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Welcome to the Monthly Education Buzz Report, your go-to source for highlights and updates on the WordPress Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and WordPress Student Club education initiatives within the WordPress community. This report aims to celebrate, promote, and inform individuals across the WordPress community and beyond about the diverse educational endeavors underway.
WordPress Campus Connect
WordPress Campus Connect (WPCC) kept up a steady pace in June. The program has now completed 30 events in 2026 and 50 since it launched, reaching 6,343 students in total. Nine more events are on the calendar, and another 40 are moving through setup and planning. If youโd like to help shape one of those, join the conversation in #campusconnect on the Make WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/.
Four campuses held sessions during the month:
WordPress Campus Connect Cumilla 2026 at Comilla Victoria Government College, Bangladesh, organized by Asiful Islam Sohag with mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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. Muhibul Haque (@devmuhib). It was the second Campus Connect event held in the city, covering the WordPress ecosystem, building a career with WordPress, and why the global community matters, with students creating their first WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe 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/ accounts during the session.
WordPress Campus Connect at Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto (UMP) in Purwokerto, Indonesia, on June 5, organized by Tri Hadianto with facilitators Supriyanto Soep and Arief Burhanuddin (@surip) from the Banyumas WordPress Community, and recapped by Devin Maeztri (@devinmaeztri). The session on building portfolios and careers with WordPress came with free .blog domains and hosting for attendees through the WordPress Education Initiative.
WordPress Campus Connect at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, on June 11. A full recap of the event hasnโt been published yet, so look for more detail in a future report.
WordPress Campus Connect at Institut Teknologi Tangerang Selatan (ITTS) in Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia, on June 18, led by organizer Taufik Iqbal Ramdhani and a team of student volunteers. The event ran four sessions covering WordPress fundamentals, AI-assisted blogging, career paths, and Full Site Editing portfolio building.
The Cumilla event was a personal one for Sohag, who organized it in his hometown. โCumilla is my city, and seeing students here get genuinely curious about WordPress โ itโs hard to put into words,โ he said, describing how students asked questions that went well beyond the basics: how to get started, where to contribute, and how 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. actually works. Heโs already preparing a second campus as part of WordPress Campus Connect Cumilla 2026, with plans for more universities and more students to follow.
Indonesia had its own milestone this month, too. Universitas Ciputra Surabaya hosted its first-ever Campus Connect event on May 22, and organizers shared the recap in June. โFrom Zero to Digital Heroโ drew 76 registrations and 55 checked-in attendees for an afternoon of WordPress Fundamentals, Full Site Editing, and GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses โblocksโ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc.
https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. Editor sessions, capped off with a mini website design competition. A seven-person organizing team led by indramaryati (@indramaryati) and Salman Alfarisi put the event together with six speakers and facilitators.
On the operations side, the community team deployedDeployLaunching code from a local development environment to the production web server, so that it's available to visitors. the automated first-pass vetting system for new Campus Connect applications this month, building on the plan Rocรญo Valdivia (@_dorsvenabili) and Isotta Peira (@peiraisotta) outlined in May. New applications are now sorted into a simplified set of statuses and get an initial automated review before a human takes over, which should mean faster turnaround for organizers applying to host an event.
WPCC Universitas Muhammadiyah PurwokertoWPCC Universitas Muhammadiyah PurwokertoWPCC Comilla Victoria Government CollegeWPCC Comilla Victoria Government CollegeWPCC Comilla Victoria Government CollegeWPCC Universitas Ciputra Surabaya
WordPress Credits
WordPress Credits closed out the first half of the year with real growth. The program now counts 83 active mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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 28 partner institutions, up from eight when the year began, with 275 students actively working on contribution projects and 199 graduates to date. That growth touched every part of the program in June, from a first high school partnership to a new leadership structure for mentors.
The program welcomed its first high school this month. Rita Robles Loaiza (@roblesloaiza) shared that Liceo HHC Experimental Bilingรผe Josรฉ Figueres Ferrer in Cartago, Costa Rica, launched a pilot with 13 tenth-grade students, who are using WordPress Credits to complete their community service requirement before graduation.
Mariano Sarmiento (@marianosarmiento) also gave an update on his pilot pairing students with a nonprofit. Working with Economistas sin Fronteras and UDIT, the students completed onboarding and the Beginner WordPress User course, then took on their first real case with Odรณn Solar. After a co-creation session to map out the clientโs goals, audiences, and needs, the students are now turning that research into the siteโs first UXUXUX is an acronym for User Experience - the way the user uses the UI. Think โwhat they are doingโ and less about how they do it. structure, with Sarmiento mentoring along the way. The plan is to document the process closely enough that it can be repeated as a model for future pilots.
The team also updated the 150-hour WordPress Credits course this month and is finishing updates to the 50-hour course. Students partway through a lesson wonโt lose progress, though some may notice small changes to the content. Alongside that, a new Regional/Country Mentor Lead role is rolling out across the mentor structure, giving experienced mentors a way to lead recruitment, onboarding, and institutional partnerships within their own region or country.
WordPress Credits also had a strong showing at 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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2026 in Krakรณw. The event hosted its first dedicated Education Track and Education Table, where students from Krakรณw University of Technology, Krakรณw University of Economics, and VIII LO high school presented projects, including WapuuGo, a gamified WordPress learning platform for younger students. At the Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ Education Table, 21 contributors took part, three people applied to become mentors, and two institutionsโHaaga-Helia University and SAE Creative Media Educationโapplied to join the program. Krakรณw University of Technology also formally recognized Matt Mullenweg during the event. That momentum builds on an earlier look at WordPress education in Poland, where universities and secondary schools alike are using the program for hands-on open source contribution.
Isotta Peira (@peiraisotta) wrapped up the first half of the year with a mid-year update on WordPress Credits, covering plans for a public program dashboard, new ways for students to contribute beyond the current course structure, and a more formal graduate retention program.
Finally, @annezazu will be sharing updates on the upcoming WordPress 7.1 release with students so that they can shadow the experience.
WordPress Student Clubs
A WordPress Student Club held its Introduction to WordPress workshop this month, organized by Lorna Murillo. The session covered what WordPress is, how itโs used to build websites, and foundational concepts like domains, hosting, and user management, along with a tour of the WordPress dashboard. Murillo said the turnout and curiosity from participants was a strong start, with more sessions planned as the club looks to keep the momentum going.
Other Happenings
WordPress Credits, WordPress Campus Connect, and WordPress Student Clubs got some outside attention this month, too. On the WP Tavern podcast, Destiny Kanno, Anand Upadhyay, and Maciej Pilarski talked through how the three programs work together to build a complete education ecosystem within WordPress, from a studentโs first workshop through to becoming an active contributor.
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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2026 in Krakรณw marked a significant milestone for WordPress Educational Initiatives. For the first time ever, WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. featured a dedicated Education Table at the Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ and Education Track, bringing together students, mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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., educators, and institutional partners to explore what it truly means to learn, teach, and contribute through WordPress.
But this wasnโt just about building websites.
A New Kind of Learning
The long-term health of the project depends on something less visible than market share: a steady, growing community of contributors who understand 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., care about its values, and have the skills to move it forward. Thatโs what WordPress educational initiatives are really about, and the direction of WordPress education has evolved to. Today, students arenโt just learning how to install a theme or configure a pluginPluginA 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.. They are developing critical thinking, collaborative skills, and real-world project experience using open source tools. They are discovering how to contribute back to a global community. They are learning what it means to be part of something bigger than a grade.
Growing the next generation of contributors isnโt a nice-to-have. Itโs essential to the sustainable future of WordPress as an open source project. The WordPress Credits Program, Campus Connect, and other education programs exist to create that pipeline, connecting universities, educators, and students directly with the contributor community, often for the first time. WordCamp Europe 2026 in Krakรณw was a significant milestone for these initiatives. Taking place in a city where weโve been building genuine, long-term partnerships with universities and technical schools.
Student Showcase: Real Projects, Real Skills
One of the highlights of the Education Track was the Student Showcase, featuring work from students at Krakรณw University of Technology, Krakรณw University of Economics, and VIII LO high school. These werenโt toy projects. Students presented work developed over a full semester, demonstrating how they incorporated WordPress into advanced, professional-grade workflows.
