To better support the community, we are proposing that we add three new roles to our Mentor program. Two would operate similarly to our WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Mentors: MeetupMeetupMeetup 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. Mentors and do_actiondo_actiondo_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. Mentors
The third addition would be Mentor Advocates, or Community Guides. This third role would oversee the mentor program as well as take on event mentorship responsibilities if they choose. If Community DeputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. are moved into this role as Community Guides, then we would also be able to consider dividing up tasks like vetting.
Combining our DeputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook., Super DeputiesSuper deputySuper Deputies are Deputies who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule., and Mentors into one program with a single-application Contributor Ladder is being discussed in this post. You are welcome to leave your thoughts. And note, regardless of what’s decided, our suggested updates can flex to fit either contributor option.
Mentor Tasks
Similarly to above, all mentors will perform the common tasks in this blue box:
Answer questions from meetup organizers when you can. If you don’t know the answer, follow the Help Path
Offer advice on procedure
Share knowledge based on past experience organizing
Keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the Community Team
Learn about new tools, developments, and decisions made by the Community Team
Participate in the monthly Community Team meetings
On the third Thursday, attend the monthly asynchronous Slack check ins
Additionally, each role will also have a unique set of tasks, which are listed below. Currently the resource are available for all of the proposed tasks. Many of the future tasks would be simple to add if deputies are moved into the mentor oversight role.
Meetup Mentors
Proposed tasks: – Check in with your list of meetup organizers at least 1x/year to determine the meetupsMeetupMeetup 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. status (possibly at least once over video) – Update the Meetup spreadsheet with the status of your meetups – Assist in finding new meetup organizers as needed
Possibly future tasks: – Do an initial vetting of Meetup applications using a new list/process (without access to HelpScout or the tracker) – Process Venue Support requests (if it can be done outside of the tracker, possibly a first round)
do_action Mentors
Proposed tasks: – Similar to WordCamps (Cate needs to update)
Possibly future tasks: – Do an initial vetting of do_action applications using a new list/process (without access to HelpScout or the tracker)
WordCamp Mentors
Proposed tasks: – Check in with your WordCamp organizers at least 1x/month – Report about your WordCamp’s progress both as part of the monthly Community Team meeting and on the monthly Make/Community Post
Possibly future tasks: – Help check venue agreement including the terms and conditions before signed by WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. – Do an initial vetting of WordCamp applications using a new list/process
Mentor Support or Advocates or Community Guides
Additional requirements: – Successfully held two of the individual mentor roles – Consistently worked toward the good of the community – Participates regularly in Community Team discussions and decision making – Completed ALL organizer-related courses and finished the tests
Proposed tasks: – Answer the questions of other mentors when you can. If you don’t know the answer, follow the Help Path. – Report about the progress of events you are mentoring both as part of the monthly Community Team meeting and on the monthly Make/Community Post
Possibly future tasks: – Assign tasks for vetting – Support other mentors as they vet applications – Vet meetup, do_action, and WordCamp applications as they come in – Process Venue Support requests (if it can be done outside of the tracker, possibly a first round) – Vet new mentors – Onboard new mentors
Now it’s your turn.
We’d appreciate feedback on these ideas. While we hope to begin implementing many of them as soon as possible, it’s good to remember that this is an organic project that will evolve over time. Things can be tried and undone or adjusted as needed down the road.
Please leave your thoughts below by 28 March 2023.
To better serve the community and the Community Team, @devinmaeztri and I are working to improve our current MentorMentorSomeone 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. program. We believe this project will help get rid of gaps in our current roles and create a smoother functioning Community Team with room to grow.
An Overview
End date: 31 March
4 Issues addressed in this post
update or create role information and tasks
add in new Mentor roles to help our growing community and team
retire the “DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook.” title
build for the future
3 Discussion Posts planned starting with this one
The Main Elements
Craft More Accurate Role Information and Task Lists
The project will start by looking at where we are and end with clearer information about new and existing roles.
Evaluate the current roles and their descriptions, qualifications, and expectations.
Evaluate the current assigned tasks and see if they need better descriptions or adjustments to make them more manageable to accomplish.
