Fellowship
A fellowship at Newspeak House is an acknowledgement that a person is now or has the potential to be a significant actor in the emerging field of political technology.
Fellows benefit from six months of subsidised lodgings in Newspeak House, located in the heart of London's tech city, where they will have unprecedented opportunities to expand their network and develop broad cross-disciplinary knowledge of what's happening in the field.
Fellows at Newspeak House commit to being in residence at Newspeak House for the period of their fellowship and engaging with other Newspeak House fellows, members, organisers and with the broader community. Fellows are expected to attend events hosted at Newspeak House, organise events of their own, and engage in a broad selection of community channels.
Newspeak House hosts six fellows at a time, with three starting every three months in overlapping six month terms:
- 1 January - 25 June
- 1 April - 25 September
- 1 July - 25 December
- 1 October - 25 March
Who can be a Fellow?
We are looking for a diverse, interdisciplinary group that brings a mix of backgrounds, methodologies, fields, and professions — practitioners, researchers, developers, lawyers, advocates, activists, educators, entrepreneurs, journalists, technology industry actors, those coming out of a government office or position, policy analysts, public intellectuals, and those whose practice doesn’t fit squarely into conventional categories.
Fellows must be open to living in close proximity to other people, and be enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge and network, and developing mentoring relationships. We prioritise applicants who are excited about connecting with and contributing to the growing communities working on political technology.
Fellowship is part time; fellows will typically have a relevant project that they're working on, or failing that be supporting themselves through freelance work. In general It's hoped that the activities involved in fellowship will dovetail well with their work. The lifestyle will probably not suit people who are doing full time, non-remote work, unless there are strong synergies between their full time role and fellowship.
Here are some qualities that we find are positive indicators in a potential fellow:
Open - You're worried about whether your work has impact. You don't currently have a single project that you're deeply focused on, and are open to meeting and learning from people who may not obviously possess knowledge you're looking for.
Gregarious - You love being around and meeting new people. You go to meetups for fun, perhaps you even organise one. You think hospitality is very important, and you like cooking!
Connected - You are active and discoverable on social media. You have a smartphone, and it lives in your hand. You reply quickly when people message you.
Activist - There's something in the world that you want to set right - and you feel a personal responsibility for taking action. You have a track record of volunteering and organising.
Technical - You've shipped projects with real users. You're not afraid of getting your hands dirty and building things, or have experience directly managing other people who do.
Diplomatic - You have experience of engaging tactfully with different cultures.
Diverse - You bring a network that's not yet well represented within the community.
Newspeak House is strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We welcome applications from people of colour, women, the LGBTQIA community, and disabled people. Unfortunately though, the lodgings offered are not wheelchair accessible, and space is not available for partners/family. Also, aside from service animals, roaming pets not allowed.
While we welcome applications from outside the United Kingdom, we are currently unable to support the acquisition of visas. If you are applying from outside the United Kingdom and are accepted, you will need to secure your own visa and, depending on your situation, work permit.
You're welcome to reapply for fellowships if you don't get selected the first time; intakes are frequent and there are few places.
Enquiries about the fellowship should be directed to [email protected]. Questions about the opportunity or process will not reflect negatively on an application.
How to apply to be a Fellow
To apply for a Newspeak House Fellowship...
- Track down five members of Newspeak House that interest you and have a chat with them (a fellow may be able to help).
- Take a look at the Community Map, and make a list of the channels that you're already a member of. Add to the map any channels you think might be missing.
- Publish something about these two activities, reflecting on what you learnt and how might it relate to your current work.
Send an email to ??? including
- a link to what you published
- links to any relevant past & current projects
- a link to a CV
Applications are due (when?)
Second-round applicants will be contacted (when?) for an interview
Successful applicants will be alerted (when?), with a public announcement to follow.
Notes
Fellows will receive housing within Newspeak House (bedroom, shared living rooms, bathrooms and kitchen) at a rate of £800pcm all included. Assistance is available for those that may not be able to afford this.
If you persistently break the house rules or go against the spirit of The Fellowship, we have the right to terminate your fellowship prematurely. (ref http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/staff/handbook/13.html
Useful References:
http://www.thecharterhouse.org/joining-the-community/almshouse/
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/initiatives/IBMSocialGoodFellowship.html
https://datasociety.net/initiatives/fellows-program/
http://thewappingproject.org/berlin/