In the winter of 2021, we had our first official in-person Stamily meeting since our foundation. This took place at the Veluwe in the Netherlands, which is a beautiful green area, matching perfectly with our green Stamily logo. The goal was to work on our organization and to (re-)connect with each other after a long time living in an online environment.
We had workshops.
And time to explore the beautiful Dutch area, while getting to know each other.
Walking in nature
In the evening we played together board games that people brought from their home countries.
Playing games
Because not everyone was able to come physically we made our workshops and presentations hybrid, by using a 360 camera with a built-in speaker and microphone to make the experience as best as possible.
Hybrid meeting
We also had a great cooking team who made sure everyone stayed well-fed!
Making food together
Willemijn: “At the Stamily meet up we shared our opinions and ideas about what we can do for the stuttering community in the coming year. Besides having these conversations and workshops, we also had a lot of fun playing board games, eating, and simply spending time together. As always, it was really nice to be around people who stutter, to meet old friends and to make new ones!”
Willemijn
Henrik: “Although living in a bungalow did put me to step outside of my comfort zone a little bit, the meetup itself was a great chance to meet new people who stutter.”
Henrik cutting food for dinner
Hardi: “The Stamily meetup in December was an awesome motivation booster for me. Besides, workshops about Stamily’s future, living together with friends made me really feel like part of the family.”
Hardi
Gareth: “For the past few years, I've made amazing friendships with members at Stamily, and it was so great to finally meet some of them in-person. The Stamily meetup was exactly what I needed - great company, activities, and beautiful stuttering.”
Gareth
Selena: “We had such a nice and fun meeting in the Netherlands! I really enjoyed conversations with old and new friends and taking part into workshops. I’m already waiting for the next meeting!”
Selena
Venkatesh: “Stamily's meetup is something that I always wanted to be a part of. It was well-organized with lots of fun activities where we discussed the agenda for the year 2022 and played lots of games. Looking forward to a lot more meetups this year.”
Venkatesh makes a selfie
Julie:
“It was my first Stamily meeting because I was a new Stamily member. I felt directly at ease in the open environment from Stamily.”
Julie
Jurjen: “It was great to see so many familiar faces again in real life. These type of meetings show the positive side of having a stutter and the importance of connecting with each other in real-life. I feel blessed to be able to build on making Stamily better together with so many amazing friends.”
Jurjen explaining
Having this meeting was a team effort and we want to thank everyone again for joining and actively contributing. Hopefully, we can have many more in-person meetings in the (near-)future!
