Moving to a new place can be challenging, to say the least. Maggie and I (Meredith) have both experienced the struggle of transplanting our families to a new state and know firsthand the struggles of finding oneself in a new place.
From learning to navigate a new city to boxes, boxes, boxes, and more boxes, the struggle of moving is very real. But the worst challenge of all?
How To Find Your People?
Where To Go To Seek Community And Like-Minded Individuals Who Just Get You?
Look no further! Here’s our comprehensive list of how to find like-minded community IRL.
Start With Social Media
Facebook Groups are an obvious place to start. Begin by searching your interests in the form of keywords along with city or area in which you live. Start specific and move to broader keywords as needed.
On Instagram, search hashtags that include your city name and connect with accounts that use those hashtags either through a DM or simply by commenting on a photo. The Instagram platform is not as great as Facebook for fostering face-to-face community, but through some strategic search efforts, it can definitely be done. Be sure to keep your searches broad in order to view the most options.
LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for finding professional communities and organizations. Simply introduce yourself to fellow members of your industry through DM and ask about organizations to join.
Meetup.com is one of the most comprehensive lists of organizations and meetups in the nation. In Meetup, anyone can start a group, so the groups range from as broad as the Moms Club of Houston-West to hyper-specific groups like the Tibetan Feng Shui group.
Not seeing a group that suits your interests? Start one and let the community come to you! (After all, this is exactly how I began Sesh Coworking over two years ago). The great aspect of these groups is you can introduce yourself and start a rapport with the people of the community prior to meeting in person.
Voluteer
Volunteering at a local nonprofit is not only a great way to give back to the city where you live, but is also a fantastic way to meet new friends!
Get To Know The Parents At Your Child’s School
Offer to help in the classroom, host play dates for your child’s classmates and parents and attend school functions. The school itself is its own micro-community but will also give you an avenue to discover other active communities in the area through the other classroom parents.
Join A Church Congregation
Shared spiritual practice and belief is one of the deepest ties a person can have with their community. Finding a congregation that feels right for your spiritual practice is a fantastic way to connect with a community.
Join A Coworking Space
Of course, Maggie and I wholeheartedly believe in the power of community through coworking but look out — not every coworking space is the same. Look for a space that offers a robust programming calendar and don’t be too shy to visit a bit to get to know the environment. Many coworking spaces boast about community but fall far short of creating one that is authentic and organic..
Meet the community manager in the coworking space and ask about their involvement in the community. Is the community manager someone you might connect with? Do they get you excited to be a part of the space? If the answer is yes, then the space and community are likely to be a good fit for you.
Here at Sesh Coworking, a genuine and authentic community is our number one priority. We began as a community-centric organization and that is how we’ll remain. Learning the needs of the women in the group, providing support, offering a listening ear, and remaining authentic ourselves are all strategies we use to keep our community strong, supportive, and reliable.
When All Else Fails…
Google! Your perfect community is 100% in that list of 9,000 results. A little patience and time and you will find it.
If you would like to find community through a coworking space and you’re in the Houston area, we’d love for you to join us! WIth our Community Membership, you’ll get some amazing perks. Unlimited coworking sessions, event discounts, a supportive community, and so much more. Are you in? Join us!