The standout project was WapuuGo โ a gamified WordPress learning platform designed for children aged 10 to 14. Students create blogs, share their work with peers, earn badges, and unlock custom Wapuu characters as they progress through the curriculum. The platform includes dedicated areas for teachers and parents, and itโs built entirely on WordPress. Itโs a creative, thoughtful project that demonstrates just how versatile the platform can be when students approach it as a tool for solving real problems rather than just a CMS to learn.
What made it stand out was the approach: students werenโt just told to โmake a website.โ They were challenged to use WordPress as a tool to solve real problems, build creative projects, and reflect on how open source technology integrates into modern work, bring ideas to life, and create things with purpose.
Big shoutout to @tadamarketing, Joanna Micek, and @twloczkowski, who were the project leads for the student groups.
What It Really Means to Be Part of the WP Credits Program
The WordPress Credits Program is often misunderstood as purely technical or contributor-focused. In reality, it is a bridge between business, education, and open source community values.
@organvlasti, a WordPress Credits mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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., took to the stage to break down what participation in the program actually looks like from a business and mentorship perspective. She shared how companies can support educational initiatives in a meaningful way, and featured a student whose path was shaped by that collaboration.
This talk is a must-watch for anyone considering institutional or business involvement in WordPress education.
A highlight from our university partnerships
A reflection of how deeply we collaborate with local educational institutions came in the form of a talk by @dannykrk of Krakรณw University of Technology. In โThe New Engineer: Psychology, Systems, and Open Source,โ Daniel explored how the role of the engineer is evolving, and the place open source communities play in shaping that. Itโs a thought-provoking contribution from a partner who has become a real part of this community.
A recognition from Krakรณw University of Technology
One of the most meaningful moments of WCEU 2026 happened on the main stage at the beginning of Fireside Chat & Q&A. Krakรณw University of Technology presented a formal institutional recognition to @matt, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, in acknowledgment of his contributions to open source, education, and the open web. The award was presented by Natalia Ryลko on behalf of the university, and accepted by @4thhubbard in Mattโs name.
The letter from Rector Professor Andrzej Szarata expressed the universityโs alignment with the values WordPress has long stood for: that knowledge should be shared, that technology should serve society, and that a universityโs responsibility extends beyond its own walls. It also acknowledged the collaboration already underway between Krakรณw University of Technology, the WordPress FoundationWordPress FoundationThe 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., and the broader WordPress community, pointing to student projects presented at WCEU as a tangible result of that partnership.
Itโs a moment that speaks to something larger. When a major technical university formally recognizes the impact of an open source project and its educational initiatives, it signals that this work is being taken seriously at an institutional level. That kind of validation opens doors, and we look forward to building on it.
The event started strong on July 4th, 2026 at the WCEU Contributor Day, where the Education Table brought together one of the most engaged and diverse groups of the day.
It opened with introductions and a simple but powerful framing: Whatโs your background? Whatโs your campus or education experience? From there, the group moved into open brainstorming and discussion, and contributions came from two perspectives: students and mentors on one side, and institution representatives on the other.
What Students and Mentors Brought Up
The student and mentor group generated rich feedback and ideas, including:
Creating a new fellowship model for mentors, enabling them to prototype and design solutions for their own institutions (new programs, communication campaigns, internal platforms)
Adding a Human-Centered Design (HCD) module to the course to foster creative and solutions-oriented thinking
Building a contribution wizard tool directly into the course to help students navigate where they can get involved
Creating a contribution or project dashboard so students can clearly see open tasks and needs
Addressing the confusion between WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe 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/ and WordPress.comWordPress.comAn online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/ in the course curriculum, which currently leads to disorientation
Dividing the course into technical and non-technical tracks to better serve different audiences
Improving language clarity throughout course materials and documentation
Institution reps came with strategic and structural thinking:
Developing an elevator pitch presentation specifically designed to help universities understand and join the program
Defining clear next steps for students after graduation, including the concept of a WPCredits Alumni Club
Framing contributions as a genuine career path, not just a classroom exercise
Making the course available in multiple languages
Encouraging participating institutions to collaborate with each other, rather than working in silos
Creating a mini-grant program, co-funded with institutions, to sponsor student projects
Introducing modern, relevant tools to the curriculum (for example, exploring an education partnership with Figma)
Developing audience-specific courses and certifications: WordPress for Business Owners, for Designers, for Project Managers, and so on
A Broader Request
One idea that surfaced from multiple directions: move Education to the WordPress.org main menu. Itโs a small change with a big symbolic and practical impact, signaling that education is a first-class part of the WordPress ecosystem.
Also running on Contributor Day was Akademia WordPressa, a beginner-focused workshop initiative organized by the local Polish WordPress community. For the first time in WCEU history, the event included dedicated hands-on workshops for people who had never used WordPress before.
The concept originated at WordCamp Krakรณw 2024 and made its WCEU debut this year, with a four-hour curriculum running entirely in Polish and aimed at the local community. Participants built their first website from scratch using WordPress Playground, learned to work with the blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor, explored how AI tools can assist in content creation and site planning, and then found and fixed intentional accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (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 โdirect accessโ (i.e. unassisted) and โindirect accessโ meaning compatibility with a personโs assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility) and SEO errors in their own sites as a practical learning exercise. No coding required, no prior experience needed.
The session accommodated 40 participants, and all materials including the agenda, site project, exercise list, and facilitator notes are being published after the event so future organizers can freely adapt, translate, and reuse them.
This is exactly the spirit the Education initiatives are trying to scale. A community-led, low-barrier entry point into WordPress and open source, built by people who care about bringing new voices into the ecosystem. A dedicated post about the Akademia is coming soon, with a deeper look at the format, how it ran, and how other communities can pick it up and run it at their own events.
The hope is that Akademia WordPressa grows into a fixture at flagship WordPress events worldwide.
Sponsoring Students Is Investing in the Future of WordPress
Five students from the WordPress Credits Program attended WCEU 2026 in Krakรณw, representing Latvia, Italy, and Spain. Their participation was made possible by company sponsorships specifically dedicated to bringing WordPress Credits students to the event.
During the conference, those students had the chance to meet in person with the companies that sponsored their trips. That kind of connection matters. Students see firsthand what it looks like when a business genuinely invests in open source education. Companies meet the people their support made it possible for to be there.
Whatโs just as important: these students werenโt passive attendees. They volunteered at the event and attended the Contributor Day, contributing alongside the broader community. They came as sponsored participants and left as contributors.
This is worth naming as an open opportunity. Sponsoring a WordPress Credits studentโs travel to a flagship event like WCEU is a concrete, meaningful way for a company to invest in WordPress education. It creates a direct connection between a business and a student at a formative moment, and it contributes to the contributor pipeline that the project depends on.
Looking Ahead
WCEU 2026 in Krakรณw was proof that WordPress education is growing up. The first-ever Education Track, a packed Contributor Day Table, and new institutional partnerships forming all point to a community that is taking education seriously.
The next step is to follow up with the mentors, institutional representatives, and supporters who contributed ideas during the Contributor Day Education Table. The session generated a rich list of proposals, from fellowship models and contribution dashboards to multilingual course materials and alumni pathways. Those conversations donโt stop when the event ends. Iโll be working through the ideas raised, engaging the people who raised them, and turning the most actionable ones into concrete next steps for the program.
The work continues. If you are a WordCamp organizer, university, educator, mentor, or student interested in getting involved with WordPress Educational Initiatives, WordPress Credits or Campus Connect, reach out. There is a place for you here.
When people ask me what Iโve been working on lately, the answer usually involves students, professors, and 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. contributions. Something has been quietly building in Poland on the WordPress education front, and I think itโs time to share whatโs been happening.
Iโve been coordinating WordPress Educational Initiatives in the Central and Eastern Europe region for a while now, and Poland has become one of the most exciting places to watch. Hereโs a look at what weโve built so far.
Universities Joining the WP Credits Program
The WordPress Credits Program connects students with real open source contributions, and Polish universities have been embracing this in a genuine way. Students arenโt just learning WordPress as a tool; theyโre becoming contributors to a project that powers a significant portion of the web. For many of them, itโs the first time they realize that open source is something they can actively participate in, not just consume.
