It will be a year of some changes at CYC-NET. You’ll see a slightly ‘new’ look on CYC-ONLINE, though we’re still working on that. We have a staff change coming up as Diane Aird (who physically updates our web site every morning) leaves us in March when she and Duncan add a second baby to their family.

But other important changes are necessary. In our meetings over the year-end we have come to the conclusion that a web-based network with a strong visitor base like ours (85,500 individual visitors in November) cannot continue in a dependent role (where fully two-thirds of its operating costs are contributed by others) and to limp along with two part-time staff members who never quite catch up with what CYC-NET could be.

2005 must be a year when CYC-NET comes of age – grows out of its adolescence and fulfils its very obvious potential – or calls it a day. We have received a fair number of donations, some of them very generous indeed, from within the field, and these encourage us to believe that we can widen this donor base. You will be hearing more from us about this in the early part of 2005.

For our part, we have great plans for developing and enhancing CYC-NET and would welcome your suggestions about this. How could we be more useful or helpful to the field?

So, welcome to a new year! We feel good about the fact that we started way back in the 1990s with a small discussion group of 35 people, and that CYC-ONLINE began in February 1999 — and is publishing its 72nd issue this month! The growing interconnectedness of Child and Youth Care workers throughout the world is a source of great pleasure to us and, we hope, for you too.