{"id":86604,"date":"2026-06-11T16:34:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T16:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/community\/?p=86604"},"modified":"2026-06-12T16:09:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T16:09:17","slug":"wordpress-education-at-wceu-2026-more-than-learning-to-build-a-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/community\/2026\/06\/11\/wordpress-education-at-wceu-2026-more-than-learning-to-build-a-website\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress Education at WCEU 2026: More Than Learning to Build a Website"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yigit Telyakar \u2013 https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/wceu\/55318029431\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WordCampWordCamp<\/span> WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they\u2019ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. Learn more<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Europe 2026 in Krak\u00f3w marked a significant milestone for WordPress Educational Initiatives. For the first time ever, WCEUWCEU<\/span> WordCamp Europe. The European flagship WordCamp event.<\/span><\/span><\/span> featured a dedicated Education Table<\/strong> at the Contributor DayContributor Day<\/span> Contributor 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\/<\/a> There are many teams that people can participate in, each with a different focus. https:\/\/2017.us.wordcamp.org\/contributor-day\/<\/a> https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/support\/handbook\/getting-started\/getting-started-at-a-contributor-day\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span> and Education Track<\/strong>, bringing together students, mentorsEvent Supporter<\/span> Event Supporter (formerly Mentor) is someone who has already organised a WordCamp and has time to meet with their assigned mentee every 2 weeks, they talk over where they should be in their timeline, help them to identify their issues, and also identify solutions for their issues.<\/span><\/span><\/span>, educators, and institutional partners to explore what it truly means to learn, teach, and contribute through WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this wasn\u2019t just about building websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A New Kind of Learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 Source<\/span> Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL.<\/span><\/span><\/span>, care about its values, and have the skills to move it forward. That\u2019s what WordPress educational initiatives are really about, and the direction of WordPress education has evolved to. Today, students aren\u2019t just learning how to install a theme or configure a pluginPlugin<\/span> A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/<\/a> or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.<\/span><\/span><\/span>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing the next generation of contributors isn\u2019t a nice-to-have. It\u2019s essential to the sustainable future of WordPress as an open source project. The WordPress Credits Program<\/strong>, Campus Connect,<\/strong> 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 Krak\u00f3w was a significant milestone for these initiatives. Taking place in a city where we\u2019ve been building genuine, long-term partnerships with universities and technical schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Student Showcase: Real Projects, Real Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the highlights of the Education Track was the Student Showcase<\/strong>, featuring work from students at Krak\u00f3w University of Technology, Krak\u00f3w University of Economics, and VIII LO high school. These weren\u2019t toy projects. Students presented work developed over a full semester, demonstrating how they incorporated WordPress into advanced, professional-grade workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standout project was WapuuGo<\/a> \u2014 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 it\u2019s built entirely on WordPress. It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made it stand out was the approach: students weren\u2019t just told to \u201cmake a website.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big shoutout to @<\/span>tadamarketing<\/a>, Joanna Micek, and @<\/span>twloczkowski<\/a>, who were the project leads for the student groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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