Create descriptions, qualifications, expectations, and clearly described tasks for any new mentor roles added.
For reference, find the current roles and expectations on the Community Team’s Team Projects page.
Add in MeetupMeetupMeetup 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.MentorsMentorSomeone 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 Mentor of Mentors
Meetup Mentors: We currently have a group of Meetup Reactivators that we would like to invite into the Community Team to continue their meetup outreach. If our meetupsMeetupMeetup 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. are the heart of what we do, then having a group and system in place that provides regular check-ins should help keep them strong. It also provides a nice first level of activity for new members.
Mentors of Mentors: These would likely be our current Super DeputiesSuper deputySuper Deputies are Deputies who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. with opportunities to promote other veteran mentors as they qualify.
Mentors of Mentors would continue to support our other mentors and have responsibilities within the Community Team around nurturing growth. They could also mentor WordCamps as they choose.
We would continue to have the existing roles of WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Mentors and Community DeputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook./Community Mentors with similar responsibilities to what they have now.
Current Contributor Roles
WordCamp Mentors Community Deputies Super Deputies
Future Contributor Roles
Meetup Mentors WordCamp Mentors Community Mentors Mentors of Mentors
Change the Community DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. Title
The word “deputy” has two significant drawbacks.
It’s difficult to translate in some languages while in others the word doesn’t even exist.
In the US, it’s a term used to describe enforcement which does not represent the nature of the role well.
Our deputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. are already mentors who are working to nurture the community, often in more technical ways, but still interacting with the community.
Because of that and the reasons above, we suggest changing:
Community Deputy → Community Mentor
Super DeputySuper deputySuper Deputies are Deputies who can perform extra tasks on WordCamp.org like creating new sites and publishing WordCamps to the schedule. → Mentors of Mentors
The responsibilities would be similar (with some refinement) to current duties, but we’d have names that fit a more global community and better reflect what the Community Team is trying to accomplish.
Build a Foundation for Future Growth
A Single Unified Application: Along with refining the names, descriptions, and tasks, we also plan to create a single unified application and onboarding process as well as a clear contribution ladder. We think this will provide a smoother introduction to the Community Team and give contributors goals to grow towards.
A Removal Process: With onboarding, we’ll also need to create a path for removing inactive contributors as well as people who end up in the wrong roles. Not everyone fits every role. Let’s create other opportunities where contributors can make the best use of the skills they have instead of being stuck in a role that doesn’t fit. Maintaining a healthy community requires attention to this aspect as well.
Overall, we’re hoping all of the changes mentioned in this post create one solid foundation for the future of all of our programs.
The Community Team’s Role
We want to work alongside the group as a whole to refine our Mentor Program to better benefit us all. In order to do that, we need your support and feedback.
Please comment below your thoughts regarding the project, and particularly about some or all of the following:
Changing the name of Community Deputies and Super Deputies.
If it’s too confusing to have all roles under the Mentor heading.
What current tasks function effectively, and which don’t.
New tasks you think it could be useful to add.
Adding in a Meetup Mentor role.
Adding in a Mentors of Mentors, and if the name is a good fit.
Hello MentorsMentorSomeone 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.! If you are currently mentoring a WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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., please share how the organizing team is doing and any other insights, interesting ideas, or innovations that they’re planning.
Comment on this post to share your update. You are welcome to share updates here throughout the month. Thanks! 😁
Hello MentorsMentorSomeone 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.! If you are currently mentoring a WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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., please share how the team is doing and any other insights, interesting ideas, or innovations that they’re planning.
Leave a comment on this post and share your update. Thanks! 😀
Hello MentorsMentorSomeone 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.! If you are currently mentoring a WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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., please share how the team is doing and any other insights, interesting ideas, or innovations that they’re planning.
Leave a comment on this post and share your update. Thanks! 😀
Earlier in the Tuesday Trainings series, Angela has told everything about Community Deputies and Courtney has explained what the WordCamp Mentorship program is about. This week I thought to share how mentorsMentorSomeone 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 deputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. are chosen.
