Reflecting, Planning, and Growing: Our Winter Retreat 2025
Published:
Building for Sustainability and Growth
One of our key priorities was developing an adaptable outreach model that can be replicated in other communities and seamlessly handed over to new members. We recognize that for Science on the Walls to truly make a lasting difference, our approach needs to be scalable and transferable, ensuring continuity as our team evolves.
We spent considerable time discussing strategies to increase community engagement and reach across generations. Our goal is to create more lasting projects that don’t just make a momentary impact, but build ongoing connections and sustained interest in science within our communities.
Building a strong foundation
Beyond our public-facing initiatives, we dedicated time to strengthening our organizational backbone. We refined our internal structure and developed clearer protocols for events, social media management, and recruitment.
Key areas we addressed include:
- Streamlined volunteer onboarding processes
- Enhanced safeguarding measures
- Comprehensive risk assessment procedures
- Defined internal roles and responsibilities
Strengthening Our Digital Presence: Website Hackathon
We mapped out a comprehensive structure that will better serve our community, including:
- Home page that communicates our mission and impact
- About section sharing our story and team
- Activities hub showcasing our ongoing projects and events
- Contact portal making it easier for people to get involved
Community at the Heart
Throughout our planning, we remained focused on the community engagement initiatives that make Science on the Walls special. We discussed expanding successful programs like our Saturday Dinner events and developing more intergenerational activities that bring different age groups together around shared scientific curiosity. We’re excited about potential collaborations with other organizations and exploring new project areas including film-making, sustainability initiatives, and cultural exchange programs that blend science with broader community interests.
