Data Architecture

Das nächste Treffen der Hamburg PowerShell User Group findet am 15.04.2026 um 18:30 Uhr statt und ihr seid herzlich eingeladen! Das Treffen findet vor Ort (bei glueckkanja) und online statt. Link nach Anmeldung in meetup einsehbar. 1\. Welcome 2. **Publish-Blog - PowerShell for the static age** Creating content for a blog can be challenging — running the blog itself absolutely is not! Especially when PowerShell comes into play. **Andi Bellstedt** unveils the mechanisms behind his new blog. He demonstrates how GitHub Actions and CI/CD pipelines work together to build, test and publish a static website the PowerShell way. Get practical ideas to simplify and solidify your workflows for static site creation. Along the way, there will be demos showing how AI supports parts of the development process and how these tools help maintain the blog efficiently. 3\. Q&A Wir freuen uns auf eure Teilnahme.

The web is at the heart of our every day lives and we understand now it has enormous sustainability impacts. So what do we do as practitioners, teams and businesses building individual websites or apps? How do we have full confidence that our tech meets our sustainability claims? Adam Newman, Co-founder of Root & Branch is going to address these questions, demystify vendor claims and add some clarity to what it means to build, host and manage a sustainable web estate. Adam is the co-chair of the Green Software Foundation's "SCI for web" project, writing the spec for how to apply the latest ISO standard (ISO 21031:2024) to the web as well as the co-author of a paper on the energy and emissions measurement of websites and cloud applications. He is also a contributer to the W3C Web Sustainability Guidelines and a proud co-organiser of Green Software Brighton. Check out the Green Software Brighton [website](https://greensoftwarebrighton.co.uk/) for links to previous talks. Arrive from 18:00 for pizza and drinks. Event will start at 18:30. We always head for a drink and a chat locally afterwards too. --- ***Thank you to Runway East for use of their space to host our events and to Silicon Brighton and the Green Software Foundation for supporting us.***

#This meetup is around a third-party organizer (Focus Filmtheater): you can either purchase your ticket online or right before the session. **Seats are numbered**# **Title**: Romería **Language**: Spanish **Subtitles**: English **Length**: 112 min **Director**: Carla Simón **More info**: https://www.focusarnhem.nl/agenda/english-subs-romeria/ **Ticket link**: https://www.focusarnhem.nl/tickets/143040/ **Synopsis**: Marina loses her parents to addiction and illness at a young age. When she’s older, the aspiring filmmaker sets out in the summer to find her roots in the northwestern coastal region of Spain, she finds herself caught in a web of conflicting memories and heartbreaking discoveries. The award-winning Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón based this wistful, sun-drenched portrait on her own experiences. Does a shared bloodline automatically make you family? Marina was orphaned at a young age. When she turns 18, she travels to sunny Vigo, camcorder in hand. In this Spanish city on the Atlantic coast, she will finally meet her father’s family, whose signature she needs for a scholarship application. There, she encounters a whole host of uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents. The family is warm and welcoming, yet also irritable and evasive, wealthy and distant. As Marina pieces together the puzzle and tries to form an image of her parents, she is confronted with conflicting memories and heartbreaking new information. In 2022, Carla Simón received the Golden Bear in Berlin for Alcarràs. With Romería (“pilgrimage”), she shares an intimate piece of autobiographical fiction that poignantly reveals how we can never fully know our parents. Both Llúcia Garcia and the breathtaking Galician coastline deliver stunning leading performances in this film, which shows that filmmaking — and storytelling in general — is a powerful way to come to terms with an elusive past. **How it works**: I will be at Focus around 18:30, where we can meet before the movie starts. You can message me to find us. Screening starts at 19:00. After the movie, we can have a drink together. Hope to see you soon!

