Thanks to my educational background and my professional experience in arts and communication, I learned to connect with people easily. However, I know this is not an effortless task for everyone, and I have noticed that it has become increasingly difficult for adults to forge meaningful connections. We have all heard about the worldwide “loneliness epidemic.” Loneliness is not only a painful place to be; it is also deeply detrimental to both our mental and physical well-being. That is exactly why I decided to create engaging, lighthearted workshops designed to help people socialize and, hopefully, build lasting friendships.

 

If you have ever found yourself feeling disappointed after attending various social activities with the hope of making new connections, only to find yourself still struggling to develop genuine friendships, please know that you are not alone in this experience. In fact, it is a remarkably common challenge that many adults face today.

 

As we get older, making new friends becomes harder because life inevitably gets in the way, and because the communication tools we use daily—which are supposed to narrow the gap between us—often seem to widen it instead. So, what can we do to fix this? We need to transition from being "passive consumers" to becoming "active participants."

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What does this mean? Nearly everything we do daily revolves around consumption. Let’s start with the obvious: essential items such as the food we eat, the drinks we enjoy, and the clothes we wear. Beyond that, we purchase non-essential items to make our lives more comfortable and pleasant. We also constantly consume messages, videos and images from our digital devices. From the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, we are in a continuous state of “consuming.” Yet, to truly connect with another human being, we must pause, observe, listen, and be fully present to engage in a meaningful interaction. Connection is the absolute opposite of consumption; it requires being an active participant. Most of us once knew how to connect deeply with others but may have forgotten how along the way for various reasons, while some may have simply never had the opportunity to learn it.

 

I am fully aware that taking on the mission to connect people is highly ambitious, but it is a beautiful and profoundly necessary one. For this mission to succeed, I need you—both as an individual and as a community. So, if you crave deeper connections but feel a bit shy, lost, or simply don’t know where to start, I invite you to join me and others for entertaining, thoughtfully designed workshops that will help you become an active participant in your own daily life!

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Samia McFee

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. Bachelor of Arts in Communication, University of Québec in Montréal

 

. Diploma of Drama Studies, Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Paris

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Before dedicating myself to the Centre for Human Connections, my twenty-year career included working as a substitute teacher and holding various roles as a workshop facilitator for children, teenagers, and adults in schools, cultural centres, and senior homes.