GAOS have pulled out all the stops again for this season's holiday musical held in December at the Théâtre de Marens in Nyon. Read on to participate in our competition to win a pair of tickets!
Elf, the Musical is the hilarious and heart-warming musical based on the famous holiday film Elf starring Will Ferrell, the musical features songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar (The Prom, The Wedding Singer) and Chad Beguelin (Disney's Aladdin on Broadway)…
Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. Buddy is raised as an elf, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn't even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
From the Heart2Heart team, quarterly update Die Dargebotene Hand.
Calls on Heart2Heart - Volumes Increase by 75%
The need for an English helpline in Switzerland is huge: Between April and June 2025, our Heart2Heart (H2H) support line experienced a 75% increase in calls compared to the same period in 2024.
In this quarter, 56% of our callers reached out due to ongoing mental health challenges and difficulties coping with daily life, followed by challenges in relationships.
This significant rise underscores the growing need for safe, respectful support, and our team remains committed to responding with compassion, professionalism, and urgency.
Responding with Care:
After a difficult divorce and years of living abroad, one individual felt increasingly isolated - without family nearby, facing financial stress, and struggling with work and a troubled relationship. Life felt overwhelming and out of control.
Through Heart2Heart, they found a safe space to explore and understand their emotions, identify small and manageable steps, and reclaim a sense of autonomy. They ended the phone call feeling heard - and no longer alone.
Another university student recently reached out to Heart2Heart while struggling with intense academic and family pressure. Overwhelmed and experiencing intense suicidal thoughts, they felt trapped and uncertain where to turn.
Connecting with H2H, they explored how they could begin to prioritize their own well-being, set boundaries, and take small but meaningful steps toward longer-term support.
The Gift Box Project will be collected between 4-17 November 2025. Tyrrian Livesley continues to make a difference in children's lives over the last 29 years. We write an article each year and are happy to bring this cause to our readers' attention.
The gift box project is simple: You prepare presents, and they are taken to children in Eastern Europe who are enduring difficult times. "Our common goal is to make them happy", Tyrrian tells us.
A year has passed and the world is still topsy-turvy leaving many families in dire need. So we are reaching out for your help with the Gift Boxes.
We cannot help everyone, but we can at least help some of the children living through war in terrible conditions without clean water or heating, and winter not far off. This is such a hard life for young children, many without the love of their families.
Let us give a little joy, happiness and laughter to as many needy children as we can in Ukraine and in Moldova. Last year with your help we sent almost 2,500 Gift Boxes to children, bringing them a little light, and a lot of love. Hopefully with your aid we can do even better this year!
Please help us by making a Gift Box brimming with their needs (see list below). Your donation - whether a complete box, a selection of the contents, or a monetary contribution - will certainly enable more of these youngsters to smile.
“One more box = one more happy child.”
On over 100 square meters, children aged 4 to 12 will be able to “play at being little shopkeepers”. The mobile Mini-Migros will be touring Switzerland again in 2025, inviting children to play in 10 shopping centers.
This is the first time that Swiss children will be able to play in the supermarket under such realistic conditions. In the Mini-Migros, they can create their own world and slip into the shoes of customers or sales and logistics staff. Girls and boys can stack products, drive around with a cart or use the cash register as they please, without instructions or animation. The play area covers more than 100 m². Like the real Migros, Mini-Migros also has its own industrial companies, which supply the store with products.
Jillian, Erica, and Emi
We recently were informed of an English-speaking directory showcasing health services for pregnancy and postpartum in the Geneva area. We caught up with Erica, Jillian, and Emi.
Jillian Aragon explained, “When I first arrived in Geneva, I faced the challenges of navigating a new environment with no knowledge of the language or the local maternity healthcare system. As a doula, I envisioned being able to connect my clients to like-minded professionals who shared my passion for supporting physiological birth and holistic health practices. Over time, I met incredible providers and realized there was a genuine need for a comprehensive free resource guide to connect women with compassionate, holistic care.”
Have you been working on this idea forever, or was it something that came to you recently?
She goes on to say, “The concept of offering a free resource didn’t fully form until I crossed paths with Erica and Emi. At first, I envisioned creating a guide for my private business, and then I considered partnering with one of the international organizations here in Geneva to refresh their resource page for English-speaking families. But as the idea grew, I realized that to bring it to life in a meaningful and sustainable way, I needed a strong, connected, and creative team of women to help weave this vision into a resource that could truly serve the community.”
