As we bid farewell to another year filled with buzzwords and empty promises, let's make some resolutions to ensure 2025 is the year of genuine community engagement—coffee shop style!

Build Trust and Relationships

Work with people, not for people. Think of engagement like crafting the perfect latte: trust and friendship are your main ingredients. No more surface-level chats—let's build real connections and avoid poorly frothed efforts that leave people lukewarm. After all, you can't espresso yourself if you don't know your community!

Listen and Act

Listen more, talk less. Good engagement comes from having the perfect cup to hold your coffee. To create something magnificent, you need to hold space for meaningful conversations. Listening is the new flex. Do small things with great care; trust is built one cup at a time.

Respect and Inclusivity

Respect everyone's time and be inclusive. Make engagement as easy as ordering your usual drink from your favourite goal-kicking barista. Inclusivity isn't a checkbox; it's ensuring everyone feels welcome, like a friendly barista greeting every person with a huge, caffeinated smile. And remember that some people just want a transaction—a cup of coffee without the extra chat—or just want to complete the survey—and that's perfectly okay. Respecting their preference is part of good practice.

Create Local Connections

Build strong local bonds. Support local projects and foster a sense of belonging. Everyone should feel as comfortable as the regulars at your favourite café. Lycra and all. Change happens on the edges—how do we welcome people in from the margins?

Turn Words into Actions

Make our words count. Ditch lip service and make our words matter. Actions speak louder than words—work together to create real change. Real engagement, like great coffee, leaves a lasting impression.

Let's make 2025 the year we stop just talking about it and start being about it. Here’s to a year of genuine connections, meaningful actions, positive change, and perfect espresso, always.