Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge Holds Its First Student Unhackathon

Mozilla’s Responsible Computing Challenge held its first Student Unhackathon on December 2 and 3, engaging 20 undergraduates and recent grads from across the U.S. in activities centered around the question: “How do we build the future of responsible computing together?”

Unlike a traditional hackathon, the event took a humanistic approach to ethical challenges in computing and aimed to provide a space for community building.

The event was largely based on student reports of their needs and challenges faced when pursuing responsible computing careers. The majority of students struggle to find meaningful resources and above all yearn for a sense of belonging which would make their efforts more tangible. The Unhackathon is part of a long-term initiative by the Responsible Computing Challenge to further involve students in the growth of the responsible computing ecosystem in classrooms, across university campuses, and in industry.

Throughout the two-day virtual event, students reflected on and shared their visions for better tech futures, learning how each another’s unique perspective shaped the scope of work (and possibilities!) required for a just tech industry. They discussed community-based incentives, proactive innovation, and more. Students also identified gaps in the current responsible computing ecosystem and discussed what holistic theories of change may look like. Most importantly, they collaborated to establish steps toward making their visions a reality.

One student shared that they enjoyed the open-ended and collaborative nature of the Unhackathon, as it emphasized their ability to “explore and discuss theories of change to think about more concrete steps we could use moving forward.”