I’ve lost count of how many times people have asked me what Littlebearabroad is. Granted, it’s mostly elderly relatives who don’t understand why I work so much but don’t have any money. Fair do’s.
It’s been many things. It started out as the ramblings of a slightly unhinged, hormonal, new mum who didn’t have a bloody clue about what had just happened to her, living in a foreign country!?
It went on to become a brief flirtation with badly written advice and guides displayed on a terrible WordPress template. But, as I met more and more parents in my situation through play groups and meets, it was obvious these expat, international, immigrant parents wanted stuff to do. They needed activities. So, we started arranging activities with the incredibly limited resources that we had (i.e. nothing, a promise and a prayer).
Finally, last summer it became a website, a digital community and a place for people to meet, connect. We built a brilliant calendar full of ideas for things to do and places to go in Stockholm. And, we restarted our events. But, for some reason, people weren’t attending. Still, now, the interest just isn’t there and we just can’t break even.
Littlebearabroad is at another cross roads. Fail or die trying…
For me, Littlebearabroad is about maximising the opportunities for international parents to meet other parents and to get the help and support they need to feel at home in Stockholm. IN REAL LIFE, not just through a Facebook group (but, the Facebook groups are amazing, love you!) It’s becoming bigger than organising activities, it’s more than just a website for hints and tips. It has to become a physical space. For Littlebearabroad to really deliver what it was intended to do it needs to turn itself into a 4D mass of opportunity, whether that’s a lemonade stand in front of a doorway or a beautiful warehouse style clubhouse circa 1996 and “First Wives Club”. Gud luv ya Bette! I want to build a centre for international parents in Stockholm. If you want to get really hipster, a transient migrational lab for open resource co-parenting – wtf!? Does that sound optimistically tech for ya!
So, by this time, Jan 2018, we’re going to have a space. Littlebearabroad will be a physical space. Like all these hipster, tech, freelance, co-working cafes that do learning. It’s about time us parental units got in on that hipster “co-working” shizzle. Isn’t that the definition of parenting anyway, freelance aka flying by the seat of your ‘goddamn’ pants.
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P.s. if anyone has any good ideas about where to get the money for this hair brained idea… answers on a postcard.