Seeing students submit their first contributions, earn their credit badges, and start to understand how a global open source community actually works has been one of the most rewarding parts of this work. What makes the Polish context interesting is the strong technical culture in Polish higher education, students come in with solid foundations, and the Credits Program gives them a meaningful way to apply that to something real and lasting.
Campus Connect Events
Alongside the Credits Program, weโve been running WordPress Campus Connect events in Poland. These are hands-on sessions that bring WordPress into the classroom in a direct, practical way, connecting students with the broader community and giving them a taste of what contributor culture looks and feels like.
The events have been a great bridge between academic learning and the open source world. For a lot of students, meeting people from the WordPress community, hearing how others got involved, and realizing theyโre already contributing to something global is the moment things click.
High Schools Stepping In
One of the developments Iโm most excited about is whatโs been happening at the secondary school level. VIII LO, a high school in Krakow, has students actively working on WordPress-related projects. This mirrors a broader direction in the WP Credits Program to explore contributions beyond universities, and itโs been incredible to see younger students take it seriously.
These students arenโt just building websites. Theyโre engaging with real problems, thinking about users, and learning what it means to create something that others will actually use. And some of them will be presenting their work at 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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2026 in Krakow, which makes this particularly full-circle: theyโre in the host city, theyโre local students, and theyโll be sharing their WordPress journey with an international audience.
Whatโs Coming at WCEUWCEUWordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event. 2026
Speaking of WCEU: as part of the Education programming at WordCamp Europe this year, students from Krakow University of Technology, Krakow University of Economics, and VIII LO will be showcasing the projects theyโve built during their involvement in WordPress educational initiatives. Having local students present at a flagship WordPress event is a big deal, and itโs a testament to how far this work has come.
Why This Matters
Rita Robles wrote beautifully about what the WP Credits Program means to her in Costa Rica: seeing students go from never having heard of open source to becoming active contributors, building real portfolios, and connecting to a global community. I feel the same way about whatโs happening in Poland.
The thing that keeps me going in those initiatives is the moment when a student stops thinking of themselves as someone who uses technology and starts seeing themselves as someone who builds it. That shift happens across cultures, in Krakow just as much as in Cartago.
Weโre still building. More institutions are in conversation about joining the Credits Program, more Campus Connect events are in the pipeline, and the student showcase at WCEU is going to open some doors. Poland is very much in motion.
If youโre an educator in Poland or elsewhere in CEE and youโre curious about bringing WordPress into your institution, reach out. Thereโs a place for you in this program.
Maciej โMattโ Pilarski is a Community WranglerWranglerSomeone, usually a person part of event organizing team, who looks after certain things like budget or sponsors. at Automattic, coordinating WordPress Educational Initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia, part of the WCEU 2026 Local Team in Krakow.
Welcome to the Monthly Education Buzz Report, your go-to source for highlights and updates on the WordPress Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and WordPress Student Club education initiatives within the WordPress community. This report aims to celebrate, promote, and inform individuals across the WordPress community and beyond about the diverse educational endeavors underway.
WordPress Campus Connect
WordPress Campus Connect (WPCC) closed out May with the programโs strongest numbers yet. The program has now completed 25 events in 2026 and 45 events all time, reaching more than 6,200 total attendees across its lifetime. Six events are currently scheduled, and 31 more are in setup or early planning stages โ the largest pipeline the program has seen. If youโre working on an application or just getting started, the #campusconnect channel in the Make WordPress SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ is the right place to connect with the team and get your questions answered.
Completed Events
WPCC National Taitung University, Taiwan (May 24)
WordPress Campus Connect National Taitung University brought the program to Taiwan for the first time, welcoming students to a day of hands-on WordPress learning in Taitung. The event extends WPCCโs reach further across Asia Pacific and adds another new country to the programโs growing global map.
WPCC Masaka, Uganda
The WPCC Masaka multi-session program wrapped up in May after running since mid-April. The program introduced students in the Masaka region to WordPress and 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., continuing the strong and sustained presence Campus Connect has built across Uganda, where it has now held events in Jinja, Lira, Kaliro, Masaka, and Kakumiro.
Upcoming and Scheduled Events
The following events are currently scheduled and open for registration or tracking:
WordPress Campus Connect Dhakaย โ Dhaka, Bangladesh (ongoing through August 31)
WordPress Campus Connect UCR Sede del Pacรญfico Esparzaย โ Puntarenas, Costa Rica (August 29)
With 31 events in planning, the second half of 2026 is shaping up to be the busiest stretch in the programโs history. If youโre an educator or community organizer interested in hosting a Campus Connect event, you can apply here.
WPCC LleidaWPCC University of RajshahiWPCC University of RajshahiWPCC Liceo La Paz A CoruรฑaWPCC Liceo La Paz A Coruรฑa
Streamlining the Application Pipeline
The WPCC team has been building toward a faster, more consistent experience for applicants. On May 8, Isotta Peira and Rocรญo Valdivia published a detailed post outlining plans to automate the steps in the application process that currently require the most manual effort: vetting, status transitions, organizer emails, and site creation. A vetting agent โ already built by @piyopiyofox and being tested by @clk87 โ will run hourly, write notes to the tracker, and move applications to a new โNeeds Actionโ status so a human reviewer can take it from there.
The application form will also be updated to include a checkbox where applicants confirm the WPCC organizer agreement, removing the need for a separate agreement document. As a helpful clarification for anyone navigating the process: a venue agreement is not required for WPCC events held on campus with a professor present, as participants are typically covered by institutional insurance. The full technical plan is tracked in GitHub issue #1714. If youโve vetted WPCC applications, or if youโve been an organizer waiting on approval, feedback is welcome on GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the โpull requestโ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ or in the comments of the Make post.
Not long after, the Guadalajara WordPress Community in Mexico โ roughly 6,000 miles from Elenaโs home โ used that same guide to organize their own photo walk. One studentโs contribution, completed as part of her coursework, found its way to a community on a different continent and helped them run a better event. Elena contributed to the WordPress Photos team, which gains translated resources for global organizers. The Guadalajara community gained a ready-made guide in their language. And the open source ecosystem grew in exactly the way itโs supposed to โ outward, and further than anyone expected.
This kind of contribution is exactly what WordPress Credits is designed to make possible: real work, with real downstream value, done by students who are just getting started.
What First-Time MentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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. Are Learning
On May 12, Jos Velasco published What Weโre Learning from First-Time WP Credits Mentors: A Story from the Field on Make WordPress Community. The post walks through his experience guiding three students โ each with a different pace, a different path, and a different relationship to open source โ through their first contributions. Itโs an honest, useful read that any current or prospective mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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. will recognize.
One of Josโs takeaways is worth lifting here: students who contribute most meaningfully arenโt the ones who rush to finish โ theyโre the ones who find a project that feels genuinely worth doing. He also raises a question worth discussing across teams: what if contributing teams shared a short, timely list of what would actually be most useful right now, so students could choose tasks with clear downstream value? If youโre a team repTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. or an active mentor with thoughts on this, his post has space for that conversation.
Program Updates
Fidรฉlitas University in Costa Rica launched its second cohort of WordPress Credits students on May 11, making it one of the first partner institutions to complete a full program cycle and return for a second round. New students from Fidรฉlitas and other partner institutions are arriving throughout the month, and mentors are actively welcoming them into the relevant Slack channels and contribution areas.
On the mentor side, @marianosarmiento completed the mentor course this month, and @Sumit Singh has been actively guiding students who are contributing to the Core team. @Alvaro Gรณmez proposed an idea now being piloted in the program: connecting students with NGOs for their internship hours, giving students a meaningful contribution pathway while creating real value for civil society organizations. Itโs a natural extension of the programโs ethos, and one worth watching as the pilot develops.
A workshop was also held in May to introduce students to Weglot, one of WordPress Creditsโ tool sponsors, which offers students free access to a full year of the Weglot Business Plan (a โฌ290 value) for website translation. Recordings of the workshop will be made available on WordPress.TV for students and mentors who want to review the material or catch up at their own pace.
WordPress Student Clubs
May brought two concrete milestones on the student club side. The Esparza Student Club at UCR Sede del Pacรญfico officially formed and held its inaugural event on May 20 in Esparza, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, with 50 students participating. The club adds another organized, student-led presence to the Campus Connect pipeline in Central America, where WordPress education has been building steadily.
