Hi everyone,
Many of you know me from around the Community Center; I’ve been here for nearly 4 years, would you believe it!
This has been an important year. Together we’ve weathered more global turmoil than I’d ever wish for in a lifetime, let alone a year. We’ve achieved so much - side splitting laughs, heated debates, and connections that inspire me every day.
- We had nearly 6 million people visit the Community Center this year, who read over 20 million posts!
- We launched our Airbnb.org board as suggested by our amazing member, @Helen3, as a dedicated space for our incredibly generous Hosts to discuss how they can support those facing crises the world over.
- We had our first ever Festival of Sustainability with fantastic contributions from @Clara116, @Daniel1651 (HAB) and @Felicity11 (HAB) (to name a few!)
- We launched our Community Center redesign in November and are continuing to update from the amazing feedback we receive from you all (@Mike-And-Jane0 & @Gillian166 especially!)
And here we are, on the cusp of the winter holiday season (or Summer for our friends on the other side of the hemisphere!) thinking of where we came from and what we have next for 2023. You may be wondering what the picture is that I have used - it is an exceptionally old tree in Nottingham forest (Sherwood forest where Robin Hood is said to have laid his hat).
Fingers crossed the start of next year, my family and I are set to move to the area for our next big adventure. But the tree also reminds me of our Community - it is strong, it has many branches, it goes through moments of growth, moments of decline but! It is kept going by its environmental factors - if it is nurtured, it will always thrive in the end.
That is what each of us does for each other when we support one another in this space. I’m so proud of what we have built together and can’t wait to see what we can achieve next year and beyond.
Thanks,
Steph