The soundtrack to start your year 🎶

Inspired by the work you do in government and the impact you make for the people you serve, Apolitical has put together a playlist to help kickstart your 2026. From Bad Bunny to Lady Gaga, these 15 songs are sure to have you feeling energised and ready to face new challenges. 

New articles from the Apolitical network

Understanding the Difference Between AI Agents and Agentic AI

– Iwin Nayak, Senior Manager, Cabinet Office Toronto, ON, Canada

Unfit for uncertainty: Rethinking decision-making for missions

— Jack Strachan, Policy Analyst, Designer, Strategist, CIVICWORKS, London, UK

Trending posts in Apolitical Communities

Over the past year, the UK Government has been quietly running one of the largest public-sector experiments with generative AI anywhere in the world.

— Amber Keates, Building trust and transparency into the world's biggest network of public servants, Apolitical, UK

When designing digital services, empathy maps can help us understand what end users are thinking, feeling, saying, and doing.

– Ula Rutkowska, Researcher and writer specialising in the critical challenges faced by public servants worldwide, Apolitical, UK

What is the best way to progress from an HEO to an SEO in the DfE?

— Ian Hamilton, Policy advisor, DfE Darlington, UK

Events for you and your peers

Hacks for Working With Gemini

14 Jan

Stakeholder Management 101 

15 Jan

How to Adapt Your Writing for Any Audience

20 Jan

Edge of Government: The Unconventional Innovation Showcase

21 Jan

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Skills-boosting free courses for 2026

Goal-Setting for Public Servants

A well-crafted goal can inspire you and help you reach new heights in your personal and professional life. In this course, you’ll get an introduction to frameworks and techniques you can use to set goals you can actually reach. 

Effective Prompt Engineering for Public Servants

Getting the best results from generative AI tools depends on how you instruct them. This course introduces public servants to prompt engineering: the skill of guiding AI to produce useful, accurate and responsible outputs.

Poll: What’s one lesson from 2025 that you want to carry forward into 2026?

And finally... 🐧

The National Health Service in Greater Glasgow and Clyde have issued official advice for safety in icy conditions – waddle like a penguin! Fall prevention experts say that by adopting the stance of our Antarctic friends (arms out, knees bent, short, flat steps) individuals can avoid slipping and falling in ice and snow!