✨**Join us for the upcoming In Person - Women in Architecture Quarterly Meeting. A free gathering designed to connect, empower, and elevate women in the architecture profession** ✨ 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫! KPMG is graciously welcoming us at their offices for this edition where two communities get to meet and collaborate DANW en WIA-Netherlands. 🗓️ **Wednesday, 15 April 2026** **🕒 15:00 – 18:00 CET** 📍 **KPMG, Amstelveen** 🅿️ Free parking for registered attendees 🍽 Dinner optional: 18:30 at restaurant within 5-minute drive. ⚠ Please note: participants will cover their own meal costs. Remember, this event is created by women in architecture, but it’s designed for everyone –women and men alike! Your participation is important to build a truly inclusive and diverse community. Feel free to bring one colleague with you — just let us know their name when you confirm your attendance. Let’s continue building a strong, inclusive, and global network for women in architecture! 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 🏁 15:00 – 15:15 Arrival & Networking 🎙️ 15:15 – 15:30 Introduction & Keynote by host [Olga Kulikova](https://www.linkedin.com/preload/#) 👥 15:30 – 16:15 WIA-NL update: Discuss WIA Development and mentoring by WIA Leadership 🥤 16:15 – 16:30 Refreshments 👥 16:30 – 17:30 Roundtable about Female/Male Balance. Let's delve into this topic with International Woman’s Day just behind us. After all, the elevation & empowerment of women deserve the spotlight more than one day a year. Participants: [Christian Siegers ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiansiegers/)KPMG Principal (Director) and Lead Architect, [Ingrid Stap](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ingrid-stap-22274420/) Achmea Enterprise Architect and DANW representative, WIA Leadership and You. 🍹 17:30- 18:00 Borrel 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙥𝙩-𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨? Please inform us at dhulst@iasaoffice.org and make sure to tell us if you have any food allergies we need to take into account. If you have a topic you’d like to bring to the table and community, please contact us at dhulst@iasaoffice.org. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Compromised running is a form of training designed to train your running while being fatigued from other exercises. This is especially important when you are planning to do a Hyrox race. **What to expect:** \- A combination of functional exercises \(Lunges\, Squats\, Burpees etc\.\) and running\. \- Coaching on how to perform the exercises \- Coaching on running form **Who is this for:** \- Anybody that loves to work on their fitness \- Hyrox athletes training for a race \- Moderate to expert fitness level \(From doing sports once in a while to daily trainers\) **What to bring:** \- Your training outfit \(including running shoes\) \- Water \- Your smile and motivation Hope to see you there!

Hi all! 🙂 On Wednesdays we welcome you to practice languages! If you want to practice a specific (uncommon) language, please send us a message so we can find some conversation partners for you on our mailing list! We hope to see you in Café Marktzicht! In the last year we had tables for the following languages: * Dutch * English * French * Italian * Spanish * Turkish\* * German\* * Portuguese\* * Danish\* * Norwegian\* * Russian\* * Arabic\* * Chinese\*\* * Japanese\*\* * Indonesian\*\* * * Most likely, but not every week present. \*\* - Rather rare ;-) If your language is not in this list, please let us know! We have a large database of Language Cafe visitors speaking 56 different languages! We might be able to connect you with a person that does speak the language you want to practice. In case you are not in our database yet, please use this form: http://goo.gl/forms/oSCn9Dn8m8

> The location is Landhuis in de Stad, Utrecht Want to expand on a game design idea? Talk about a game feature that isn't just ready yet? Are you looking for playtesters or do you want to brainstorm on a new board game design with others and get their feedback? Find out what goes into making board games or just meet like-minded board game enthusiasts? Then the Amsterdam Board Game Design session is for you! Join us on [Discord](https://discord.gg/eDfmkyCyVX) for more information about what we do and upcoming events!

