By Bianca Peters, co-producer of the WOW! nature film
As I write this, the Christmas and New Year period has only just passed. Days that – for many of us, hopefully – moved at a slower pace. Days when calendars were briefly empty, phones were left untouched a little more often, and space opened up to simply be. I hope you used that time to step outside as well. To walk barefoot along the beach, to follow a familiar path that somehow looks different every time, or to pause for a moment and really look around. Because anyone who does can see it immediately: our islands are truly extraordinary.
For me, it remains a WOW! moment every single time. The colours of the sea, never the same. The birds that greet you each morning as you step outside. The life beneath the surface that carries on, indifferent to our schedules and plans. It is precisely in those moments, away from the rush, immersed in nature that I’m reminded why we do what we do with WOW! Wonder is the starting point of care, of engagement, of responsibility.
With that feeling, we step into 2026. And it feels like a year that will bring a lot. Over the past year, an enormous amount of work has taken place behind the scenes. Sometimes quietly, sometimes with a healthy sense of anticipation. Now the moment has arrived to begin sharing more, alongside our monthly columns and WOW! updates on social media. One of these steps is the launch of our very first WOW-stories: a periodic online newsletter in which we give voice to our partners and ambassadors – people who, each in their own way, are committed to nature, culture, and community on our islands.
In WOW-stories, we also share where we stand with WOW!, the progress we’re making, and take you along in the process. But we do more than that. We also share fun, special, and sometimes surprising facts about the islands. Small stories that reveal just how rich and layered our living environment is. Stories that might make you smile, or make you think: I didn’t know that. That’s exactly the feeling we want to evoke; curiosity and connection. Would you like to read the first WOW-stories? They are available via our social media pages (Wow The Nature Film on Instagram and Facebook).
Another milestone I am incredibly proud of: the rough cuts of all six WOW! documentaries are complete. Six documentaries, made for Dutch television and for screenings on the islands, bringing together stories of people, nature, and the complex realities we live in. They are still rough edits, so there is refining and polishing ahead, but the core is there and it is powerful. We are very much looking forward to the release and will, of course, share more soon. This feels like an important moment, not only for WOW!, but for everyone who has contributed, reflected, supported, and hopefully will soon be infected with the WOW! virus.
What do I hope for 2026? That it will be a year in which we continue to look again. To really look again. At the nature around us, but also at one another. That we make time for wonder, especially when things become complicated. That we continue to realise that the islands are not a given, but a precious whole that requires care and attention, every single day.
I wish you all a beautiful, happy, and healthy new year. A year filled with small and big WOW moments. Moments when you pause, because what you see, hear, or feel truly moves you. Let’s cherish those moments and carry them with us throughout the year. Here’s to a WOW 2026!
