Next Interior hibernation (=focus) mode
It is that time of year!
Happy holidays, everyone. It’s that time of year when the rate of meetings dramatically declines, out-of-office auto-replies abound, and people get to spend time with family, friends, nature, generally relaxing and having a good time. We’ll be doing the same thing with Next Interior; I’m thinking of it as a period of hibernation, but instead of hunkering down to get in good sleep, it will be hunkering down to really focus on writing, analysis, and other work that will come into play this year. So from now until early January, we won’t be❉ publishing new Memos or social media (=LinkedIn), doing any meetings or gatherings, etc., because we’ll be focused. To wrap up the year, just a few items:
❤️ One good thing. In a year that is bad on so many levels, let’s instead focus on a good thing as a ray of hope for the coming year. The attacks on civil society have had a distinct bright side in that we’ve watched so many people—untold thousands and millions—band together to push back and say, “No, that’s not OK.” All the individuals and groups pulling together for the civil service, everyone stepping up in their neighborhoods to fight back on the abuses of ICE…even the little things that you’ve seen or experienced in your life. Still much more to do? Yep! Let’s work to build on the mobilization we’ve seen and take it to the next level.
💰 Finances. We don’t want to think too much about things like finances during the holidays, but if you do, consider this. One of the engagements coming together late in the year has been with Interior Federal Credit Union, which was chartered by Congress at the Department’s request nearly a century ago. If you’re at Interior or one of its bureaus or offices, a retiree, or one of IFCU’s partner organizations, you can become a member! One particular item to note is their “emergency financial kit,” which sets up things like a line of credit, savings tools, etc. before they’re needed—like if there’s another shutdown early next year.
✍ Next Interior Fellows. Watch in early January for a piece from Haley McKey interviewing our inaugural Fellows, Vanessa and Adam, about their experiences and insights. Miss their webinar? You can watch it here!
With that, we hope everyone has a most-excellent holiday with those who matter to you, wherever that might be. We’ll see you again in 2026!
❉ Unless something big breaks and we really need to jump into the breach!
