In the ninth episode of WordCamp Europe Insights, Kasia Janoska asks one of the community’s great unofficial questions: Do volunteers get more food during WordCamp Europe?
The answer, delivered quickly and clearly by guest Anita, is no.
Volunteers queue like everyone else.
That playful exchange sets the tone for an episode that is lighter on the surface, but surprisingly revealing underneath. Because behind the jokes about lunch lines and dragon-inspired questions sits a genuine look at what volunteering at WordCamp Europe actually feels like.
And more importantly, who it is really for.
From First Visit to First Shift
Kasia introduces Anita as someone with a different perspective from many previous guests. She is not speaking as a long-time organiser or team lead, but as a volunteer returning to help again this year.
Her first WordCamp Europe was in Porto in 2022. But even that first experience came with a twist.
She did not arrive simply as an attendee. Inspired by her partner, who was part of the organising team, she applied as a volunteer so they could experience the event together. Instead of easing into WordCamp Europe slowly, she stepped straight behind the scenes.
It is the kind of origin story that says something important about the community. Many people do not join through a formal route. They join because they see others involved, feel the energy around the event, and decide they want to be part of it too.
What Volunteers Actually Do
Kasia then moves quickly into practical questions. What does a volunteer really do?
Anita explains that her first shift involved walking around the venue, helping attendees with directions, answering questions, and generally being available where needed. Later, when that area was already well covered, she offered to help elsewhere and moved to registration.
That change turned out to be the highlight.
At the registration desk, she met attendees arriving with tickets in hand, ready to collect their badges and welcome gifts. Instead of just solving problems, she got to witness the excitement of people arriving for the event.
It is a small detail, but an important one. Volunteering is not only operational work. Sometimes it means standing at the point where anticipation becomes reality.
Not All Day, Not All Weekend
One of the more useful myths this episode clears up is the idea that volunteers sacrifice the whole event.
They do not.
Anita recalls working short shifts, around a few hours at a time, rather than being on duty from morning to night. There was still space to attend talks, enjoy the venue, and take part in the wider experience.
Kasia relates this to the organiser side, explaining that even internal teams coordinate schedules around sessions they want to attend.
That part of the conversation matters because many people assume volunteering means missing everything else. In practice, it is usually the opposite. You help for part of the event and experience the rest with a different level of connection.
The Quiet Efficiency Nobody Notices
When Kasia asks whether Anita ever had to put out fires behind the scenes, Anita laughs off the idea.
Not every volunteer role is dramatic.
There were no major crises at registration, no heroic rescues in crowded corridors. But she does point to one area where pressure naturally builds: food service.
At lunch, hundreds or thousands of people become hungry at the same time. Managing those flows, directing queues, and keeping things calm can become one of the more demanding volunteer tasks.
Kasia clearly enjoys that answer, returning several times to the idea that if you want a real challenge, volunteer near the food.
It is one of the strengths of this episode. Rather than forcing grand stories, the conversation finds humour in the ordinary mechanics of a large event.
A Very Human Community
Some of the best moments come from Anita’s memories of registration.
She recalls one attendee arriving with ten tickets for colleagues who had been unable to secure visas and travel to Europe. He wanted to collect their WordCamp gifts anyway, so they would still have something to remember the event by.
Kasia immediately recognises the kindness in the gesture, and the two of them linger on the image of three people trying to transport ten bottles home in their luggage.
It is a funny story, but also a meaningful one. WordCamp Europe is often described in terms of schedules, speakers, and scale. Yet what people remember are usually smaller human moments like this.
Why Come Back?
Anita volunteered once in Porto, then did not return immediately in the years that followed. Life moved on. Plans changed.
So why come back now?
Her answer is broad and honest. It is the full package.
A new city every year. New cultures. Fresh ideas. Access to talks and workshops. Friends from previous events asking whether she is finally coming back. The chance to reconnect with people she met years earlier.
There is also a subtle truth in her answer: WordCamp Europe is never exactly the same event twice. The host city changes, the atmosphere changes, the conversations change. Returning does not feel repetitive. It feels renewed.
Who Should Volunteer?
Kasia then turns to a concern she says comes up often: what if your English is not perfect?
Anita dismisses the fear immediately.
Most people at WordCamp Europe are not native English speakers. The same is true for organisers, volunteers, and attendees. You do not need polished fluency. You need enough confidence to communicate, ask questions, and help others.
In fact, Anita points out that speaking another language can be an advantage. If attendees arrive more comfortable in Spanish, German, Polish or another language, volunteers who can help them feel welcome become even more valuable.
Another myth follows close behind: Do you need to be technical?
Again, no.
For volunteer roles, Anita argues that friendliness, communication skills, openness, and calmness matter far more than development experience. You do not need to build plugins to point someone towards a workshop room or help them find registration.
Kasia reinforces the point from the organiser’s side. WordCamp Europe does not divide people into fixed categories. Speakers become volunteers. Volunteers become organisers. Organisers attend sessions like everyone else.
The community is far more fluid than outsiders often assume.
Who Might Not Enjoy It?
To her credit, Anita does not pretend volunteering is for absolutely everyone.
If large crowds drain you, if team environments feel deeply uncomfortable, or if communicating in English causes intense stress, it may not be the right fit.
That honesty strengthens the rest of her advice. She is not selling a fantasy version of volunteering. She is describing it realistically.
And even then, she leaves room for nuance. Some quieter roles exist. Some teams are smaller. There are different ways to contribute depending on personality and comfort level.
Looking Forward to Kraków
Towards the end of the episode, the conversation shifts to Kraków itself.
Anita has not visited before, but speaks warmly about Poland from earlier travels and explains that she prefers exploring cities the local way. Local restaurants, neighbourhood habits, the places residents actually go, rather than the tourist checklist.
It is a fitting close to the discussion.
Because volunteering at WordCamp Europe follows a similar logic. You are not just visiting the event from the outside. You are experiencing how it actually works from within.
More Than a Free Ticket
This episode quietly dismantles one of the laziest assumptions about volunteering: that people do it mainly for the free ticket.
Yes, volunteers gain access to the event. Yes, they get meals. No, they do not get extra food.
But what they really gain is perspective.
They meet people faster. They understand the machinery behind the scenes. They become part of something rather than simply consuming it.
That is why so many return.
Be Part of It
If applications for this year’s volunteering have closed, there is still an obvious next step: attend.
Buy your ticket, come to Kraków, meet the community, and see how the event works up close. And if volunteering still appeals once you have experienced it, apply next time.
Just do not expect extra lunch.
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