Dear Hub Hosts,

This is it... the end of u.lab 2018! But it's definitely not the end of our work. It has just begun. There is so much happening that it is hard to summarize. This December newsletter is an attempt to do so and we hope to inspire you to continue the good work and most of all, stay part of our magical Hub Hosting community. So... keep on connecting with us in the new year. After a well-deserved holiday of course!

Any questions you're still sitting with? Please join our final 2018 Hub Host Call on Zoom, on Wednesday 19th December, at 8pm CET / 2pm EST: https://zoom.us/meeting/896743489

In this newsletter you will find:

1. Updates & News

2. Hub Host Support 2019

3. Call for Stories

4. Hub Host Program 2019

5. Tip of the Month

1. Updates & News

You have probably followed the news around Societal Transformation Lab (STL): with 250-300 teams selected to join the program it looks like we are entering a very exciting new chapter, and it is a delight to notice how hubs have been a breeding space for teams and ideas that are now diving into this next level.

The live event in Berlin was a very pleasant way to close u.lab and celebrate the start of STL, surrounded with 150 participants in person and thousands of them online. The metaphor of the monthly heartbeat became palpable and for many of us it was a great joy to meet people after months -- sometimes even years -- of collaborating online.

This was especially the case in our Hub Host gathering that took place in the morning before the main event. With 24 Hub Hosts we talked in an Open Space format about our challenges hosting a hub this year, about outcomes and insights from u.lab 2018. We explored how to harvest and share our stories and worked on the future of Hub Hosting (and our support). A very rich dialogue, with some outcomes already integrated in this newsletter, and more to be shared with you next year.

We are very aware that not everyone can (currently) join STL, but not being part of this program does not mean you are "done" with us :). Within the Presencing Institute team we are exploring what could be a good follow-up on the community cafés and/or ways to nourish the community. Within our Hub Host 'holding team', we have been thinking-- together with Daniela Veneri-- about our own next offering, for those who:

If this sparks your interest, there is this wonderful community initiative hosted by Daniela Veneri. Her plan (still 'under construction') is to run through the u.lab syllabus again, starting with the Hub Host call scheduled for January 16th . This will be offered to people who are already enrolled and took the course previously and mainly aimed at Hub Hosts, although other learners are also welcome. Daniela is preparing this with a little team but what is already clear is that there will be bi-weekly calls (at the 'regular' Wednesday-time).

2. Hub Host Support 2019

We now look back on 3 years of Hub Host Support experience. We moved from hosting calls and offering the Hub Host Guide to offering dedicated guides (thanks to Julie Arts) for the different online programs (Ubuntu.Lab and Transforming Capitalism Lab). We now have a variety of calls, from the original community calls where we simply connect and become aware of 'who and how' we are as a global team, to calls where we learn and work together (Case Clinics for Hub Hosts, Sense Making calls etc.) We are wrapping up the year-- but again, not ending the support. That's because we hear from you how much the support is valued. And we have only just started to discover the opportunities that we hold as a community. The Hub Host community is growing more and more proactive. This manifests in initiatives as described earlier, but also in the  Slack workspace (organized by Doris Doblhofer) and the calls that were hosted by Jasmin Behrouzi when Simoon was not able to do so. We are continuing to explore the potential of our community. If you have an idea or suggestion, please reach out and let us know!

The plans for the support in 2019 are still being developed but for sure you can keep the Wednesday calls in your calendar although these will be taking place AN HOUR EARLIER THAN BEFORE ( 7pm CET, 1pm EST). We will start again after the Christmas break, on January 9th.

Also the online Social Presencing Theater support continues. Mery Miguez offers bi-weekly Zoom calls together with Agathe Pelterau-Villeneuve, starting January 8th: https://zoom.us/j/2062558381 . In the January newsletter we will share more information about these calls because we are still working on a plan to also align them with the other online offerings.

3. Call for stories

We are -- as always -- curious about your stories, adventures, insights... Please share them with us. Perhaps you have nice photos from your Hub gatherings, or even videos that tell the story, it would be great if you can send them over so that we can consider sharing them with the community in the next u.lab magazine: [email protected]

It can also be as simple as finishing (one of) these sentences:

Need some inspiration? Watch the video compilation of u.lab prototypes -- and feel free to also share these with your community or hub:

4. Hub Host Program

After 2 brilliant editions, of course we will host a new Hub Host Program. With the familiar team (Keira Oliver, Valerie Jackman, Nuala Burns and Simoon) we have mapped out a program, planned to take place in May (dates to be announced soon-- stay tuned!) and it will be an iteration of the previous editions. We follow the evolution and the needs of the community!

5. Tip of the month

"The Art of Doing Nothing, Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself" by Véronique Vienne:   this book calls busy readers to a halt, inviting them to indulge in ten stress-reducing, life-enhancing, soul-nurturing activities and offering suggestions for finding the time for them without feeling guilty ;)

Enjoy!

Simoon and Rachel

Hub Host support team