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Behind the Curtain: A Digital Delivery Story Slam for Former Federal Employees

The Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation’s Digital Service Network is hosting a virtual Moth-style story slam for former federal employees centered on the theme of: Behind the curtain: The humans of the federal government’s critical digital infrastructure.

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Stories about government working for the people it serves shed light on the essential role of public servants and reinvigorate public-sector trust— things we need now more than ever. What’s more, mass firings and dismissals are bringing abrupt ends to the careers of hundreds of dedicated public servants, leaving many processing a shocking and unexpected life change.

That’s why the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation’s Digital Service Network is hosting a virtual Moth-style story slam for former federal employees. This event will offer a space to process, reflect on, and document the ways former federal employees gave their time, skill, and care to improving critical government services for the public.

If you are a former federal employee who worked in a digital delivery role and were fired, placed on administrative leave, or otherwise dismissed since January 2025, we invite you to join our story slam centered on the theme of:

Behind the curtain: The humans of the federal government’s critical digital infrastructure.
Too often, the government employees who work tirelessly to maintain, repair, and improve the foundational digital infrastructure of our public services are rendered invisible: these are the people “behind the curtain”.

This DSN story slam will focus on stories that draw back that curtain, revealing the essential human work behind delivering high-quality government service experiences. These stories will make clear that the operative word in “digital service” isn’t digital; it’s service— service made possible by skillful and dedicated public servants.

We invite you to bring stories from your time as a federal employee about your “behind-the-curtain” digital delivery work that made you proud. We welcome tales about the often invisible or overlooked ways you supported the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the country.

Event Details + Logistics
This event is limited to former federal employees, and is geared particularly toward those who were working in digital delivery roles. Your LinkedIn profile or digital resume/portfolio link will be required to validate your prior employment with the federal government.

Registration is free. We hope to have a good mix of storytellers and listeners at the event. When you register we will ask if you may be interested in sharing a story. You do not have to commit to telling a story when you register. If you express interest, we will follow up with further details.

Each storyteller will have a 5-minute time limit and we ask that storytellers follow the Moth’s storytelling guidelines. The event will adhere to Chatham House rules. Those who share a story can opt-in to work with the Digital Service Network after the event to share their story more publicly.

Please reach out to digitalservicenetwork@georgetown.edu with questions. We can’t wait to lift up your stories.

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