ID8 at Kindred | A Togetherness Special

ID8 is a signature Kindred event, where eight speakers have eight minutes to tell us about an idea that could change the world.

Our third #ID8 event happened at Kindred London last Tuesday.?For Loneliness Awareness Week, and as part of our TogethernessFest, our speakers were taking on the problem of loneliness in a big way... in different ways, but all with the same goal: bring people together, be authentic, aim for connection. I've written a short write up of each speaker, but honestly... I wish you had been there. ?

Matthew Stafford opened the evening and talked to us about how he and his cofounder Katie Lewis started a movement to make the founder's journey a little less isolating. Dinners with 9others now take place all over the world, encouraging entrepreneurs to be vulnerable, and tell a group of strangers what's keeping them up at night. Matthew spoke to us about the lessons he's learnt from hosting these dinners over the last 10 years. Matthew and Katie have written a book about this - you can find out more about the dinners and the book here .

Ann Don Bosco spoke to us about the structural problem of loneliness; how we feel our happiest when our self image is aligned with our ideal sense of self, but our increasingly online lives are pulling these two things further away from each other. Luckily, Ann has worked on some incredible solutions over the years, culminating in her most recent project Eggshells , a five week program with 1:1 coaching to improve self-esteem, manage worries and handle the ups and downs of life. Find out more about Eggshells here .

Jacob Adams delivered a powerful and moving talk around the problem of isolated men; cited as a key cause of why men account for 70% deaths by suicide. Jacob's organisation INCOURAGE meets men and boys where they are; in their workplaces, colleges, and social spaces, and helps provide them with the tools and the practice to provide peer to peer mental health support. Jacob started this journey by asking the question; "How are you... really?" You can support InCourage's local solutions to local needs here .

Matt Trinetti and Parul B. stunned us with their story?of how London Writers' Salon was founded during lockdown, when some of the loneliest of us - writers - were brought together to work in silence for an hour of productive togetherness. It was powerful, and beautiful, and provided hope for the power of the internet to draw us together and bring out the best in us, rather than pull us further apart. Join the writers community everyone is talking about here .

Danielle Bridge , the leader of Black Minds Matter UK shared her incredibly powerful story of her own experience of loneliness in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and how this brought her to the vital work being done by Black Minds Matter UK. Danielle and her org are helping black and brown folk gain access to black and brown therapists; recognising that mental health services have traditionally not been designed with everyone's needs in mind. Danielle is dreaming big for BMMUK and is definitely one to watch. Keep in touch and support their work here .

Alain De Botton, writer, philosopher, and the man who founded the The School of Life gave us some important and amusing reflections on how to build better connections, including a two minute interlude encouraging each of us to find a stranger and tell them about our deepest anxiety right now. Another memorable tip is to use the opportunity of a first date to tell a prospective partner at the earliest stage in what ways you are mad. Engaging and dynamic as always. You can find out more about Alain's work here (he's also done some fantastic TED Talks , so definitely advise spending a few mins on those if you haven't already).

George Butler, the award winning Artist Reporter, stunned our attendees. He shared his drawings, where he captures the most isolating and harrowing moments of war and conflict. By sharing the stories of his subjects, he connects us, and helps people feel seen in some of the darkest moments of their lives. George immortalises ordinary people going through extraordinary circumstances, and advocates for a deliberately slow alternative to the headlines. George isn't on Linkedin but you can find out more about him and look at his stunning illustrations via his website here . He also has a beautiful book and prints you can buy to support his work.

And finally, ???? Alex Stephany the founder and CEO of Beam ended the evening on a high, giving us cause for hope. Those who experience homelessness report it being one of the loneliest and most isolating times of their lives. It was incredibly exciting to see how Beam are tackling homelessness head on, using technology, crowdfunding and the power of community to take on one of the most challenging social problems of our time. Find out more and get involved here .

Conversations between our attendees and speakers went on long into the night, and we left Kindred feeling hopeful that loneliness is simply another problem we have the ability to solve.

A reminder about Kindred

Kindred is an open house, and is for everybody. You don't need to buy a membership to take part - we sell event tickets, and coworking day passes, as well as an exceptional array of food and drink all day. You can also hire our spaces for your own events.

Find out more at www.wearekindred.com