Ontdek de nieuwste ontwikkelingen in tech, samen met vakgenoten, collega's en externe professionals. **De sprekers van de avond:** Richard Vincent Nederlog & Edwin van Wijngaarden * Eigenaren en oprichter van Two Rocks. Een bedrijf die zich specialiseert in AI & Procesautomatisering voor MKB organisaties Mysterie guest! * Dit jaar hebben we een mysterie guest op de planning! Benieuwd naar het onderwerp? Meld je aan en kom erachter op 16 april bij 4CEE. **Het programma van de avond:** * 17:00 - 18:00 Inloop & Pizza * 18:00 - 18:45 Opening & Talk 1 met Richard en Edwin * 18:45 - 19:00 Pauze * 19:00 - 19:45 Talk 2 met een mysterie guest * 19:45 - 20:00 Q&A * 20:00 - 21:00 Borrel & netwerken Aanmelden kan [hier](https://werkenbij.4cee.com/tech-talk)!

**Do you enjoy walking in nature?** Would you rather do it **together** than alone? And are you someone who’s open to meeting new people, without the small talk? Then you’re warmly invited to join this **Walk & Talk** through the beautiful *Sonsbeekpark* and *Park Zypendaal*, a mix of forest and elegant landscape. Along the way, I’ll hand out **conversation cards** with thought-provoking questions. The goal? **Real human connection**, not just “Where are you from?” but deeper questions that help you discover common ground, shared values and maybe even new friendships or business sparks. ### What to expect: * A relaxed, open-minded group of locals & internationals * A beautiful walk through one of Arnhem’s most stunning green areas * Inspiring questions that help break the ice in a natural way ### Practical details: * **Start time:** 15:00 (3:00 PM) * **Meeting point:** In front of StadsVilla in *Sonsbeek Park (Big white building, de Witte Villa)* * **What to bring:** Comfortable shoes, a bottle of water and a smile :) See you then! Warm regards Julia

**De ticketverkoop is gestart!** Goed nieuws voor LEGO® Serious Play® facilitators die zijn opgeleid door de Association of Master Trainers: De tickets voor de Local Meeting (de Nederlandse variant van de Global Meeting in Billund) zijn nu beschikbaar. Een dag met inspirerende sprekers en leuke hands-on activiteiten. Namens de Association of Master Trainers zijn Robert Rasmussen en Michel Cloosterman aanwezig. Een evenement dat je absoluut niet wilt missen! **Je kunt je ticket direct aanschaffen via onderstaande link:** [https://www.bricksandbusiness.com/product-category/bricks-and-business-community-meeting/](https://www.bricksandbusiness.com/product-category/bricks-and-business-community-meeting/) **Belangrijk om te weten** Deelname is alleen mogelijk door een ticket te kopen via bovenstaande link. Inschrijven via Meetup is **niet** mogelijk, dus zorg dat je je plek veiligstelt via de ticketlink.

Gather 'round lakeside legends! 🌊✨ This time we’re trading rugged trails for smooth, accessible realness with a **wheelchair-friendly wander alongside the Leersumse Plassen** — because nothing says queer joy like gliding past shimmering lakes without too many barriers killing your vibe. Serving soft heather and glassy water views at every turn, this route is basically a nature runway. Find out more details about the route here (in Dutch): [https://rolstoelwandeling.nl/wandelroutenatuurzonderdrempels/](https://rolstoelwandeling.nl/wandelroutenatuurzonderdrempels/) Come ready to soak up the scenery! Because queer outdoors joy, like these waters, flows freely for everyone. 🌈💙 **Practical info** 📏 Distance: several options! *\~3.3 km loop, if you come by car (wheelchair accessible) *7.5 km, from/to nearest bus stop Donderberg in Leersum (wheelchair accessible) - 11 km, if you continue on via forest paths to Maarn train station (not wheelchair accessible) **Practical info** 📍 Start: Maarsbergseweg 18a (Leersum) via bus stop Donderberg (Leersum) 🏁 End: Bus stop Donderberg (Leersum) or Maarn train station 🧑‍🦽 Difficulty: easy to moderate -accessible route with some slight bumpy sections *🤝🏼 Meeting point*: **Driebergen-Zeist** station *🕙 Gathering time*: **10:55** *🚆 Travel schedule*: Bus 350 to **Leersum, Donderberg** (direction Wageningen) at **11:04** ➡️ arrival at **Leersum, Donderberg** at **11:33** ➡️Walk to Maarsbergseweg 18a ➡️ arrival at starting point around **12:00** ❗You can also travel on your own from another direction and meet us along the way or in Leersum. 🚗 If you come by car, you can park at De Veldschuur (Maarsbergseweg 18a). Several accessible parking spots available. 🧑‍🦽After a round of introductions, we start our trail around **12:10.** Pack your: 🍱 lunch box & snacks 🚰 water 🧥 rain coat/umbrella ☀️ sun screen 🏳️‍🌈 anything else you might need ❌ If you signed up and cannot make it in the end, please cancel your RSVP attendance so we know how many people will show up and someone else can take your place instead. 💗 A voluntary donation helps us to keep the Meetup group up and running :) you can either pay via a Tikkie or in cash after we finish the hike. *Hiking Queers Netherlands*