The St Philomena College, Puttur student club in India also published its website this month, giving the club a public presence on campus and within the broader WordPress community.
Conversations are ongoing about how to make club websites easier to launch. One proposal gaining traction is a one-page format, with details pre-filled from tracker data to lower the setup burden for student organizers. The goal is a polished starting point that doesnโt require a team to build from scratch. If youโre thinking about starting a student club at your institution, the WordPress Student Club Guide is the right place to begin.
Other Happenings
Education Gets a Spotlight at 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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Europe 2026
WordCamp Europe 2026 takes place June 4โ6 at the ICE Krakรณw Congress Centre in Krakรณw, Poland, and education has emerged as one of the clearest threads running through this yearโs program. Day two of the conference includes a dedicated education track:
Panel: Rethinking Learning in WordPressย โ featuring WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard, Training Team rep Rade Jekic, CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. Team rep Benjamin Zekavica, Natalia Basiura, and Klaus Harris
Mary Hubbard on Why Education Matters for WordPress
In May, the WordCamp Europe Insights podcast published episode 10: Why Education Could Shape the Next Era of WordPress. WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard joins host Kasia Janoska for a wide-ranging conversation covering WordPress Credits, Campus Connect, mentoring, AI, and the case for bringing WordPress into educational institutions earlier and more broadly. Itโs a good listen ahead of the conference, and an accessible entry point for anyone who wants to understand what these programs are building toward. Find it on YouTube or Spotify.
The WordPress.org/news post previewing WordCamp Europe 2026 also spotlights education as a defining theme this year, noting the full track of sessions on contributor onboarding, university partnerships, and open source learning that make this yearโs program one of the most education-forward in the conferenceโs history.
When we started WPCredits at Universidad Fidรฉlitas, I knew it was an important project, but I didnโt fully grasp everything it would come to mean. Today, looking back, I realize that in a short time weโve built something worth talking about. And since this is a journey thatโs still very much open, I want to share it exactly as Iโm living it.
From 158 to 185 students
We launched our first cohort with 158 students. That number already felt big to me, especially thinking about the logistics of supporting that many people well, making sure no one falls through the cracks. Today weโre 185 active students, spread across 6 schedules.
That split across schedules isnโt a minor detail. When you work with large groups, the temptation is to put everyone in the same space and run through the content all at once. We chose the opposite: dividing into six schedules precisely so we could offer close support, answer real questions, and make sure every student feels thereโs someone paying attention to their progress. Contributing to WordPress for the first time can be intimidating, and that support is the difference between someone who stays and someone who drops out.
Five professors who joined as mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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.
If I had to pick the thing Iโm proudest of in this cohort, it isnโt the student numbers: itโs that we brought in 5 professors as mentors.
To me, this is key. Itโs one thing to have motivated students learning to contribute, and quite another to have faculty fully involved in mentoring, guiding them step by step. These professors understand both sides of the coin: the dynamics of the classroom, with its timelines and academic demands, and the dynamics of the WordPress community, which runs on its own logic of contribution, collaboration, and 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.. Having someone who can translate between those two worlds makes the student experience far more solid.
Faculty Mentors for the WP Credits Program at Universidad Fidรฉlitas
Why this program is so meaningful to me
Beyond the numbers, what truly moves me about WPCredits is seeing who weโre reaching. We are bringing new generations to WordPress.
Iโm talking about students who, in many cases, had never heard of open source, who didnโt know that behind WordPress thereโs a global community of people contributing their time and work openly. When they discover that they too can contribute in a real wayโthat their work gets recorded, that it becomes part of a project powering a huge portion of the webโsomething shifts in how they see themselves. They stop being mere users of technology and become people who build it. And along the way, they put together an authentic professional portfolio, with verifiable contributions that carry real weight in the job market.
Planting that seed in young people, opening that door for them, is what makes this program so much more than an institutional task for me.
The new step: WPCredits reaches high schools
And because the idea has always been to keep moving forward, weโve taken a step that has me especially excited: together with @peiraisotta, weโve launched a WPCredits pilot in high schools.
This pilot is part of the broader WPCredits initiativeโan effort to explore how the program can reach beyond universities and open its doors to secondary education. Working alongside Isotta to bring this vision to life has been a real privilege, and it speaks to the programโs commitment to growing the community from the ground up.
The first school to join is the Liceo HHC Experimental Bilingรผe Josรฉ Figueres Ferrer in Cartago, Costa Rica. There, 13 tenth-grade students will begin this process as part of their Student Community Service requirement. I find this point especially valuable: instead of fulfilling their community service with a one-off, isolated activity, these young people will do it by contributing to an international project, with real and verifiable impact. Their community service becomes a formative, technical experience that connects them to a global community.
Itโs the first time WPCredits reaches secondary education, and to me, it represents opening an entirely new door. These students are younger; theyโre at a different stage, and seeing how they respond to this challenge is going to teach us a great deal.
Because thatโs the other important point: this pilot isnโt a standalone event. Itโs designed as a foundation, a model that can be replicated and improved so that, starting next year, more high schools can join the initiative. Weโre beginning with one, with 13 students, but the programโs sights are set on something much bigger.
Yesterday, during the first session with the group of students at the Josรฉ Figueres Ferrer Experimental Bilingual High School
Moving forward
When I put all of this togetherโthe growth of the cohort, the professors who joined as mentors, the new students arriving at WordPress, and now high schools entering the pictureโitโs clear to me that weโre on the right path.
WPCredits, for me, turned out to be much more than a program: itโs a way of building community, of making room for new generations, and of showing that from Costa Rica we can contribute to a global project.
This is only the beginning. And we keep moving forward.
This post shares the experience ofJos Velasco, a first-time mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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. in theWordPress Credits program, and what his cohort revealed about how mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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 students navigate their first open-source contribution together. As the program grows, stories like this help us refine how we onboard, scope projects, and connect students to the wider community.
The WordPress Credits program pairs students with community contributors who guide them through their first open-source contribution. The framework is simple on paper: a mentor, a student, an immediate contribution opportunity, and a finish line. In practice, every cohort surfaces something new about what makes the program work.
This is a look at one mentorโs first cohort: three students, three different paths, and a few takeaways that other current and future mentors will recognize.
The cohort
Jos took on three mentees, all new to open-source contribution. Before choosing a contribution path, students complete an onboarding phase on Learn WordPress, with curated lessons, Playground sandboxes, and quizzes.
That onboarding phase is solid, but it can take longer than expected, both for students and for mentors. Thereโs a lot of material, and the schedule needs to flex around real lives. The trickiest part isnโt the curriculum: itโs the balance every mentor has to strike between enabling studentsโ potential and not doing the work for them. 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. isnโt an obligation. Part of mentoring is helping students want to contribute, by showing them why it matters and what they get out of it, rather than pushing them through a checklist.
Each of the three students landed in a different place.
Gabi: Photos as a creative outlet
Gabi Hawkins works as an IT technician moving toward web development. She chose Photos, which wasnโt directly tied to her career path but suited who she is: a visual person drawn to front-end work. Her submissions reflect that, a Japanese pagoda lit at night, jellyfish in deep blue water, koi beside a rock-lined path. Not test shots. Photos from someone with an eye.
A small, instructive snag: Gabi met her project requirements on time, but her certificate was delayed because she filled out the feedback form using a different email than the one on her WP Credits profile. The course system didnโt detect her completion. A small reminder for mentors and students alike to double-check that emails match across systems, especially when graduation is on the line.
TโKai Monet is a full-time student and a full-time mom of a newborn. Her schedule was, predictably, unpredictable. She originally chose Themes and switched to Photos when time was tight, a smart pivot. What stood out wasnโt her output, though, but how she participated.
She attended a WordPress 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. at 2:30 a.m., not because she couldnโt sleep, but because she was already up with the baby and decided to make the most of it. She wrote about it as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. And in a global, async community, it kind of is.
This is one of the most important things any new contributor can internalize: the conversation will happen across time zones, and showing up in the rhythm that works for you is showing up.
Noah: Finding a meaningful path, not just a completable one
Noah Mobes spent real time early on looking for a path that felt meaningful, rather than the easiest one to finish. After working on Good First Bugs for CoreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., he landed on WordPress Playground blueprints, small files that spin up pre-configured WordPress environments instantly, with no hosting required.