It’s actually a lot easier than you might think! Like all other roles in the Community Team, becoming a mentorMentorSomeone 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. or deputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. is not an invitation-based thing. It’s usually a natural part of someone climbing the leadership ladders of the Community Team from connecting and understanding to engaging.
WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. Mentors
If you have experience in organising WordCamps, you are most probably a good fit to be a WordCamp mentor and can apply for that role!
Mentors are not some super WordCamp organisers, they are just like almost everyone else in the WordPress community – individuals who have gained some experience and want to share it and help others. At the same time, the mentors are also themselves WordCamp organisers learning and evolving.
When someone applies to be a WordCamp mentor, the main thing we look for is how involved they have been in organising WordCamps. You don’t have to have multiple years of being a lead organiser in your belt – few years with experience in the team and usually at least one year being a lead organiser is enough. What matters most, is how active you have been in WordCamps and how diverse your knowledge is.
Do you have experience in WordCamp organising and want to help other WordCamp organisers? Take the WordCamp Mentor Self training to get started and then submit an application!
Community DeputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook.
Like mentors, Community Deputies are fundamentally like any other community members – meetupMeetupMeetup 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. attendees, event organisers and WordPress enthusiasts themselves. There’s no requirement that you should be a community professional.
If you have experience in WordPress event organising, you are active in your local community and you find yourself being a people-oriented person, there’s a good possibility that you would be a good fit in the group of deputies!
Deputies tend to have a little deeper knowledge of the WordPress community, but it’s not necessary to know all aspects of it or the Community Team. The most valuable skill of every deputy, that the team is looking for, is to be very keen on helping community contributors. Other things the team is looking for are passion to develop Community Teams various event programs and to be good in different situations as well as with people. A deputy role is something where everyone grows while carrying out the responsibilities, there’s no set skillset that is required – the most important thing is the mindset and that’s what we are looking for.
After submitting a WordCamp Mentor or Community DeputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. application, few existing deputies will review it. If they find you would be a good fit, they’ll send you an email with a request to have an orientation to tell the essential details before starting to help the community. Sometimes they might ask to take a self-training to exercise your skills a little further before the orientation.
In case your application is rejected, that does not mean that you couldn’t apply again after gaining some more experience in the WordPress community!
Have some questions about becoming a WordCamp Mentor or Community Deputy? Not quite sure if you should or can apply? Do you want to prepare before applying? Come and join us in the #community-teamSlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/. channel!
If there’s a question you’d like to see answered, or a topic you’d like to see discussed, please share it in the comments or email support@wordcamp.org with the subject line “Tuesday Trainings”. Now onto this week’s topic!
Previously, we learned all about Community Deputies and what they do, which includes mentoring WordCamps. But what exactly is the WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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. mentorship program, and how does it work?
What is the WordCamp mentorship program?
The WordCamp mentorship program helps make WordCamps easier to plan for organizers, and better for attendees! This is done by providing peer support to folks actively organizing a WordCamp.
Who are the WordCamp MentorsMentorSomeone 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.?
WordCamp mentors are Community team deputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. who are also experienced WordCamp organizers. You can see the current roster of mentors on the Community Deputies page.
What do WordCamp Mentors do?
WordCamp mentors support other organizers as they plan their WordCamp! Their involvement should be advising on procedure and sharing of knowledge based on the mentorMentorSomeone 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.’s history organizing WordCamps. Note that mentors are not on the WordCamp’s organizing team, so they shouldn’t be doing any actual organizing tasks.
Mentors help a lead organizer keep their team on schedule by checking in every month during the pre-planning process, and typically every 2 weeks during active planning to make sure everything is going as planned.
Mentors are hopefully able to help organizers avoid problems before they become problems. They are expected to check in frequently with their WordCamp(s), and also keep up to date on new tools, developments, and decisions made by the Community Team that impact WordCamp organizers.
How do I get involved with the WordCamp mentorship program?
Any WordCamp organizer with experience and who is in good standing with the WordPress events program can be a WordCamp mentor. To learn more about being a WordCamp Mentor, you can check out the deputy handbook and take the WordCamp mentor self-training course. When you’re ready, go ahead and submit an application!
