Community Technology Fellow
Organization: Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI)
Location: Hybrid – Remote & In-person at Community-Based Placement Sites: Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; or Los Angeles, CA
Position Type: Fellowship (Part-time)
Grant Award: $10,000 ($5,000 per semester)
Program Dates: September 2026 – May 2027
Overview
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) is a leading international non-profit organization dedicated to making the online world safer for children and their families. Through research, resources, and advocacy, FOSI’s Digital Parenting program provides parents and caregivers with the tools they need to confidently navigate the online world with their families.
Community Technology Fellows will serve as trained facilitators and local program implementers, delivering FOSI’s Digital Citizens workshop series to youth in community-based settings. Fellows will help young people build skills in AI literacy, social media wellbeing, healthy online relationships, digital boundaries, and responsible online behavior.
FOSI will select three Community Technology Fellows for the 2026–2027 cohort. Candidates must be based in one of the following cities: Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; or Los Angeles, CA. This is a unique opportunity for graduate students interested in youth development, technology, online safety, education, public policy, social impact, and community-based programming.
Fellowship Goals
- The Community Technology Fellows Program is designed to:
- Develop youth digital citizenship skills through accessible, engaging, community-based workshops.
- Bring FOSI’s balanced, evidence-based online safety guidance into trusted local institutions.
- Equip graduate student Fellows to serve as trained facilitators, educators, and community implementation partners.
- Support community centers that may lack the staff capacity, curriculum, or training to consistently deliver digital citizenship programming.
- Generate practical learning from youth and community partners to inform FOSI’s future resources, programs, and policy work.
Key Responsibilities
Workshop Facilitation & Youth Engagement
- Deliver FOSI’s Digital Citizens workshop series in assigned community centers.
- Facilitate interactive, discussion-based sessions for youth, including teens and young people from diverse backgrounds.
- Create a welcoming, age-appropriate, and nonjudgmental learning environment.
- Help youth explore real-life digital issues, including AI tools, social media habits, online relationships, cyberbullying, digital boundaries, and responsible technology use.
- Guide youth through reflection activities, scenarios, group discussions, and practical exercises.
Community Center Implementation Support
- Serve as the primary Fellow contact for assigned community center sites.
- Coordinate scheduling, workshop logistics, and participation details with designated site liaisons.
- Support youth recruitment and engagement in partnership with community center staff.
- Help ensure workshops are delivered consistently using FOSI’s materials, facilitation guidance, and implementation playbook.
- Surface site-level needs, challenges, and feedback to FOSI’s Programs Specialist.
Curriculum Delivery & Program Materials
Use FOSI’s standardized workshop materials, including slides, discussion prompts, scenario cards, reflection worksheets, and youth/family-facing resources. Deliver three core youth-facing modules, including:
- AI, Chatbots & You: A youth-friendly session focused on how chatbots generate responses, why AI can be persuasive but inaccurate, and how young people can evaluate information and set personal “AI rules.”
- Social Media & Mental Health: An interactive workshop that helps youth understand attention design, reflect on how social media affects mood and identity, and build healthy digital habits.
- Healthy Online Relationships & Boundaries: A scenario-based session focused on healthy versus unhealthy online behaviors, recognizing cyberbullying dynamics, and building standards for respectful online communication.
Evaluation, Learning & Reporting
- Track workshop participation, attendance, and engagement.
- Administer brief pre/post reflections or surveys aligned to workshop outcomes.
- Collect informal feedback from youth participants and community center staff.
- Participate in program debriefs and coaching sessions with FOSI’s Programs Specialist.
- Contribute observations and recommendations to support curriculum improvement and program refinement.
Cohort Participation & Professional Development
- Participate in Fellow training before beginning community-based delivery.
- Join regular cohort meetings led by FOSI for coaching, shared learning, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with other Fellows to share implementation lessons, facilitation strategies, and youth engagement insights.
- Represent FOSI professionally in community settings and uphold FOSI’s balanced, evidence-based, non-fear-based approach to online safety.
Qualifications
Current graduate student in a relevant field, such as education, public policy, social work, youth development, communications, public health, information studies, technology policy, psychology, sociology, or a related discipline.
- Strong interest in youth digital citizenship, online safety, media literacy, AI literacy, or technology and society.
- Comfort facilitating workshops or discussions with youth.
- Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong organizational skills and ability to coordinate with community partners.
- Ability to explain complex or sensitive topics in a clear, age-appropriate, and practical way.
- Commitment to inclusive, culturally responsive, and youth-centered programming.
- Reliable, professional, and comfortable working independently in community-based settings.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with teens, youth programs, schools, recreation centers, after-school programs, or community-based organizations.
- Experience facilitating workshops, trainings, peer education sessions, or group discussions.
- Familiarity with digital citizenship, online safety, cyberbullying prevention, social media wellbeing, AI literacy, or media literacy.
- Experience collecting basic program feedback, survey responses, or participation data.
- Interest in nonprofit programming, community engagement, education, or public-interest technology.
Time Commitment
- Fellows are expected to work part-time during the semester and will be assigned approximately two community center sites per semester, depending on program needs and site availability.
- The role will include:
- Training and preparation time with FOSI.
- Workshop delivery at assigned community centers.
- Scheduling and coordination with site liaisons.
- Participation tracking and brief reporting.
- Regular check-ins with FOSI’s Programs Specialist.
- FOSI understands that graduate student schedules vary and will work with Fellows to support reasonable flexibility.
Application Process
Interested candidates should submit:
- A CV
- A cover letter describing their interest and relevant experience
- A writing sample demonstrating research and analytical skills (policy or tech-focused preferred)
Applications will be accepted at fosi@fosi.org on a rolling basis until a candidate is selected. The fellowship program begins September 8, 2026.
The grant award is $10,000 ($5,000 per semester). Fellows will work 3 days a week remotely & in-person on community engagement days. A lunch stipend is included. FOSI understands that graduate students’ schedules vary and will work with candidates to ensure flexibility.
About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute is an international nonprofit organization that works to make the online world safer for kids and their families. FOSI convenes leaders from industry, government, academia, and the nonprofit sector to collaborate on innovative solutions, research, resources, and policy approaches that promote a culture of responsibility online. Through its programs, events, research, and family-facing guidance, FOSI helps children, parents, caregivers, educators, policymakers, and technology leaders acknowledge risks, mitigate harms, and realize the rewards of digital life.