He created blueprints for Hello Dolly and Disable Comments, opened pull requests in the official GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the โpull requestโ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged by the repository owner. https://github.com/ repository, and reached out to the pluginPluginA 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. authors. The PRs werenโt merged before the program closed, but he documented his process and delivered a wrap-up presentation on WordPress.tv. His own framing: โthis is certainly not the end for me in the WP ecosystem.โ That attitude, and the documentation trail he left, is exactly what sustainable contribution looks like.
This plugin continues to be an inspiration for where to start extending WordPress
The moment that mattered most: reaching out directly
While TโKai was submitting photos, several werenโt getting approved. The Photo Directory has real standards around quality and description, and queues get long when many students are finishing at the same time or when big events collide.
Sharing links and documentation didnโt move things. What did was going to the Photos Team page, finding the most active moderators listed there, and reaching out directly.
That message reached Michelle Frechette, who has contributed over 360 photos to the directory and has been part of this community for years. She responded immediately, explained exactly why the submissions werenโt passing, and offered to review TโKaiโs photos before she sent more.
That single conversation did what weeks of links hadnโt.
This is the lesson worth leading with for every new contributor: the WordPress community has no boundaries. People will help if you reach out to them. Not eventually, not after a queue, not via a form. Directly, by name, in the open.
What weโd change: scope projects around what teams actually need
The โ30 photos to the Photo Directoryโ framing comes from how WP Credits structures its immediate contribution opportunities: each participating team defines a minimum deliverable that signals the student has made a meaningful, complete contribution, 30 CC0-licensed photos for the Photo Directory, a theme review for the Themes team, a Good First Bug worked on during a Bug Scrub for Core, and so on. That baseline matters. It gives students something concrete to aim at, gives mentors a way to measure progress, and gives each contributing team a consistent definition of โenough.โ So this isnโt a critique of using a number as a goal.
But going through the cohort surfaced a hunch worth sharing. From experience organizing 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. in the LATAM community and producing video, it often feels like organizers are short on the kind of CC0 imagery they need: photos for event pages, social posts, recap posts, banners. So one alternative framing for the photo path could be: contribute photos that WordPress meetup organizers can actually use. Thatโs not a researched conclusion, just a sense from being on the organizer side of things.
Whatโs more interesting is where that hunch points. In a recent conversation, Isotta floated a bigger idea worth surfacing here: what if we asked the Photo Team, and other contributing teams, what kinds of contributions they actually need right now, and turned those into specific tasks for students?
Thatโs a meaningful shift. Instead of each team defining a generic minimum (any 30 photos, any theme review, any Good First Bug), teams could periodically share a short list of what would be most useful at a given moment, photos of specific subjects, theme reviews in a particular categoryCategoryThe 'category' taxonomy lets you group posts / content together that share a common bond. Categories are pre-defined and broad ranging., bugs in a specific component. Mentors and students could then choose from that list, knowing the work has a clear downstream use.
The finish line stays. The direction sharpens. And students learn the most important habit in open source: thinking about who will use your contribution before you make it.
This is a conversation worth opening up to the wider team. If youโre a contributing team repTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. and have thoughts on what your team would surface as โhigh-impact tasks for students right now,โ the comments below are a good place to start.
Takeaways for current and future mentors
A few things worth carrying into your own cohort:
Lead with the community early. Donโt wait until something gets stuck to point students toward direct outreach in SlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/, on Make blogs, and on team pages. The lesson โyou can just ask someoneโ lands better when itโs framed as a first move, not a rescue.
Talk to the team your student is contributing to. Beyond the minimum deliverable, ask the contributing team what would be most useful right now. A short conversation at the start can turn a generic quota into a project with a clear downstream use, and gives the student a real audience to design for.
Respect async as the default. Your students may show up at 2:30 a.m. their time, on a Saturday, between feedings, between shifts. That counts. Build your check-ins to accommodate it.
Help students find meaning, not just completion. The most durable contributions come from students who chose a path because it mattered to them. Give them room to explore early, even if it costs a week.
Sweat the small operational details. Email mismatches, profile inconsistencies, missing form fields, these can hold up certificates and graduation. Catch them at the start.
Document the wrap-up. A blog post, a WordPress.tv presentation, a profile update โ documenting the journey turns one studentโs experience into a resource the next cohort can learn from. Noahโs wrap-up is a good example of what this can look like.
And of course, thanks to Gabi, TโKai, and Noah for trusting the program with their first open-source contribution, and for letting their experience help shape what comes next.
Are you mentoring, or thinking about it?
If youโre a current WP Credits mentor with stories of your own, what worked, what youโd change, what surprised you, drop a comment below. The more cohorts we document, the better the program gets for everyone.
If youโre considering becoming a mentor, the Mentor Guide is the right place to start. The interest in this role continues to grow, and thatโs a good sign of where WordPress is headed.
Welcome to the Monthly Education Buzz Report, your go-to source for highlights and updates on the WordPress Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and WordPress Student Club education initiatives within the WordPress community. This report aims to celebrate, promote, and inform individuals across the WordPress community and beyond about the diverse educational endeavors underway.
WordPress Campus Connect
WordPress Campus Connect (WPCC) continued its global expansion in April, with completed events across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. The programโs cumulative numbers now stand at 5,586 attendees across 71 participating institutions, with 22 events completed in 2026 alone and 42 completed all time.
Completed Events
WPCC Rajshahi, Bangladesh โ North Bengal International University (March 26)
WordPress Campus Connect Rajshahi held an event at North Bengal International University with around 80 attendees. The session covered an introduction to WordPress, career opportunities in the WordPress ecosystem, and how AI features can be implemented within WordPress. Organizer Nazmul Hosen reported that the participants were enthusiastic, curious, and highly interactive throughout the program, and thanked the university for their warm support and hospitality.
WPCC Ekuitas University, Bandung, Indonesia (April 9)
Ekuitas University hosted a WordPress Campus Connect event focused on โNative WordPressโ using Full Site Editing and helping students take their first steps into the WordPress ecosystem. Organizer Rahmat Gumilar thanked mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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.@devinmaeztri (Devin Maeztri), along with @piyopiyofox (Destiny Kanno) and @devmuhib (Muhibul Haque) from the WPCC team, and @debciriaco (Debora Ciriaco) for the design inspiration behind the event website. The team is now moving toward establishing a WordPress Student Club at Ekuitas and plans to share their experience with the Indonesia Career Center Network (ICCN) to help scale Campus Connectโs impact across the country. Full recap and gallery.
WPCC Masaka, Uganda (April 11)
WPCC Masaka brought 100+ students together to build their first WordPress websites. @ssebuwufumoses (Ssebuwufu Moses) shared a recap describing how students went โfrom Notepad to WordPressโ in a single day. Read the full recap.
WPCC University of Pula, Croatia (April 15) โ First WPCC in Croatia
The Faculty of Informatics at the University of Pula hosted the first-ever WordPress Campus Connect event in Croatia. Melita Poropat reported a day filled with practical learning and conversations spanning accessibilityAccessibilityAccessibility (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 โdirect accessโ (i.e. unassisted) and โindirect accessโ meaning compatibility with a personโs assistive technology (for example, computer screen readers). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessibility), performance, AI, content, and the real process behind WordPress projects. Many students expressed interest in going deeper into WordPress design, development, and hands-on project work. The organizing team is already looking ahead to more workshops and opportunities for students to explore the WordPress ecosystem.
WPCC Pundra University of Science & Technology, Bogura, Bangladesh (April 20)
WordPress Campus Connect came to Pundra University of Science & Technology with 70 attendees. The event introduced students to the WordPress ecosystem, career opportunities, and the importance of community involvement. Students created WordPress accounts, joined a live workshop, and gained hands-on experience with basic website creation. Organizer @noruzzaman thanked the CSE Department, and recognized @devmuhib (Muhibul Haque) for supporting the event as a mentor, and @clk87 and Maruti for their guidance and encouragement.
WPCC Kakumiro 2026, Uganda (April 25)
WordPress Campus Connect Kakumiro took place at St. Edwards SS Bukuumi, bringing WordPress learning to students in the Kakumiro district. This event continues the strong presence of Campus Connect across Uganda, where the program has now held events in Jinja, Lira, Kaliro, Masaka, and Kakumiro.
