We cannot survive without connection and we don’t have to—don’t wait to find your future friends.
Sociologist Ray Oldenburg coined the phrase "third place" in his book, The Great Good Place, to describe the need for places outside of our homes and worksites where we can build relationships. According to Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community published in 2023, around one in two adults in the U.S. report experiencing loneliness. While loneliness is a serious health concern that can lead to premature death, comparable to smoking, obesity, and diabetes, we are less proactive about addressing our experiences of social isolation than we are about other major health issues.
The ToGather series brings adults from diverse experiences together to form conscious connections through varied curated activities and conversation starters in a warm and open environment. In this drop-in series of gatherings, participants may:
Forge new friendships
Dive into thought-provoking and emotionally open discussions
Expand understanding and extend mutual support
Play, laugh, and embrace lightheartedness
Celebrate creativity through art, food, music, and more
“The ToGather event was everything I needed and didn’t realize I needed.”
Complete the registration form below to reserve your spot for the second event of the series on June 7th. Each attendee must complete a registration.
Wicked Cute Story Slam
Participants will share their meet cute stories in 3 minutes or less, detailing how they first encountered their close friend(s) (shared independently or alongside your buddy). Alternatively, choose to share a story about an endearing interaction with another human. Bring a sweet treat to share!
Community Guidelines
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Silence or shut off your cell phones unless you are expecting an important or emergency related call.
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Some of us are verbose, some of us are extroverts, and some of us like to be leaders. This should be a space where you can be yourself while also creating generous space and moments of silence for others to contribute
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Misunderstandings and conflict happen, this is a great space to practice repair with each other including asking for clarifications on what someone else may mean before jumping to a conclusion and reacting. Make and own mistakes and integrate changes next time.
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If you can find a place to build a bridge, to see others’ perspectives, or to appreciate the beauty in the detail, notice and reflect back the nuance you are observing. We are complex humans that more often than not do not want to be put in one box, if any!
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Community members across gender, race, age, career, educational, and lived experiences, neurodiversity, ethnicity, immigration status, disabilities, and other categories can bring wisdom into this community. Take the lessons you draw from fellow participants and not their personal details or any identifying information that could link the story back to the person outside of your conversation group and the ToGather space.
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The ToGather series is a sandbox for cultivating lightheartedness, joy, and a place to practice consensual playfulness between each other
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1.) If you feel that someone or certain community members are missing in the early (or even later) days of the series bring them in! This will be a personal and continual goal of Found to diversify the space. Help us build our community and don’t be a bystander in that process. Share the people you think can add to the environment as well. 2.) Expand your idea of who could be a friend in the room: stay open and actively engage and include others.
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If you like what someone said and you like how someone showed up, express your gratitude directly to that person. So often we don’t.
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Ask a firestarter. This isn’t the first question or the ice-breaker. It is the follow-up question which aims to go below the surface and can spark a warm connection.