Reader, here's what's happening in the world of government this week

• Help colleagues in tough times: Resilience advice from the community

• Have your say: Can we separate policymaking from politics?

• Ecuador allows couples to use their pets as wedding witnesses

Hot topic: building resilience in government

ARTICLE

“Be human first”: the resilience advice public servants swear by

How you can support others as a leader, manager or peer in challenging times.

COURSE

How to be a Resilient Public Servant

With resilience, you can tackle any challenge that comes your way and not only survive turbulent times — you can thrive. In this free online course, you’ll learn how to develop it for yourself and your colleagues.

ARTICLE

How to move forward when you don't have all the answers upfront

Four principles to help teams create clarity and move forward without waiting for certainty.

— Berenice Chong, Senior Service Designer, Australia

47%

of public servants say that rebuilding public trust should be a top priority, according to Apolitical's recent poll.

THIS WEEK'S POLL

What's the hardest resilience skill to master?

New on AI in government

EVENT

AI Skills Lab | AI for Data Visualisation

📆 Tue Aug 25

This event will explore how civil servants can use AI to speed up data visualisation, improve clarity and design and demonstrate insights with more confidence. You will learn practical tips to refine outputs so they stay accurate, accessible and ready for decision-makers.

ARTICLE
Learning Before Harm: Why Government Should Record AI Near Misses

AI is not a separate technical risk. It is part of ordinary public-service work.

— Karl Hopkins, Investigation supervisor, Police, Swindon, UK

GOVERNMENT AI NAVIGATOR

Yukti: The AI voice mentor

A bilingual voice AI mentor, piloted in a state skills programme, that guides engineering students through building AI projects by asking questions rather than giving answers.

— Arihant Chindalia, Program Manager, Anna Unna Charitable Trust, India

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Opinions worth reading

COMMUNITY POST

Are we going to get serious about systems thinking?

– Chris Skelly, Analytical Programme Manager, Public Health Sector Organisation, UK

COMMUNITY POST

Is it possible to have policy-making that is not influenced by political considerations in the public service?

– Anonymous

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And finally... 🐾

Ecuador's Civil Registry is letting couples include their pets as symbolic wedding witnesses, with dogs and cats now able to leave a paw print on a special commemorative marriage certificate. The initiative gives pet lovers a fun new way to celebrate their big day (though the paw print has no legal standing).