## 🎨**Activity for EXPATS & English Speakers** ☕ Are you an art enthusiast living in or around **Amersfoort, Hilversum, Utrecht, Nieuwegein, IJsseltein, De Bilt and the rest of cities of the Utrecht's province** who love painting or drawing? Maybe you've felt the joy of creating but struggled to find others who share your passion and speak **ENGLISH**? **You're not alone! 😉** ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ ## 🖌️**About this event** You will meet other Art Lovers like you to Draw, Paint and have some drinks Together ! Our events are not just about sketching or creating art—they’re about building connections. Every two weeks, we meet at a café to have a relaxing time drawing a painting. Please keep on mind that **ENGLISH i**s the official language we will use to integrate everyone in our conversations. ⭕⭕⭕➡️ **IMPORTANT ⬅️** ⭕⭕⭕⭕ ### 👩🏻‍🎨**Book formally your Seat 🪑via [WHATSAPP](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f)** **If you want to confirm officially your attendance and separate your seat🪑. Book your seat in meet-up, and contact us via [WHATSAPP HERE](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f) to receive more information on the address of our activities.** **Thanks a lot for your understanding!** 💐🥰 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ ### 👩🏻‍🎨**How Does It Work?** This event is simple, this initiative takes 2 Hours. Most of the participants use pencils, water pencils or watercolours. Main aim is to socialize while we draw. There will be plenty of time to talk and get to know each other. We have to mention that this event is suitable for all levels. Many have started to draw in our event actually. Also it is very important that you **[JOIN US AT OUR WHATSAPP COMMUNITY](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f),** to stay up to date on our upcoming events and participate in our Drawing and Painting Contests! **👉: [https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f](https://bit.ly/3BXXE0f)** 🍀 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ ### ☕**Where?** We will meet in different cafes mainly in the *center of Amersfoort ( and some occasions in other cities around)*. I will inform you of the exact place some days in advance this event. The place will depend on the number of attendees. ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ ### **🎟️ What is included?** 🟢 **2 HOURS TO HAVE FUN!** 🟢 **15 mins warming-up creative activity and paper material**🖌️🎨 🟢 New friendships and **conversations in ENGLISH** in a relaxed atmosphere 🟢 **Souvenir picture** with you and the rest of Art Lovers 📷 🟢 Exclusive **access to our Art Lovers Community** on which you will receive: ***\~\~\~ Drawing challenges,*** ***\~\~\~ Training content,*** ***\~\~\~ FREE Entries only to members*** ***\~\~\~ Drawing Competitions*** 🟢 Time to **create alongside fellow artists and amateurs** 🟢 The freedom to **work at your own pace** 💃🕺🎈 ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ ### 🖼️**Art Materials?** Bring your own practical art materials to be adaptable to sketch on a coffee table. Like your sketchbook, pencils, watercolor, markets, pencils, your Tablet..etc ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ ## **See you to Paint, Draw, and drink together!🌟☕🍷🍪🍰**

