Making friends as an adult can be difficult, especially for people who have moved to a new community, left school, or spend much of their time working and socializing online.
A Cache Valley organization is trying to make those connections easier by creating opportunities for adults to meet face-to-face.
The Human Connect Project, founded by Stevie Graham, hosts events including speed friending, speed dating, and social gatherings designed to help people meet new friends and build community.
Graham said the idea came from her own desire for more in-person connection.
“I feel like it's really difficult to make friends as an adult,” Graham said. “I wanted to be able to create a space where everyone who comes to our events has the same goal, whether that's to build community, make new connections or make new friends.”
The organization’s speed friending events use small groups rather than one-on-one conversations. Participants rotate between groups throughout the event, giving them opportunities to meet several people.
Graham said the format is designed to take some of the pressure out of meeting someone new.
The project also hosts speed dating events and social gatherings. One recent event was a social crawl that brought participants to several local businesses and included activities designed to encourage conversation.
Ashley Totten has attended several Human Connect Project events. She first attended a speed dating event in January and recently participated in a social crawl.
Totten said the structure of the events can help people who might otherwise be hesitant to approach strangers.
“I think it's harder to be in a spot in your life where you're struggling to make friends and where you don't really have a community,” Totten said. “It takes a little bit of discomfort to find your people and find your community, and I think that discomfort is worth it.”
At the recent social crawl, Totten said she met several women who likely would not have crossed paths otherwise. At the end of the night, the group exchanged contact information and created a group chat.
Totten said she hopes the friendships formed through the events continue beyond the gatherings themselves.
Graham said those connections are the most rewarding part of running the project. She has heard about groups of people who met through Human Connect events and now golf together, host dinners or socialize outside the organization’s events.
The Human Connect Project has also begun expanding beyond Cache Valley. Graham said she has received interest from venues across northern Utah and is planning additional events, including a pickleball speed friending event in Salt Lake.
She encourages people who are nervous about attending to give themselves a chance to meet new people.
“If you want a village, you have to be a villager,” Graham said. “You have to be willing to put into it what you want to get out of it.”
The Human Connect Project continues to host events throughout northern Utah, with additional gatherings planned later this year.
