A year of community, contribution, and learning how to do things properly — December 2025
If we had to describe 2025 in one word, it would be: growth.
Not just in numbers (though there were plenty of those), but in responsibility, ambition, and impact. What started years ago as a way for people to meet, move, and feel less alone on an island continued to evolve into something much bigger this year.
In 2025, Madeira Friends became a little more structured, a little more intentional and a lot more meaningful.
A year of building (and rebuilding)
This year wasn’t just about hosting events. It was about building foundations.
We opened the Madeira Friends Hub, giving the community a physical home, a place to work, meet, eat, move, and simply exist together. We launched the Madeira Friends App, thanks to Daniel Stooß, so people could finally see what was happening without chasing WhatsApp messages or missing out.
Behind the scenes, we grew our team, improved systems, and learned what it really takes to move from “community energy” to sustainable delivery.
It wasn’t always easy, but it was necessary.
Community, in all its forms
In 2025, Madeira Friends hosted hundreds of events across wellbeing, social connection, knowledge sharing and giving-back. From yoga and fitness to talks, meetups, and shared lunches, the common thread was simple: people showing up for each other.
We welcomed thousands of participants from dozens of nationalities: locals, newcomers, remote workers, students, families, all sharing the same island, often at very different stages of life.
And somehow, it worked.
Giving-back became central (not optional)
One thing became very clear this year: community without contribution doesn’t last.
Giving-back moved from being “something we do” to a core pillar of Madeira Friends. Together, we supported people, animals, and the environment, from volunteering with local organisations to beach clean-ups, food collections, blood donations, and social support initiatives.
We deepened long-term collaborations with organisations like CASA Madeira and Centro da Mãe, produced a short documentary to amplify local voices, and showed that internationals don’t just come to Madeira to consume, many genuinely want to contribute.
Technology with a purpose
2025 was also the year we leaned fully into technology, not as a buzzword, but as a tool.
We launched the MF Tech Lab, connecting local youth with international mentors in areas like AI, automation, and digital entrepreneurship. We visited schools, ran workshops, and shared real stories of remote work and alternative career paths.
At the same time, Madeira Pro Bono took shape, using tech skills from within the community to support local non-profits and small organisations with systems, structure, and visibility.
The goal was never “tech for tech’s sake” but tech in service of people and place.
The question that keeps us going
As the year went on, one question kept coming back:
How can islands like Madeira use remote work and international mobility to strengthen local communities, not divide them?
We don’t pretend to have all the answers. But in 2025, we started building the tools, relationships, and trust needed to explore them, together.
Gratitude (always)
None of this would exist without the people behind it: our supporters, volunteers, facilitators, hosts, interns, partners, friends, and families.
You showed up. You trusted us. You contributed time, skills, energy, and belief.
And that’s what Madeira Friends has always been about.
Looking ahead
2025 didn’t give us certainty, but it gave us clarity.
The future of Madeira Friends will depend on sustainability, collaboration, and shared responsibility. But if this year showed us anything, it’s that when people care deeply about a place and each other, real things can happen.
Here’s to what we built. And to what comes next.
