New Things for a New Year

1. My good friend Ian is starting the new year as a husband. On Sunday, he married the love of his life Izzie and we all danced the night away in a medieval hall (above) to the music of a Ceilidh band in celebration of their marriage.

2. Next week myself and my colleague Jez officially launch The Freedom Project, a work readiness programme for ex-offenders/long term unemployed to help support them in returning to work. I'm keeping this part time job alongside my social work placement and university coursework so it promises to be a busy year!

3. The week after next I start my first social work placement as part of my Masters course. It will last 6 months and I will be working at a supported tenancy for African Caribbean men with mental health issues, helping them integrate into the community and work toward independent living.

4. The world will start the new year, as of January 20th, with a new leader of the United States. My hope is that this new thing will be felt throughout the world, and that the change it brings will be good.

5. This year will begin with 4 of the 5 original Vann Clan members living in the same country once more. Who knows where we will all be by the end of the year, but it's a great way to start!

6. The new year will dawn on this same magical and broken world, full of staggering beauty and terrible injustice. We will wake to this new year as a people still broken but hopeful, with fresh courage and resolve to make a difference, to go the extra mile, to speak out for change and to live humbly in awe of our smallness and our potential to usher in great things.