WPCC Ekuitas UniversityWPCC Ekuitas UniversityWPCC Pundra University of Science & TechnologyWPCC Pundra University of Science & TechnologyWPCC Faculty of InformaticsWPCC RajshahiNorth Bengal International UniversityWPCC RajshahiNorth Bengal International University
The WordPress Credits program continued its strong growth trajectory in April, with new institutions, more graduates, and increased student activity.
Program Numbers
70ย active mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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. (up from 66 in March)
306ย students currently active in the program (up from 292)
66ย graduates to date
21ย partner institutions acrossย five regions
New Partner Institutions
Three new institutions joined the program in April, bringing the total to 21:
E-zone School of Computingย (Uganda) โ the first WordPress Credits institution in Africa, connected throughย @stephendumbaย andย @mosescursorย (Moses)
D Y Patil Agriculture and Technical Universityย (Talsande, Kolhapur, India) โ signed during 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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia, facilitated byย @webtechpoojaย (Pooja Derashri) andย @anandau14ย (Anand Upadhyay)
One additional institution in the pipeline
The addition of E-zone School of Computing is a milestone: it marks the first WordPress Credits partner institution on the African continent, adding a fifth geographic region to the program alongside Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Institutional Highlights
Universidad Fidรฉlitas (San Josรฉ, Costa Rica) is finishing its first cohort of WordPress Credits. @roblesloaiza (Rita Robles Loaiza) shared that their second cohort will begin on May 11, making Fidรฉlitas one of the first institutions to complete a full program cycle and begin a second round.
Riga Nordic University (Riga, Latvia) announced that the university will participate in WordCamp Europe 2026 in Krakow, bringing WordPress Credits students and faculty into a flagship community event.
Several WordPress Credits-related 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. and events took place or were announced in April:
WordPress Student Clubs got a significant spotlight in April with a feature article on WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe 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//news: WordPress Student Clubs Build Momentum, written by @webtechpooja (Pooja Derashri), an @bjmcsherry (Brett McSherry). The post documented how clubs are evolving from a follow-up to Campus Connect into a durable model for ongoing, student-led learning and community participation on campus.
The article described how organizers are finding success through small, repeatable activities rather than large events: regular learning sessions, peer-to-peer discussions, and small workshops that feel welcoming to beginners. Mentorship from local WordPress community members is helping students think through session structure and stay motivated. One organizer shared:
โBeing a Student Club Organizer helped me improve my leadership and communication skills.โ โ Sanjeevni Kumari, WordPress Student Club Organizer, Mahila Engineering College, Ajmer
A notable example came from the International Womenโs Day celebration in Ajmer, India, where around 50% of the 100 female attendees came from student clubs. For many, it was their first time participating in a broader community event.
Club Activity: ACERC Ajmer
On April 6, the WordPress Student Club at Aryabhatta College of Engineering & Research Center (ACERC) in Ajmer organized an interactive session for first-year students. Led by Vishal Israni and Vikas Kumar, the workshop featured a live demonstration of setting up WordPress on a localhost, an introduction to themes and plugins, and hands-on exposure to tools like Elementor and Fluent Forms. Students showed strong enthusiasm and curiosity throughout the session, actively engaging and asking insightful questions.
Clubs Forming From Campus Connect
The pattern of Campus Connect events seeding new student clubs continues. At Ekuitas University in Indonesia, the organizing team is now working to establish a WordPress Student Club following their April 9 Campus Connect event. In Croatia, the University of Pula team reported that students are already expressing interest in going deeper with WordPress beyond the initial event.
As @anandau14 (Anand Upadhyay) noted in the WordPress.org/news article: โWith regular on-campus activities through WordPress Student Clubs, the real impact may become visible over the next couple of years, as a stronger WordPress ecosystem begins to take shape within campuses.โ
Student Club ACERC AjmerStudent Club ACERC Ajmer
Other Happenings
Education at WordCamp Asia 2026
WordCamp Asia 2026 in Mumbai (April 9โ11) was a major moment for WordPress education. The programs had a visible presence across Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/, conference sessions, and the Community Booth.
An Education table at Contributor Day was led by @hiabhaykulkarni (Abhay Kulkarni), and @gomp (Maciej Pilarski). The table welcomed students, educators, and community members who worked on documentation improvements, shared campus experiences, and brainstormed ideas for growing WordPress in academic communities. At the Community Booth, multiple visitors asked about Campus Connect and WordPress Credits, leading to follow-up conversations on Slack.
A panel on WordPress education initiatives brought together Campus Connect co-founder Anand Upadhyay, WordPress Credits admin Maciej Pilarski, and Raitis Sevelis (Head of Product at WPBakery and lecturer at Riga Nordic University). In the closing keynote, WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard described education as the projectโs most important growth lever.
WordPress Facilitator Training Program Launched
The WordPress Facilitator Training Program was announced in April by @piyopiyofox (Destiny Kanno). This free, open, community-powered program equips anyone who knows WordPress to teach it to others. Thereโs no application process, no prerequisite credential, and no gatekeeping.
The response was enthusiastic. Rico F. Lรผthi, a WordPress trainer, commented: โA structured program that supports exactly that is something I have been missing.โ
AI-Powered Tools for Creating Learning Materials
As part of the Facilitator Training Program, a set of AI-powered tools for creating WordPress learning materials was published in the Learn WordPress GitHub repository. These include structured prompts (usable in any AI platform) and a Claude pluginPluginA 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. designed to help contributors co-write course content, create facilitation guides, and build facilitator slides in a standardized, WordPress-aligned way.
On April 30, Destiny Kanno led an online workshop walking contributors through the tools in action. The workshop recording is available on WordPress.tv.
WordPress Academy for Young People in Krakรณw
On April 20, over 60 high school students from Krakรณw took part in the WordPress Academy, a pilot initiative organized by the WordCamp Europe Local Team in collaboration with Klaster Zabลocie. Led by @sebastianm (Sebastian Miลniakiewicz), the five-hour event featured sessions on getting started with WordPress, SEO and accessibility, AI in WordPress, and a live-coding demo.
Students are now working on at least seven WordPress projects, from a new school website to a cookbook and a flashcard app. The organizers have encouraged students to present their projects at WordCamp Europe 2026 in Krakรณw this June, where @nataliabasiura (Natalia Basiura) will speak on the Rethinking Learning in WordPress education panel. WordCamp Europe 2026 will also feature an Education Table during Contributor Day and a dedicated Education track on June 6.
Welcome to the Monthly Education Buzz Report, your go-to source for highlights and updates on the WordPress Campus Connect, WordPress Credits, and WordPress Student Club education initiatives within the WordPress community. This report aims to celebrate, promote, and inform individuals across the WordPress community and beyond about the diverse educational endeavors underway.
WordPress Campus Connect
March was a landmark month for WordPress Campus Connect (WPCC), with events reaching new countries and one of the largest recap articles in the programโs history going live. The programโs impact numbers page was also updated this month, giving organizers fresh data they can use in their own presentations and pitches to institutions.
Completed Events
WPCC KIST College, Kathmandu, Nepal
WordPress Campus Connect arrived at KIST College in Kathmandu with a full day of sessions and workshops. @utsavsinghrathour led a talk on careers in WordPress, followed by hands-on workshops from @codersantosh and Saroj Khanal. Students were engaged throughout the day, and many have already expressed interest in continuing their WordPress journeys and building a stronger community on campus. Organizers thanked Regan Khadgi and the KIST College team for their support in making the event run smoothly.
WPCC Keiser University, Nicaragua โ First WPCC in Nicaragua
The very first WordPress Campus Connect event in Nicaragua took place at Keiser University, bringing a packed agenda of sessions to students in the region. @roblesloaiza (Rita Robles Loaiza) traveled from Costa Rica to speak, sharing her expertise with local students. @alexcu21 provided key support with logistics and on-the-ground execution. Lead organizer @sion99 shared the best outcome: students left so inspired that theyโre already planning to form a WordPress Student Club and are looking into joining WordPress Credits.
WPCC Career Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan โ First WPCC in Pakistan
On February 28, Career Institute in Faisalabad hosted the first-ever WordPress Campus Connect event in Pakistan. Lead organizer Abdul Rahman Pomy brought together more than 90 students and 11 hosts, including speakers, organizers, and volunteers, after a month of preparation and dozens of planning meetings. Jesse Friedman from wp.cloud joined as chief guest via video call, and @devmuhib (Muhibul Haque) served as event mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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..
