One of the biggest obstacles is simply learning to perform comfortably in front of others without fear of being judged. Groups like this are ideal for this because they create a safe space where everyone learns together.

Your project looks great, but you are proposing something qualitatively different than improving EA. According to your project, I imagine a site based on the EA prototype, where newcomers won't be afraid to ask questions because they won't see the same unfriendly atmosphere, as you say. Although, maybe this is my perception problem because I have always had a hard time seeing the line between improvement and complete rebuilding. I mean, if I first build a WordPress site and then turn it into a Magento store, I'm keeping the initial idea just in words. The situation gets even more complicated if someone like https://www.atwix.com/services/magento-maintenance/ manages the site instead of me with this innovation. I hope you get my point with such an abstract comparison. However, I wish you luck.