Earlier this year, in March and April 2025, we at the WordPress Kolhapur Community successfully ran the WordPress Online Contribution Series – an initiative where 25+ new community members made their first contributions to the WordPress project.
The series was led by Makarand Mane, and I had the privilege of volunteering there.
Following its success, during our discussions, Makarand and I came up with the idea of hosting WordPress Campus Connect Kolhapur 2025 – a series of hands-on events across multiple institutes in and around Kolhapur.
The goal was to introduce students to WordPress, help them build their first website, and guide them on how they can grow as contributors and professionals in the WordPress ecosystem.
That’s when things started rolling!
Makarand encouraged me to take the lead as the Lead Organizer, while he served as a mentor – though in reality, he went above and beyond his role, acting as both a facilitator and co-organizer. I am truly grateful for his constant support throughout this initiative.
Impact Created in 2 Months
In just two months, we created a remarkable impact!
We visited 4 institutes, reaching 429 students.
More than 50% of the attendees were amazed to discover the power of WordPress and expressed interest in attending WordCamp Kolhapur 2026.
This clearly shows we achieved our goal – reaching students, spreading awareness about WordPress, and building local enthusiasm for future community events.
Institute-wise Participation:
- Chhatrapati Shahu Institute of Business Education and Research (CSIBER): 88 Students
- D. Y. Patil School of Engineering and Management (DYPSEM): 84 Students
- KIT’s College of Engineering, Kolhapur: 155 Students
- DKTE Society’s Textile & Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji: 102 Students
Team Behind the Initiative
We built a strong team of Organizers, Facilitators, and Volunteers who kept things running smoothly.
A big thank-you to each one of them for their dedication and contribution!
Organizers
Facilitators
- Digvijay Zite
- Makarand Mane
- Mohammad Sajid Ansari (Special thanks for traveling all the way from Surat to facilitate a workshop)
- Pushkar Saraf
Volunteers
- Dr. Jaydeep Patil
- Nilesh Shiragave
- Suhas Sutar (Special thanks for managing all the videography and reels)
- Pushkar Saraf
What We Learned and Improved
At every campus, we faced different challenges – from technical setups to audience engagement.
But after each event, we reflected, learned, and improved the process for the next one.
In some institutes, we started right from the basics – installing WordPress Studio, setting up XAMPP, troubleshooting local installation issues, and guiding students through building their first WordPress website.
We also mentored them on community contribution and career possibilities with WordPress.
Each event also included local volunteers from the respective institutes, which added great local energy and support.
Interactive Activities
To make the sessions engaging and fun:
- We conducted a 10-question quiz at the end of each event, rewarding 3–6 winners depending on attendance.
- We ran a social media contest, selecting 3 winners who will receive free tickets to attend WordCamp Kolhapur 2026.
Closing Remarks
To sum it up – within a short period, we successfully maintained the energy and momentum of WordCamp Kolhapur 2025 and the Online Contribution Series by organizing WordPress Campus Connect Kolhapur 2025.
This initiative not only inspired students but also strengthened the local WordPress community for the future.
I am extremely proud of what we achieved together – and the full credit goes to our amazing team.
Jai WordPress!