We’re a geographically distributed team who work alongside clients all over the world, with the bulk of that work being done remotely. We’re pretty good at getting things done over the internet and are always looking for ways to improve our remote working habits. We even made an email course to share some of what we’ve picked up over the years with all of you.

That said, we recognise that it is vital to spend time together as a team and that some things are better/different/easier face to face.

So, following on from the success of our previous meetup we’re planning another trip. We Are Open Coop will be in Amsterdam from 19th to 22nd June and it just so happens that Mozilla Festival House will also be in town.

Laura, Doug, and I all met while working at Mozilla and the Mozilla Festival was a big part of our work there. I was gutted when MozFest finally moved away from London as I’d been become used to my network of colleagues/collaborators/comrades from across the globe arriving on my doorstep (side eye from the many people who travelled many many miles by plane/train/automobile to make it to London).

We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get involved again so we’ll be running a session titled “Fostering Transparency and Building a Cooperative Economy”

Our session will be a space to discuss and learn from each other about democratising power and wealth in Tech and beyond. Despite the brain melting scale of the global cooperative movement, coops exist in a blind spot for many people who setting up the companies/foundations/charities we need to challenge the status quo. Our five major themes in this session will be:

  • Decentring power and sharing ownership
  • Pushing back against Big Tech
  • Governance in co-ops
  • Platform co-ops & cooperative economy
  • Equity and inclusion: nonviolent communication and conflict resolution

Away from Mozilla Festival House, we’ll be taking time to reflect on our first 7 years, plan for the future, and play obscure Japanese arcade games. If you’re going to be in Amsterdam for Mozfest House, do give us a ping!

A red A-frame sign similar to one that might be found outside outside a shop. “We Are Open” is written on the sign in black letters. The “O” in Open is a smiley face. “Education, Training & Information” is written in black capital letters to the right of the red sign.
Principle 5 — Click to read about it, and the other 6 : Image CC BY-ND Visual Thinkery for WAO