Why should you bring your work to MozFest, a virtual event happening in March 2023, when the world is saturated with thousands of other online meetings and conferences?

It’s a valid and important question. At Mozilla, we’re asking ourselves the same question.

MozFest has always been a unique event: part art, tech and society convening, part maker festival, and the premiere gathering for activists in diverse global movements fighting for a more humane digital world. March 2023 will bring our third virtual festival, and we’re working hard to ensure it’s going to continue to live up to its reputation and stand out from the sea of video meetings and conferences. Not only do we want you to attend, we want you to show up with your work in hand, ready to share ideas, collaborate with others, and become a part of our global community.

5 Reasons why you should bring your work to MozFest

1. Your work – whether professional in nature, a personal side project, or anything in between – will reap rewards. If you facilitate a session at MozFest, you’ll receive on-demand resources paired with 1:1 and group coaching to improve your facilitation, confidence, and meeting design skills. You’ll also connect and collaborate with a vast global network of people passionate about a healthy internet and Trustworthy AI, who can provide ideas and feedback on your work to give it that fresh, new perspective or overcome challenges you may be facing.

2. It’s a positive environment to network, collaborate, and showcase your work. We all need to be paying particular attention to our online activities in this current global climate – the pandemic, racial injustice uprisings, and climate crisis are all affecting us in different ways. When it comes to how we spend our time online, we need to choose activities that foster healthy conversation, encourage positive collective change, fight misinformation, and provide something special in how we experience our digital world. MozFest provides an online experience that meets all of this criteria.

3. The virtual Mozilla Festival is currently being designed and co-curated by hundreds of people from around the world. We have over a dozen Mozilla staff, over 50 community Wranglers, and soon we’ll be adding hundreds of Facilitators and Volunteers to the co-curation and design process, whose sole purpose is to deliver one-of-a-kind content and support. Our virtual gathering of digital activists, educators, scientists, and everyone in between is not being created in a vacuum. The collective experiences, cultures, and ideas of hundreds of people are all being considered into the design of the Mozilla Festival. If you’re looking for a diverse and unique community to work in, you’ll find it at MozFest.

4. We’re navigating through world crises and personal challenges right along with you. This year has been tough on everyone. We’re all dealing with it in different ways, but you are not alone in the challenges you face. For MozFest? We were excited to be launching the festival in the beautiful city of Amsterdam and had to scratch those plans and create a virtual festival from the ground up. All while dealing with our own unexpected personal challenges at home: physical health, self care, homeschooling children while balancing work, missing friends, concern for family. We aren’t executing this festival in isolation from the world. We recognize the challenges and are leaning into our community. There is a place for you to do that with us at MozFest.

5. MozFest is just plain FUN! Working sessions turn into after-hours hangouts. Exploring the robust schedule and creative Spaces transforms into an exciting adventure. New work connections become life-long friends. We work hard and have a blast while doing it. Making a difference and leading positive change doesn’t have to be boring or serious. Our lives – online and off – are for the better when work and play go hand-in-hand. And that’s definitely true at MozFest. We’ve been known for our interactive sessions that get us away from the keyboard, playing games, and bring art and music into learning how technology affects our lives. Not to mention kitchen antics, music expeditions, and game nights.

Have we convinced you to bring your work to MozFest?

Take advantage of this opportunity to become a MozFest Facilitator at our first-ever virtual gathering. Submit a session proposal before December 16 to be considered. You can also sign up for our newsletter to learn of other opportunities to get involved and become a part of the community throughout the year.