A month ago today I started a new job with the Mozilla Foundation (yay!). I’m through the roof about this and I wanted to share with you why. For awhile I’ve watched Mozilla from afar while admiring their commitment to creating an open web and educating the next generation of webmakers. My only experience with Mozilla (asides from using Firefox) had been participating in events they sponsored and supported in Toronto that encouraged individuals of all ages to become creators of the web. I was well aware of Mozilla’s mission to turn individuals from consumers of the web to producers and that is what had really drawn me to the organization. As many of you know I am currently facilitating my own movement of a lover of the world wide web to a creator so Mozilla’s mission was one that I was already living and breathing. That’s why when a position become available at the Mozilla Foundation I knew that this would be my next big step, and a perfect one at that. Which brings me to the next question, what the hell do I do? I run a big worldwide party. Well, something like that. I manage the Maker Party Campaign.
The Maker Party campaign runs from June 15-September 15 and promotes individuals of all ages around the world to meet up, teach others and making something cool. Now “something” can be a very broad term but it’s meant to be just that. You can create something as small as your own image to something as big as your first web page or online video game. The possibilities are endless and it’s been amazing to see the range of ‘somethings’ that the community is creating. The point of the Maker Party is to celebrate people doing things online and going from the individual who uses the web to someone who can make something of their own on it. My job is to facilitate the party, organize events, and share what individuals are making at parties worldwide. You know, and a bunch of little things along the way. At the half way mark in the campaign we’ve already seen hundreds of events and engaged thousands (millions?) of people around the world. Here’s just a sampling of some of the cool events:
- A Maker Party at a junior school in Uganda, Africa teaching children how to have fun by remixing videos using Popcorn Maker
- A girls only Maker Party in Makati City, Phillipines to celebrate girls in the field of web design and development
- A Maker Party at an orphanage in Warangal, India where Rahman went to hold a workshop and quickly learned that the young students had never even seen a laptop before. Since then he’s committed to going back weekly and educating these students on the web and it’s tools. These pictures are seriously heart warming.
- A Maker Party in Torrance, California that taught youth to talk back to social issues by sharing their views on controversial topics. This powerful video on gay rights by 13-year-old Diego is worth sharing.
- Or this awesome Maker Party happening this weekend in Boston at the MIT Media Lab encouraging people to come and do cool stuff together!
If you’re doing something (ANYTHING) I would love for you to share it with the community using the #MakerParty hashtag. And if attending an event in your area, putting on your own event or making something by yourself interests you than you should check out this wiki on how to join the party. I’d love for you to come party with me.
Amira Dhalla 
It all sound insanely awesome.
You Dhalla siblings are insanely awesome.
And I don’t even think you know the third Dhalla kid, she is all kinds of awesome 🙂
Yay Amira! I am SO happy for you, you party girl 😉
Thanks lady! It’s going to be one big party-filled adventure
Par-tay! Awesome work Amira (as always)! 🙂
Thanks Arienne 🙂