The event featured sessions from speakers Arfan Ashraf, Qammar Zaman, Usama Ijaz, and Waleed Tahir, covering WordPress fundamentals and career paths. Organizers Adnan Hyder, Sohail Anwar, Irfan Shafi, Muhammad Ikram, and Hamza Ejaz helped coordinate the day, with volunteer Abu Hurrairah supporting on the ground. Certificates included printed advice from WordPress community members Mary Hubbard, Rae Morey, Jeff Starr, Faraz The Web Guy, Chris Badgett, Anne McCarthy, Rich Tabor, and Miriam Schwab. The team is now looking ahead to establishing a WordPress Student Club at Career Institute. Photos and a video recap are available.
Event Highlights: WPCC Jinja 2025 Recap
The comprehensive recap for WordPress Campus Connect Jinja 2025 was published on WordCamp CentralWordCamp CentralWebsite for all WordCamp activities globally. https://central.wordcamp.org includes a list of upcoming and past camp with links to each. this month, documenting Africaโs first and largest Campus Connect program. Over a five-month period (with a two-month break for national holidays and elections), the WordPress Jinja community visited 12 campuses across Eastern Uganda, reaching 1,293 students and 81 educators. Led by @mohkatz (Mohammed Kateregga), the program brought hands-on WordPress workshops directly into classrooms using mobile ICT labs and local technology partners.
Student WordPress clubs were formed at multiple schools during the program, and these clubs will now serve as satellite communities of the WordPress Jinja 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. while being gradually formalized through the WordPress Student Club program. The next milestone for the Jinja community is 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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Jinja 2026, tentatively planned for September 2026.
The team recognized their mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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.@piyopiyofox (Destiny Kanno) and @mosescursor (Moses), along with supporters including @webtechpooja (Pooja Derashri), Harmony Romo, @peiraisotta (Isotta Peira), @thehopemonger (Arthur Kasirye), @clk87, and @muddassirnasim (Nasim Miah).
Also in Uganda, WPCC Lira became the third WPCC event series in the country and the first in Northern Uganda โ a sign that the programโs footprint in East Africa continues to expand.
Scheduled and Upcoming Events
Several WPCC events are currently underway or confirmed for the coming weeks:
More events are in planning stages across Indonesia, Brazil, and other regions. Interested in organizing or supporting an event? Join the #campusconnectSlackSlackSlack is a Collaborative Group Chat Platform https://slack.com/. The WordPress community has its own Slack Channel at https://make.wordpress.org/chat/ channel.
Other WPCC Program Updates
Mentor program transition. The WPCC-specific mentor program has been retired and merged into the broader Event Supporters program. Eligible WPCC mentors are being onboarded as Event Supporters, and WPCC mentoring responsibilities now fall under the same framework used for WordCamps and other WordPress events. A new handbook page on Mentoring Campus Connect Events was published alongside this change. This streamlines the process, reduces complexity, and builds a more scalable support structure as the program grows.
WPCC 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 โ 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.. Campus Connect Office Hours are now taking place in the #campusconnect Slack channel, giving current and potential organizers dedicated time to ask questions and share experiences.
WordPress Credits
The WordPress Credits program saw significant growth in March, with new institutions joining, new course formats launching, and continued momentum among students and mentors.
Program Numbers
66ย active mentors
292ย students currently in the program
8ย graduates to date
18ย partner institutions, across Asia (2), Europe (12), and North and South America (4)
New Partner Institutions
Ten new institutions joined the program this month, more than doubling the programโs institutional footprint. The full list of current partners:
University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy)
Fidรฉlitas University (San Josรฉ, Costa Rica)
Franz Tamayo University / Unifranz (Santa Cruz โ Cochabamba, Bolivia)
Riga Nordic University (Riga, Latvia)
Ahmadโs Education (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Krakow University of Economics (Krakow, Poland)
Cracow University of Technology (Krakow, Poland)
Central New Mexico Community College (Albuquerque, New Mexico, US)
IES Azarquielย (Toledo, Spain)
Creative Campus โ Universidad Europeaย (Toledo, Spain)
Drew Universityย (Madison, New Jersey, US)
Escuela de Arte Toledoย (Toledo, Spain)
Escuela de Arte de Huescaย (Huesca, Spain)
ERAP Research and Learning LLP (Kolkata, India)
Juraj Dobrila University of Pulaย (Pula, Croatia)
Escuela de Arte de Zaragozaย (Zaragoza, Spain)
IES Venancio Blancoย (Salamanca, Spain)
Zaragoza Dinรกmicaย (Zaragoza, Spain)
Spain now accounts for the largest regional cluster, with seven institutions across Toledo, Huesca, Zaragoza, and Salamanca. This growth reflects the strong engagement from Spanish WordPress communities who have been active in both Campus Connect and Credits.
New Course Formats
Two new course formats launched on Learn WordPress this month:
WordPress Credits โ Self-onboarding Pilotย โ A self-paced onboarding experience designed to let students work through the initial program steps independently before being matched with a mentor.
WordPress Credits โ 50 hoursย โ A condensed version of the program structured around a 50-hour contribution commitment.
These new formats expand access and flexibility for students and institutions with different scheduling needs, making it easier for more people to participate.
Student Spotlight: Self-onboarding Pilot
Out of 10 students from Krakow University of Economics who started the self-onboarding pilot, six are about to complete onboarding and will be introduced to their mentors soon. One student has already decided to contribute to the Community team. One participant shared this feedback:
โIโm already more than halfway through the onboarding โ itโs really enjoyable to go through! A big plus is definitely the simple vocabulary and the fact that I can come back to the course anytime, at any stage.โ
Early results like these suggest the self-paced format is working well for students who benefit from a flexible, go-at-your-own-pace approach.
Mentor Huddles
Two WordPress Credits Mentor Huddles were held in March, timed for different regions:
These regular meetings give mentors a space to share updates, troubleshoot challenges, and coordinate across time zones.
New Sponsor
Smarthost.pl has decided to support the WordPress Credits program and will offer students a domain plus one year of free hosting. This sponsorship is currently being added to the WordPress Credits page. Smarthost.pl joins WordPress.comWordPress.comAn online implementation of WordPress code that lets you immediately access a new WordPress environment to publish your content. WordPress.com is a private company owned by Automattic that hosts the largest multisite in the world. This is arguably the best place to start blogging if you have never touched WordPress before. https://wordpress.com/ and Weglot as program sponsors, providing practical tools that help students build real WordPress projects during their contribution work.
WordPress Student Clubs
The WPCC Jinja recap highlighted a key development for WordPress Student Clubs: the student clubs formed at multiple schools during the Jinja Campus Connect series are now being gradually formalized and onboarded through the WordPress Student Club program. Each club has its own leadership and faculty support and will function as a satellite community of the WordPress Jinja Meetup while operating independently within their schools.
In Nicaragua, students who attended the first WPCC at Keiser University are already organizing to start their own WordPress Student Club. Similarly, the team at Career Institute in Faisalabad, Pakistan, has plans to establish a club on campus as a next step after their successful Campus Connect event.
These developments point to a healthy pattern: Campus Connect events are creating a pipeline of student energy that flows naturally into ongoing Student Club activity.
Other Happenings
New Course: Leading WordPress Education Programs
The Leading WordPress Education Programs course is now live on Learn WordPress. This course is designed for people who want to lead, facilitate, or support WordPress education initiatives, providing guidance on program structure, community engagement, and practical implementation.
These resources, produced by @devmuhib (Muhibul Haque) and @sumitsingh, are a practical toolkit for any organizer setting up an event website using the WordPress BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. Editor.
Impact Numbers Updated
The WordPress Campus Connect page on WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe 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/ was updated this month with current program impact numbers. Organizers can now reference these figures directly in their own presentations and outreach materials when pitching Campus Connect to institutions and partners.
Weโre excited to welcome you to the Education table at 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 theyโve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more. Asia 2026 Contributor DayContributor DayContributor Days are standalone days, frequently held before or after WordCamps but they can also happen at any time. They are events where people get together to work on various areas of https://make.wordpress.org/ There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https://make.wordpress.org/support/handbook/getting-started/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day/ in Mumbai, India! Whether youโre a student, an educator, a community organizer, or someone whoโs simply curious about how WordPress connects with learning environments around the world, this table is for you.