If you are currently a WordCamp organizer and feel like you would benefit from mentorship, check out the handbook page on mentors, and submit a request for a mentor.
Recently the Community team conducted a survey to WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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.mentorsMentorSomeone 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.. The goal of this survey was to check with our mentors, find out who still wants to be active, and hear their thoughts on what kind of support they need moving forward.
The following steps were taken to complete the mentorMentorSomeone 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. outreach:
Create a survey to send to all mentors and try to get as many responses as possible.
Gather feedback and write up a summary.
Support next steps, including training, documentation updates, and some offboarding of mentors who no longer want to be active.
Respondents
Currently, there are 49 mentors and deputiesDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. in the community team. A total of 39 (79.6%) respondents participated in this survey.
Survey Results
The survey results indicate that a total of 35 people showed interest in mentoring WordCamp and 5 people indicated that they will be doing deputyDeputyCommunity Deputies are a team of people all over the world who review WordCamp and Meetup applications, interview lead organizers, and generally keep things moving at WordCamp Central. Find more about deputies in our Community Deputy Handbook. tasks only. The remaining 9 people will be off-boarded from the active deputy and mentor list.
Status
No of Deputies / Mentors
Active (Deputy and Mentor)
22
Active (Deputy)
5
Active (Mentor)
13
Offboard
9
Grand Total
49
As the community team oversees WordPress events around the globe, the team members are composed of global community members. The following is the respondents breakdown by region:
Region
No of Respondents
Africa
4
Asia
7
Europe
13
North America
12
Oceania
1
South America
2
Grand Total
39
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced WordCamps events to move from in-person to online, 10 out of 39 respondents indicated that they have mentored Online WordCamps in the past year. A total of 25 WordCamps were mentored in 2020 by the respondents, compared to 74 WordCamps in 2019.
Respondents were asked if they are willing to mentor WordCamps this year and the majority of the respondents indicated that they are interested in mentoring online or in-person WordCamps:
Answer
No of Respondents
No
6
Yes, but I’d like more training first
8
Yes, but only for in person events
2
Yes, for online or in person events
23
Grand Total
39
Observations
Respondents were asked what the Community Team can do to better support their work. Most respondents indicated they receive adequate support from the community team. The following observations were made from the answers:
A number of respondents indicated that they need training and guidance.
Mentors would benefit from further development of WordCamp tools: the WordCamp websites, the internal administrative management tools, and documentation.
Mentors agree that WordCamp organizers would benefit from saved replies or email templates.
WordCamp mentors were asked where they feel their contribution is most impactful. Common thoughts included:
Knowledge sharing & training
Problem-solving & mediation
Follow up & advice
Sponsors & logistics
Others (kids events, translations)
Finally, respondents also asked if there any blockers in mentoring WordCamps. Most of the respondents indicated that they have no blocker in mentoring WordCamps. One mentor indicated WordCamp Handbooks should be translated in other languages to help them understand better.
Next Steps
As for the next steps, the mentors who indicated that they will no longer participate as mentors will be offboarded. The Community team will plan on providing more training for active mentors who requested training and think through implementation of suggestions as future projects.
Comments
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment below.
For this Tuesday Trainings session I was joined by @kcristiano@brandondove@kdrewien@courtneypk and @vizkr for a roundtable conversation on mentoring WordCamps. Whether you’re an active WordCampWordCampWordCamps 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.mentorMentorSomeone 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. or interested in becoming one there are some words of wisdom here for you. Join us for an hour and find out more.
For more information please check out these links:
The WordPress Diverse Speaker Training group (#WPDiversity) has several workshops coming up to help you in your journey to public speaking at online WordPress events, or for WordPress event organizers to support more diverse speakers at the events you are holding:
Saturday, July 18, 5-7pm UTC: WordPress MeetupsMeetupMeetup 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.: Hold Your Own Diverse Speaker Workshop Tuesday, July 28: Who am I to be speaking? & Finding a topic that people would love to hear Wednesday, July 29: Creating a great pitch Thursday, July 30: (new!) What if someone asks me a difficult question?