We will cover metadata-driven approach to building and operating data pipelines at scale on AWS. Discuss architecture, design trade-offs, and lessons learned from running a unified pipeline across multiple customers using configuration-driven workflows. **Presenter: Dilshad Nasirov** Seasoned Software Architect and cloud practitioner with 20+ years of experience building scalable systems and data platforms. Specializes in AWS, with deep expertise in data lakes, serverless architectures, and real-time data processing. Has led the design and delivery of enterprise-grade solutions across industries, helping organizations improve performance, reduce costs, and unlock data-driven insights. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dilshad-nasirov-4538431/ **CALL FOR SPEAKERS** Learn more: https://www.awscolumbus.com/get-involved/ **THANK YOU** *Leading EDJE* for hosting our meetup! Leading EDJE specializes in helping organizations innovate and solve complex problems. EDJE does this with their "A" player team of professionals using agile methodologies and SCRUM management techniques to give organizations a competitive advantage that sets them apart. Learn more at https://www.leadingedje.com/ **THANK YOU** *Amazon Web Services* for sponsoring pizza! Learn more at https://aws.amazon.com/. **DIRECTIONS** 6515 Longshore Loop, Suite 300 Dublin, OH 43017 (3rd floor) **FREE PARKING** at the Endres Garage across the street, 6540 Riverside Dr, Dublin, OH **Want to sponsor the pizza and/or bar tab for a future meetup?** Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this meetup's pizza and/or bar tab: angelo@mandato.com

The global Azure community is coming together again, and Columbus is officially on the map. View the session lineup and speakers at [Global Azure Columbus 2026](https://coazure.github.io/cbus-global-azure-2026/) On **Saturday, April 18, 2026**, the Azure Columbus Meetup, DevOps Meetup, and Code and Coffee Meetup are hosting our local edition of Global Azure 2026. This is a free, community-driven event packed with learning, networking, and all things Microsoft Azure. Whether you’re building modern cloud-native apps, experimenting with AI agents, deploying containers, automating infrastructure, or just beginning your Azure journey, this event is for you! **What to Expect** * Engaging technical sessions * Real-world Azure architecture & cloud-native patterns * AI, agents, automation, and modern DevOps * Food and drinks (because learning burns calories) * Time to connect with fellow engineers, architects, and cloud enthusiasts **Who Should Attend?** * Software engineers (any language, any stack) * Cloud architects * DevOps engineers * Data professionals * AI explorers * Platform builders * Anyone who loves solving hard problems with great tools If you build, deploy, automate, scale, monitor, or optimize in Azure, you’ll feel right at home. **Why Global Azure?** Global Azure is a worldwide community event where Azure user groups host learning sessions on the same day across the globe. It’s grassroots. It’s technical. It’s practical. And it’s powered by people who genuinely love sharing what they’ve learned. And yes, it’s free to attend!

Make sure to RSVP on the Cental Ohio Azure event! The global Azure community is coming together again, and Columbus is officially on the map. View the session lineup and speakers at [Global Azure Columbus 2026](https://coazure.github.io/cbus-global-azure-2026/) On **Saturday, April 18, 2026**, the Azure Columbus Meetup, DevOps Meetup, and Code and Coffee Meetup are hosting our local edition of Global Azure 2026. This is a free, community-driven event packed with learning, networking, and all things Microsoft Azure. Whether you’re building modern cloud-native apps, experimenting with AI agents, deploying containers, automating infrastructure, or just beginning your Azure journey, this event is for you! **What to Expect** * Engaging technical sessions * Real-world Azure architecture & cloud-native patterns * AI, agents, automation, and modern DevOps * Food and drinks (because learning burns calories) * Time to connect with fellow engineers, architects, and cloud enthusiasts **Who Should Attend?** * Software engineers (any language, any stack) * Cloud architects * DevOps engineers * Data professionals * AI explorers * Platform builders * Anyone who loves solving hard problems with great tools If you build, deploy, automate, scale, monitor, or optimize in Azure, you’ll feel right at home. **Why Global Azure?** Global Azure is a worldwide community event where Azure user groups host learning sessions on the same day across the globe. It’s grassroots. It’s technical. It’s practical. And it’s powered by people who genuinely love sharing what they’ve learned. And yes, it’s free to attend!