Contributor Day is one of the best parts of any WordCamp: a dedicated space to get involved, meet people who care about the same things you do, and make a real difference in the WordPress project. We hope to see you there.
For the full Contributor Day schedule and other tables you can explore, check out the Contributor Day page.
About the WordPress education programs
The WordPress Community team runs education-focused initiatives designed to bring WordPress into colleges, universities, and learning environments across the world. At the Education table, we work across four programs:
WordPress Credits
WordPress Credits partners with educational institutions to integrate WordPress contributions into academic curricula. Students gain resources, training, and recognition for contributing to real-world open-source work, bridging the gap between the classroom and the global WordPress community.
WordPress Campus Connect
WordPress Campus Connect brings WordPress directly to educational campuses through hands-on workshops and events. These sessions help students discover what WordPress is, how it powers a significant share of the web, and how to start building with it, often for the very first time.
WordPress Student Clubs
WordPress Student Clubs go a step further by building on-campus communities where students can keep learning and collaborating beyond a single event. Clubs empower students to organize their own sessions, support one another, and develop a deeper relationship with WordPress and the open web over time.
WordPress Facilitator Enablement Program
The WordPress Facilitator Enablement Program is a free, open, community-powered program that equips people to teach WordPress topics to others. No prior teaching experience is needed. If you know WordPress and want to help others learn it, whether youโre a developer, educator, freelancer, or community organizer, this program is a great place to start.
Contribution opportunities
There are plenty of ways to contribute at the Education table, no matter your background or experience level. Here are some of the things weโll be working on:
Review the WordPress Facilitator Enablement Program
Clear, accurate documentation helps organizers and contributors all over the world. At the table, you can help review, improve, and expand handbook pages and resources for WordPress Credits, Campus Connect, Student Clubs, and the Facilitator Enablement Program.
Share your campus or education experience
Have you organized or attended a Campus Connect event? Run a WordPress club at your university? Mentored students through WP Credits? Your real-world experience is genuinely valuable. Sharing it at the table can help shape programs that work better for students and educators globally.
Brainstorm and discuss
Some of the best contributions start as conversations. Bring your ideas for how to grow WordPress in academic communities, support facilitators, or make these programs more accessible globally.
Helpful resources for contributors
Getting familiar with these resources before Contributor Day can help you hit the ground running:
Anyone interested in the intersection of WordPress and education is welcome, including:
Students looking to learn about WordPress and open-source contribution
Teachers and professors who want to bring WordPress into their classrooms
WordPress 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. and WordCamp organizers with an interest in campus programs
Community contributors interested in education initiatives
Developers and designers who enjoy mentoring and supporting beginners
You do not need prior contribution experience to join. If youโre curious, thatโs enough.
Things to prepare before Contributor Day
To make your Contributor Day experience as smooth as possible, here are a few things to set up in advance:
Create a WordPress.orgWordPress.orgThe 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/ account if you donโt already have one: register here.
@hiabhaykulkarni is a WordPress contributor and community organizer based in India. He led WordPress Campus Connect Kolhapur 2025, bringing WordPress to four campuses and more than 400 students, and has spoken at and organized multiple WordCamps across India. Abhay is also the co-founder of Jeevonix and an active contributor to WordPress coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress., translations, and plugins.
Destiny Kanno
@piyopiyofox is a Community Education Program ManagerProgram ManagerProgram 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. sponsored Automattic based in Tokyo, Japan, where she drives education initiatives across the WordPress project. A two-time Make WordPress Training Team RepTeam RepA Team Rep is a person who represents the Make WordPress team to the rest of the project, make sure issues are raised and addressed as needed, and coordinates cross-team efforts. and active contributor to the Community team, Destiny has been a key enabling force behind WordPress Campus Connect, the Facilitator Enablement Program, and the Leading WordPress Education Programs course on Learn WordPress.
Maciej Pilarski
@gomp is a Community WranglerWranglerSomeone, usually a person part of event organizing team, who looks after certain things like budget or sponsors. at Automattic who has been contributing to WordPress since 2014. Based in Okinawa, Japan, he co-organized local 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. and WordCamps across Poland before moving to Asia, and is a certified WordPress Credits mentorEvent SupporterEvent 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.. Maciej actively promotes WordPress Credits and Campus Connect as pathways for connecting academia with the global open-source ecosystem.
Join us in Mumbai
Whether youโre new to contributing or a long-time WordPress community member, weโd love to see you at the Education table on Contributor Day.
Come learn, share, and help shape how WordPress connects with students and educators around the world.
See you in Mumbai! ๐ฎ๐ณ
Isotta Peira
2:17 pm on December 12, 2025 Tags: wpcredits
WP Credits MentorEvent SupporterEvent 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. huddles will take place 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/ in the private mentor channel, with the following sessions: โ last Wednesday of each month at 9am UTC, starting on January 28 โ last Thursday of each month at 5pm UTC, starting on January 29
This week we hosted the first two WordPress Credits mentor huddles, and it was great to see mentorsEvent SupporterEvent 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. joining from different regions to share experiences, challenges, and ideas. Thank you to everyone who made time to participate and help shape the program together!
We discussed the onboarding phase as one of the most critical moments for students to build confidence and start forming connections within the WordPress community. Many students feel overwhelmed by early setup tasks, such as creating accounts and configuring tools, which can slow engagement. This is why is fundamental that mentors have a clear understanding of the full student platform and the entire student journey, in addition to regularly review student reports to stay informed on progress, spot blockers early, and provide timely support.
Communication and engagement
Communication seems to be a recurring challenge, with students often hesitant to ask questions and share progress in an async environment. As a concrete improvement, we agreed to add mandatory steps that prompt students to introduce themselves and regularly post updates in Slack, including in their contribution team channels. Hopefully, this will help normalize communication, increase visibility, and strengthen studentsโ sense of belonging.
Language and learning resources
We acknowledged language as a significant barrier, particularly for Spanish speaking students navigating primarily English WordPress resources. To reduce friction, mentors agreed to expand multilingual support where possible and to enhance the mentor guide with resources that help assess studentsโ knowledge levels and tailor guidance across contribution teams.
Mentorship structure
While we explored the idea of assigning an additional technical or specialized mentor after students choose a contribution team, we confirmed that each student will continue to have one primary mentor assigned before the program starts, supporting them throughout the entire experience. When students choose a contribution area outside their mentorโs direct expertise, mentors will introduce them in the relevant team channels and help connect them with experienced contributors, while remaining responsible for weekly syncs and ongoing check-ins.
Improvements to the mentor course
On the training side, @lidarroy and @evarlese are expanding the mentor course to better support teachers and professionals who may not yet have contribution experience. Our goal is to help them confidently navigate WordPress community spaces and grow into well-prepared mentors.
Retention and community integration
We agreed that retaining graduates in the WordPress community beyond the program is a coreCoreCore is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. goal. We began exploring strategies such as inviting program graduates to mentor new students and creating โday in the lifeโ videos that showcase different contribution roles. Tailored actions aimed at retaining graduates will be defined in January and implemented into the program.
Upcoming cohorts
We will move from rolling start dates to fixed monthly onboarding periods during the first two weeks of each month starting in 2026. The January cohort will start on January 5, followed by February 2โ13 and March 2โ13. From January onward, we will also deliver a shared program presentation before onboarding begins, covering program structure, expectations, tools, and community spaces.
In Q1 2026, we will onboard students from Nordic Riga University, Universidad Fidรฉlitas, Krakow University of Economics, and Central New Mexico Community College, among others, applying these improvements as the program continues to grow.
Mentor huddles
Mentors will start meeting regularly, with monthly huddles becoming a recurring space to share feedback, surface challenges, and continue improving the program together. These sessions are open to all mentors and will take place on Slack in the private mentor channel, with a session on the last Wednesday of each month at 9am UTC, starting on January 28, and a session on the last Thursday of each month at 5pm UTC, starting on January 29.
Want to learn more about WordPress Credits? Visit the program page, join the #wpcredits Slack channel, and take a look at the handbook.
If you wish to apply as a mentor, please carefully read the mentor guide and apply using the form at the bottom of the guide.
