Alumni

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Alumni at Mozilla

About this Wiki

Welcome! This Wiki is where information and updates will be shared about Mozilla’s alumni program. In the spirit of working in the open, it will be regularly updated as vision evolves, the program takes shape, and lessons are learnt. In the same spirit - it will be a work-in-progress, and is subject to change.
This is also an invitation to contribute your ideas, visions, and feedback at any time. See the ‘Get In Touch’ section below, or reach out to alumni@mozillafoundation.org

Who are Mozilla alumni?

Mozilla alumni are a vibrant community of past fellows and awardees from around the world. They are individuals working on a wide range of important topics within many intersecting movements linked by one common thread — a vision for a world where technology serves the public interest. More about alumni and their work can be found in this directory.

What is the Mozilla alumni program?

Since the first fellowship program in 2011 there have been Mozilla alumni. The Mozilla alumni program is the next chapter of that network of incredible awardees and fellows whose work has focused on advancing a more human centered internet. It’s a response to feedback from alumni looking for more connection - to each other, to Mozilla, to resources, and to opportunities. It is also a commitment from Mozilla to create a program with and for alumni that is rooted in building and nurturing that connection, and finding meaningful ways to collaborate.

What are the principles guiding this initiative?

To start, this initiative will be guided by:

  • The Mozilla Manifesto and Theory of Change, which guide the direction the community and broader Mozilla project is headed in. In order to reach these ambitious goals and vision for a healthy, open internet and trustworthy AI, we need collaboration, coordination, and many passionate people.
  • The principles and values outlined in Mozilla’s Movement Building Landscape Analysis, which provides an overview for and a framework around how we do our work, and people are what make a movement.

This is just a start! The guiding principles of working in the open, collaboratively, respectfully, and with clear communication, are foundational but as this work continues and the network grows we will continue to co-create the guidelines for engagement that meet the needs of the alumni community.

What is happening?

2023 is a year of reconnecting and forming new relationships, as well as experimenting and learning. It’s also a year for building the structures, tools and systems to support a robust and exciting alumni program.
The areas of focus for the year are:

  • Reconnecting with each other in person and online
    • Getting started making connections and growing relationships wherever possible, with a focus on spaces where alumni will be.
  • Creating space and time to convene - in-person where possible and accessible, and online when meaningfully possible. This can take place at Mozilla hosted spaces, alongside other global moments of gathering, and online when and how feels right. Some of the events on our radar are:
    • MozFest
    • MozFest House Amsterdam
    • MozFest House Kenya
    • RightsCon
    • IFF Global Gathering
    • FIFAfrica
    • Bread&Net
    • IGF

We will look to build ways for alumni to share conference and gathering attendance so in person connections might be possible. For now, keep an eye out for updates in the Alumni Newsletter and Opportunities Airtable.

  • Inviting alumni to join more of the events and conversations happening online at Mozilla. See the Upcoming section for specific sessions coming up
  • Communicating opportunities, resources and celebrations
  • Launching an alumni newsletter. This is a regular communication channel to share information about events, opportunities, and collaborations, as well as a space to celebrate alumni work and impact in the world.
  • Exploring ways to create a more dynamic public-facing directory of who alumni are and the work they are doing, which is something we know alumni have asked for.
  • Improving our internal data and systems to support any communications and directory work. Expect us to reach out to make sure we have the best way to get in touch with you.

Get in touch

Tell us how this sounds - feedback on this wiki, which is the guide for 2023, is actively encouraged!
Want to get involved in any of this? Have a suggestion or idea? Please reach out anytime to alumni@mozillafoundation.org or to Hailey Froese, Program Officer Alumni Engagement, directly at hailey@mozillafoundation.org.

Current Opportunities to Engage
  • Alumni Newsletter
    • We have launched an alumni newsletter! This is a channel to share information about events, opportunities, and collaborations, and a space to celebrate alumni work and impact in the world. If you would like to sign up to receive this newsletter, please add your email here.
  • Alumni Opportunity Airtable
  • Meeting in person
    • As the world opens up and more in-person spaces are hosted, we will be looking to find ways to connect in person.
  • Connecting online
    • Hailey would love to meet and connect if we haven’t met before - virtual coffees are always welcome!
  • Applying for an Alumni Connection Grant. Deadline for this opportunity has passed. Read about the current cohort of grantees here.
  • Join the Slack Group (reach out to justyna@mozillafoundation.org to be added)
  • Join the F&A Alumni LinkedIn Group
  • Join Data Futures Lab community calls (email lisag@mozillafoundation.org to be added to the calls)
  • Join MoFo mailing list (sign up here)

Previous Activities

  • Mozfest House Kenya 2023

Mozfest House Kenya will embody Mozilla’s Africa Innovation Mradi work, facilitating spaces for diverse communities to gather and share knowledge, debate, and forge partnerships focused on the development and governance of digital technologies in Eastern and Southern Africa. The event will take place from September 21 to 22 at Nairobi’s Shamba House Cafe. Alumni in East and Southern Africa are invited to join a half day alumni gathering on September 20th before the main House event.

  • Mozfest House Amsterdam 2023
    • Mozfest House is coming to Amsterdam June 19-21. MozFest House is an extension of MozFest, a gathering for activists in diverse global movements fighting for a more humane digital world. It’s a local event that manifests the essence of MozFest in a regional setting, through small in-person sessions, workshops, discussions.
    • Mozilla alumni have access to a complimentary ticket to attend the event. The code for a free ticket is "House-FA".
  • RightsCon 2023
    • On June 4, just before RightsCon, the Public Interest Technologists Alumni Network will host a community convening in San Jose, Costa Rica. They have planned a full day of activities and professional facilitation. Because space is limited, they are asking for a full-day commitment. If you are an alumni of Mozilla, Media Democracy Fund (MDF) or Ford Foundation, please register by May 31.
  • Mozfest - March 2023!
    • Mozfest is taking place March 20 - March 24! There are so many incredible sessions, and spaces, including many hosted by alumni and current fellows and awardees. Get your ticket now!
    • On March 21st at 13:45 UTC, I will be hosting a session to introduce myself, share some of the ongoing work and upcoming opportunities to connect as alumni, and ask for collaborative insight from you on what you would like to see in an alumni program. What is your vision for the network and movement? Please register for Mozfest and then register for the session to attend.
    • On March 22nd at 16:00 UTC there will be a virtual social mixer for the Fellowships and Awards community at Mozilla, which all current and former fellows and awardees are invited to. Please register to join us here.
    • There will be a full funder track at Mozfest. If you would like to hear more about which funders will be at the festival this year and how to best engage with them in sessions and spaces, Mozilla’s Senior Institutional Giving Officer Jessie Keating will be leading a session on March 14th at 17:00 UTC. Information on how to join can be found here.
  • September 2022 - Alumni happy hour in Berlin

Previous Newletter Editions

Background

In the summer of 2020 Mozilla commissioned an evaluation of Fellowships and Awards programs. The evaluation engaged alumni, partners, funders and staff in reflecting on Mozilla’s Fellowships and Awards programs from 2016 to mid 2020. One key finding from the report was the desire from alumni to remain connected to Mozilla after their award or fellowship experience. There was a consensus that an important opportunity to build, grow, and sustain relationships across programs, cohorts, and years was being missed as there has been no formal, structured alumni program or support. Some efforts and engagement had been made in the past, but not with a defined strategy or continuity. Specifically highlighted was the need for dedicated resources to support this alumni engagement work. That led to the hiring of Hailey Froese, Mozilla’s first Program Officer, Alumni Engagement, in July 2022.

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