AI is changing how art is made. But when does it stop being your work and start being the machine’s? This month we're going to be doing a panel with with digital image, music, and written word artists, talking about at what point, while using AI in the creation process, does the work become not the artist creation? We encourage audience participation during this event that will be moderated by Chris Slee. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services) Sign up also accessible via [Transform Labs Luma](https://luma.com/55umjqta)

We invite you to an in-person session in Seattle exploring the real impact of AI on knowledge-driven industries — from shifting economics and the disruption of traditional SaaS and consulting models to where organizations can still build lasting competitive advantage. As AI platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini continue to redefine how work gets done, organizations face a critical question: how can they adapt, remain competitive, and create lasting value? We’ll discuss practical strategies for integrating AI while preserving human expertise, along with actionable approaches to upskilling teams for an AI-driven workplace. Drawing on real-world experience from training thousands of professionals and deploying AI solutions, this session will provide clear, applicable insights for today’s evolving landscape. Following a short presentation, the session will open into an interactive discussion where attendees can share perspectives and explore key questions around the evolving role of humans, organizational adaptation, and staying competitive in an AI-first world. **Who should attend:** • Executives and managers in SaaS, consulting, and knowledge-driven organizations • Professionals exploring AI upskilling and workforce transformation • Anyone interested in the future of AI and knowledge work 📍 **Location:** Data Science Dojo, 5010 148th Ave NE, Suite 200A, Redmond, WA, United States 🔗 **Google Maps:** [https://lnkd.in/d8WA-yNc](https://lnkd.in/d8WA-yNc) **💻 Online Access:** A livestream will be available for those unable to attend in person; however, the full interactive experience is reserved for in-person participants.

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** GitHub Copilot is powerful, but what if you could scale from a solo AI assistant to an entire team of specialized agents working in parallel? This session introduces Squad: an open-source framework for multi-agent orchestration that lets you define teams of AI agents with specific roles, responsibilities, and expertise. We'll progress from Copilot basics to the Copilot CLI, explore how Agents add autonomy, and see how Instructions and Skills let you customize agent behavior. Then, the climax: a live demo where a Squad team of 3 agents (Lead, Developer, Tester) stands up and builds a working application in real-time, showcasing true multi-agent collaboration. Whether you're new to AI or exploring how to scale your use of Copilot, this session will show you what's possible when agents work as a team. **YouTube Link** TBD

A WiA Collective Wisdom Exchange At the start of this year, we gathered to look back, set intentions, and imagine the next chapter. This is the follow-up. Not a check-in. Not a progress report. A small, facilitated circle to reconnect with what you said mattered — and honestly explore what’s actually happening now. Together, we’ll explore: • What you intended at the start of this year - and what that looks like three months in • What’s surprised you, supported you, or shifted • What the next chapter needs now that you know what you know If you were at our January gathering, bring whatever you made or wrote — your word, your artifact, your intention. We’ll look at it with fresh eyes. If this is your first time, you belong here too. You’ll start where we all started: with what’s true right now. Optional art materials will be available for anyone who wants to reflect creatively alongside conversation. If you brought something home from January, you’re warmly invited to bring it back. The intention is the same as always: everyone leaves feeling more clear, more connected, and a little lighter. Space is intentionally limited to keep the experience intimate. What to Expect • A small, welcoming circle (not a large meetup) • Structured conversation so everyone has space to speak • Reflection, listening, and lived experience — not advice-giving • Optional creative reflection alongside conversation • A calm, supportive environment Who This Is For Women and underrepresented folks working in or around agile, product, technology, leadership, or organizational change — especially those looking for honest conversation and community beyond frameworks and buzzwords. Good to Know • No preparation required • If you attended in January, we invite you to bring anything you created or wrote (or something that represents your intention at the start of the year) - it’s optional but invited • Participation is invitational; listening is always welcome • Creative activities are optional