2024 Wrapped: Strategic Plan Progress and our Path Forward

As we close the year, our final Core Team meeting was a moment of inspiration and reflection. Together, we celebrated our milestones, evaluated progress, and charted the path for an exciting new chapter in The Carpentries’ evolution. This year held particular significance as we worked to bring our 2020–2025 Strategic Plan to life, a vision crafted amidst the global pandemic. With just one year left, we are laying the groundwork for what’s next: strengthening partnerships, amplifying community impact, and staying true to our mission and values. As a reminder, our six strategic goals are:

• Goal 1: Build regional and local capacity to empower sustainable communities.
• Goal 2: Intentionally incorporate equity, inclusion, and accessibility to support a diverse community.
• Goal 3: Provide opportunities for growth and professional development of our volunteers and Core Team.
• Goal 4: Facilitate the creation and maintenance of relevant, high-quality, community-curated curricula.
• Goal 5: Strengthen organisational structure and capacity to be strategic and responsive.
• Goal 6: Advocate for our values and vision to empower more people to work with data and software.

Read on to learn of our advancements in infrastructure, enhancements to our curriculum, and the onboarding of new community leaders.

Building Local Strength, Inspiring Global Impact

This year, community engagement flourished. From quarterly gatherings of subcommunity leaders to reimagining our membership program, the focus was on accessibility and connection. Quick-start guides were refined, a vibrant new website was launched, and our sub-community registry was introduced—a living map of Carpentries activity worldwide.

The spotlight also shone on Trainer Training, which empowered leaders in Latin America and Africa with expertise in cloud infrastructure. Themed discussions, like “What’s Blocking Access to Your Carpentries Workshop?” brought voices together, sparking creative solutions.

Further, we supported open science initiatives across continents, from Namibia to Latin America, and celebrated the publication of a book chapter on digital humanities training in South Africa.

Championing Inclusion and Accessibility

Equity and inclusion remained at our core. This year saw the expansion of Glosario, our multilingual glossary of data science terms, thanks to events like the inaugural Codefest and African Carpentries meetups. Supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, these efforts translated into tools that bridge language barriers and open doors for diverse learners.

Collaborations with Historically Black Medical Colleges and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative exemplified our commitment to inclusive education. Accessibility improvements ranged from a new accommodation form to a redesigned Instructor checkout process. As we look to 2025, initiatives like a planned $89,000 Glosario upgrade will continue.

Cultivating Growth and Leadership

Our Core Team explored prioritisation strategies through workshops, gaining tools to balance ambition with focus. Inspired by CarpentryCon, year-round programming offered volunteers and team members Skill-Up sessions and opportunities to collaborate.

The Community Development Program introduced a subcommunity registry, boosting visibility and connection. Meanwhile, certified Instructor Trainers expanded our leadership base, ensuring we continue to meet the needs of our global community.

Innovating Curriculum for a Changing World

Curriculum innovation thrived as new lessons, such as Introducing Computational Thinking and Image Processing with Python, joined our offerings. The Carpentries Lab expanded with peer-reviewed lessons, while collaborative sprints explored the potential of AI in libraries and archives.

New advisory committees were formed to support long-term curriculum development, and updates to lessons like Data Carpentry’s R Ecology advanced our commitment to quality and relevance.

Building Resilience for the Future

As we transition to an independent nonprofit, The Carpentries, Inc., our focus is on operational readiness. From establishing financial workflows to scaling infrastructure, the groundwork is being laid for sustainable growth.

Though an AWS Imagine grant didn’t materialise, we secured a $200,000 sub-award from the Sloan Foundation’s STRUDEL 2.0 project. This funding underscores our role in advancing open science and software usability.

Advocating for Our Mission

From one-page program fact sheets to presentations at global conferences, we have amplified our voice, sharing The Carpentries’ transformative power. These tools and ongoing community advocacy ensure that our mission reaches further than ever before.

Thank You

As we reflect on the accomplishments and milestones of this year, we are filled with gratitude for the collective efforts that have brought us to this point. Your dedication and passion set the stage for an exciting future filled with opportunities to grow, connect, and innovate. As we journey ahead, we remain committed to fostering an environment where collaboration thrives, goals are achieved, and every voice is valued. Wishing you a joyful and peaceful close to the year filled with moments of rest, celebration, and anticipation for all that lies ahead. Here’s to a bright and successful new chapter in the coming year!