A year of family blogging for Bremen: Our very personal year-end review!
Family life can be not only colorful but also turbulent. Last year, our family blog explored many topics that affect families. Together with experts in family education, we showed how diverse life can be and the different questions families face. From inclusive families and the settling-in period at daycare to drug use among teenagers, the range of topics was very broad and varied.
With nearly 50 posts, we published a new blog entry almost every week. The bloggers not only offered insights into the many local organizations that provide support, guidance, and advice, but also gave their readers helpful tips, recommendations, and ideas for everyday family life. To date, the blog has received nearly 6,000 clicks across its three categories: "Becoming a Family," "All About Family – Of Course!" and "Play, Excitement & Fun.".
Many thanks to everyone who has enriched the blog with their expert contributions:
Alice Bohn, Senator Anja Stahmann, Anna Tibert, Annika Christiansen, Aslihan Yesilyurt, Dr. Birgit Mathes, Caro Schulze, Dr. Christina Sanko, Claudia Tiedemann, Daria Kulchenko, Denise Sojke, Emmelie Rupp, Gerda Janssen-Schmidchen, Dr. Heidemarie Rose, Henryk Lorenz, Ini Friedrichs, Jana Latzel, Jennifer from Huchting, Johanna Boos, Lea Scholz, Leoni Beckmann, Lisa Wichmann, Marcel Fernandez Bücker, Matthias Wittich, Dr. Melanie Böckmann, Michael Freyhoff, Myriam Metry, Natascha Hesse, Nicole Wrede, Nieki Samar, Sabine Ballenberger, Sabrina Muscharski, Silke Boos, Dr. Thorsten Macha, Türkan Erdogan, Ulrike Glingener and Wiebke Buscher.
A look behind the scenes at BRISE
The seven-part BRISE series in June offered us the opportunity to look behind the scenes of the flagship project "Bremen Initiative for Strengthening Early Childhood Development" (BRISE) . We visited a diverse group of people involved in BRISE: families participating in the study, the research team from the University of Bremen, and those who support families in their daily lives with a baby: family midwives and family support workers. It was a very special experience for us to get so close to this exclusive research project and to share this perspective with everyone who might not yet be familiar with BRISE.
Obstacles and crises…
Despite obstacles and crises, the blog succeeded in offering a completely different, personal glimpse behind the scenes of social work in Bremen. And this was despite the fact that the crisis year of 2022 – sick leave, overtime, staff shortages, high turnover – also affected us: Many professionals told us they simply didn't have the time to write blog posts, even though they were very interested and, above all, eager to participate. Many saw it as an opportunity to connect with people in a different way and to present their issues, for example, from the perspective of Bremen families.
The blog is ending, but the offers remain
For a year, the blog has accompanied families in Bremen and the professional community – now we're saying goodbye. The year-long project is coming to an end, but all posts can still on our website be found
At the same time, we encourage everyone to keep their eyes and ears open so as not to miss out on the many helpful and useful services available in Bremen for everyday family life. The best way to do this, of course, is by using our topic and district search, which provides information on events, projects, and programs from over 1,000 Bremen institutions.
Thank you!
We would like to thank all the people who, with their contributions, have made the blog a successful project for the Bremen blogosphere – and of course the readers who have given us such positive feedback in recent months, such as one reader in autumn: "I finally found something that has been a topic for us for so long."
The family blog was supported and funded by the Senator for Social Affairs, Youth, Integration and Sport.