The Open Web Fellows program -- a collaboration between Ford Foundation and Mozilla – is an international leadership initiative that brings together technology talent and civil society organizations to advance and protect the open Web. Specifically, the goals of the Open Web Fellows programs are to:
- Increase public awareness and understanding of Internet policy issues.
- Support career paths in the Internet policy and advocacy sector.
- Celebrate and support the vibrant network of Internet advocacy organizations.
Who can become a Fellow?
It could be you! Broadly speaking, we are looking for makers – those who see a problem in the world and can solve it through technology or media. The right candidate may bring specialities in design, development, storytelling, research and policy analysis, and should be comfortable performing as a technologist, a tinkerer, and a curious contributor to the fellowship program. You do not need to have previous experience with Internet advocacy, policy or activism. A lot of campaign design, community organizing, education, and
coalition building happen through teamwork and skills like data visualization and participatory learning. You can be at any stage in your career, provided you are open to learning.
We are an international program with host organizations around the world; fellows will be placed in Canada, Chile, Kenya, the European Union, and the United States. We assist fellows with visa applications for working and traveling during the fellowship.
Each year, fellows spend 10 months embedded at leading policy & advocacy organizations dedicated to safeguarding the open Internet as a global public resource. Fellows are based in the town of their host organization unless special circumstances dictate otherwise. Read the blog post to find out what host organizations are looking for.
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Structure of the Fellowship
As a fellow, you will pursue the following activities over your fellowship year.
Work on projects defined by your host organization. These can be campaigns, research or technology focused. For some examples, browse what the 2015 cohort worked on.
Invest in your future as an open Web advocate. By sharing your work in the open, participating in professional development activities, attending and presenting talks, or writing and publishing, you will spend time developing your own path while contributing to a global movement.
Contribute to a global advocacy community. In collaboration with the 2016 cohort of host organizations and Mozilla, you will work on “network projects” that benefit the existing network of organizations that defend the public Internet. These projects could take the form of shared policy positions, coalition campaigns, or open source tools that solve shared needs.
Fellow Responsibilities
A commitment to teamwork and working in the open.
The fellowship team includes the host organizations, Mozilla, and the fellows. We expect you to join the working teams of your host organization and contribute to the mission, organizational culture and work products of your host organization. Successful fellows will enjoy both teaching and learning; mentorship is core to this fellowship. We expect you to follow the interaction styles and inclusion principles in the Mozilla Community Participation Guidelines.
Documentation
The Fellowship is an opportunity for you to reach new audiences – both in the general public, and professionally within the Internet policy and advocacy space. Mozilla and host organizations expect fellows to document their year publicly via blogs, code sharing, and events.
Calls
Since the Fellowship cohort will be geographically diverse, weekly and monthly calls are an important time for the fellows to communicate with each other and with the larger Internet advocacy network. Fellows are expected to participate and contribute to these calls.
Travel and Events
The Fellowship program provides various opportunities for travel to Mozilla events and other conferences around the world. Fellows are requested to participate in these events not only as attendees, but also as presenters and representatives of your respective host organizations. These include:
Onboarding
1 week at the beginning of the Fellowship to meet in person with other fellows, host organizations, and Mozilla staff, and to design the Fellowship year and cohort expectations together.
Fellows Retreat
A halfway point check-in and time for cross collaboration in the cohort.
Additional
Conferences, hackathons and global networking opportunities may arise due to events in the Internet advocacy space.
MozFest
1 week with the rest of the Mozilla Foundation and community to share knowledge, learn, and meet other makers (location: London, UK).
Capstone
An event at the end of the Fellowship year to showcase each fellow’s work, share experiences with others.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://advocacy.mozilla.org/open-web-fellows/