What we’re about
Practice being social without worrying about messing up.
If you ever felt like you missed the "intro to socializing" class in your childhood only to find yourself in a world expecting you to have 8+ years experience reading all the nuances of a social situation and knowing exactly what to say while being authentic with impeccable tact, virtually infinite resilience to rejection, and perfectly maintained and manicured boundaries, you're not alone.
Some of us keep trying, but many end up isolated. I know I don't meet these expectations. I want to learn, but I wish I could start on the Easy setting on Level 1, preferably with a tutorial. With challenges that I can struggle against but realistically see a way of overcoming. And the incredible confidence boost that comes from that.
That's what this group aims to do. We take exercises from various social skills classes we've either attended or come up with on our own and practice together. It's 80% practice and 20% theory. Less lecture, more practice!
Nobody is going to start avoiding you because you were nervous when you tried to introduce yourself, or treat you like a loser if you don't know how to talk with enthusiasm and pride about your life. Or if you're too excited and miss that people aren't with you. It's all ok!
By coming and practicing, we get a chance to calibrate. Most of the time, you know what you're doing that's not working. But you need a space to practice and try different things out to see what works better. This is that space.
Over time, we hope to develop decent social skills. So that you can go to a potluck and have fun talking to people. So you can make friends. So you can let people who aren't actually your friends go. So that socializing becomes a source of resilience and joy, because you have good people, good enough skills, and good times.
