At the end of December, I sent out the last email of 2023, sharing my hopes for 2024. It's only been a month, and so much has already shifted and will continue to shift, I am sure. Sometimes, I get nervous creating these emails because I feel like I need to know exactly what is going to happen and how it’s going to happen before I communicate. In reality, the hope for these updates is that whoever you are, wherever you are in the world, you get to be part of The Giving Gifts community—a community that is always shifting because the world is always shifting. A community that is continuing to learn and expand. A community that has been growing slowly and steadily and is ready to grow even more.
Here are a few things I'm really excited to loop you in on:
I am stoked to share that The Giving Gifts has been given the green light to grow right here in Ensenada. We are calling Ensenada our first “hub”. Hubs are locations where The Giving Gifts is committed to learning and growing together, and it's very exciting that, for the first time for The Giving Gifts, the primary focus of activity will actually be right where I am at!
Each hub is characterized by the presence of Community Representatives and ongoing initiatives. From the very beginning of The Giving Gifts, it has been a crucial priority to lean into individuals who are local to the communities we are partnered with. The representatives play a crucial role in helping connect the local community, understand the unique needs. I cannot wait to introduce Ensenada Reps who are already helping me in a million ways and holding me accountable for practicing my Spanish a lot more!
The Giving Gifts has a few new offerings, and these offerings are what we are calling “Initiatives”. The three new initiatives we will be implementing right away are a monthly beach clean up, youth workshops, and community meet-ups. Along with the initiatives, we are going to be working alongside individuals in the community to create resources for youth to explore mental health using environmental education and sustainability activities! Our first cleanup will be the first weekend in March!!!
You may have noticed, The Giving Gifts is still going through a bit of a makeover to reflect the transformation and really convey the vision of caring for people AND the planet. I was connected to this incredible graphic designer and artist who is currently working on a new logo, some new art, and is helping bring to life this evolved mission and vision through images. Ahhh, I CANNOT WAIT! Over the next few weeks, I am going to be unpacking a lot of these new aspects in more detail, inviting you to consider how you can be using your own gift as we grow together, and of course, sharing the exciting updates as they come in. As always, I am so thankful for all of you who are continually here and learning alongside The Giving Gifts; I don’t take that support lightly. I’ve actually been thinking a lot about how I can do a better job of engaging with you when it comes to The Giving Gifts. I would really appreciate it if you could take just a minute or so and fill out this little poll below to let me know how I can better communicate and connect!