This year, we want to make sure we don’t lose time with installing software or sorting out finding a pen, so we’ve prepared a list per workshop track of things to do/bring in preparation. If it looks a bit daunting, don’t forget that each track has 4 workshops; you won’t need all of these things for every workshop.

User

Needed for most workshops:

• Pen and paper
• Laptop
• Local installation of WordPress (can easily be done with DesktopServer for both Mac and Windows, tutorial here) with default theme (TwentySixteen) installed

Needed for specific workshops:

• Selling anything online, with WooCommerce
  • Idea of what you want to sell online
  • Install WooCommerce locally, but do not activate
• WordPress Customisation for Dummies (Like Me)
  • Install Simple Custom CSS locally
  • Install Child Theme Configurator locally
• Integrating OroCRM into WooCommerce
  • Twitter account

Intermediate developer

Needed for most workshops:

• Pen and paper
• Laptop
• Local installation of WordPress (WAMP, MAMP, Vagrant or DesktopServer)
• Default WordPress with TwentySixteen theme and Hello Dolly plugin active
• Any valid code editor (Notepadd++, SublimeText, PHPStorm, Atom)
• GitHub account

Needed for specific workshops:

• Building blocks of development: The process of identifying, reporting and fixing bugs
  • On the test site, install this plugin
• Development for Designers
  • Designing software (Photoshop, Sketch, Node, or free software: Gimp)
• The benefits of using a WordPress Framework like Genesis
  • Access to #wcct-genesis on WP South Africa Slack (sign up here)
  • Download the files from the channel

Advanced developer

Needed for most workshops:

• Laptop
• Local installation of WordPress (WAMP, MAMP, Vagrant or DesktopServer)
• Default WordPress with TwentySixteen theme and Hello Dolly plugin active
• Any valid code editor (Notepadd++, SublimeText, PHPStorm, Atom)
• GitHub account

Needed for specific workshops:

• Taking WordPress to the App Store
  • Add 3 dummy posts with title, content, excerpt and featured image to the test site
  • Install AppPresser plugin
  • Create free Adobe Phone Gap Account
  • Fork and clone this repo
• A Basic Introduction to Continuous Integration with WordPress
  • Fork and clone this repo
• Leveraging the Settings API
  • Way to build and test plugin

At this year’s WordCamp, we’ve got Nathaniel Wagner speaking for the first time. He’ll be sharing his story. Several people of the WordPress community in Cape Town gave time and energy to help out at GROW Leadership Academy. One of the attendees there was Nathaniel.

He was introduced to the free WordPress ecosystem that gave him accessible tools to voice his thoughts, and in the long run even start his own design business, Design Lunatics.

You can also get involved by mentoring, educating, introducing people in the Cape Town region to WordPress. By giving them the tools to flourish, they are given purpose in life.

So how can you get involved?

• Assist Code4CT. They want to see young women empowered to leverage technology for social innovation, so that there is greater diversity in the African tech industry, and high school girls to have an enabling environment to imagine and create new technology that is relevant to a South African context.
• Be a mentor at GROW. GROW’s objective is to equip young people in the Cape Flats with the necessary skills that will aid them into stepping into their career path.
• Join do_action(). do_action is a charity hackathon to help local communities and charities to build their online presence. NGOs can already sign up for next year’s one.

How will you get involved? Do you know other organisations that could use our help?