Phoebe Maxwell’s brunch group, from left to right: Helena, Pat, Liz, Phoebe, Madge, Val, Philip and Robin.

Phoebe Maxwell is on a mission to create connections in her community. And after a few false starts, she has found a recipe for success.

Phoebe started a book club with her local library to make new friends when she moved to Modbury North in 2013.

“Half of the people that joined weren’t interested in connecting socially,” she said. And after a couple of years, the group fizzled out.

Not long after, Phoebe attempted to start a horror movie meetup, to not much success.

Determined to create a successful community group, Phoebe tried the mobile app Nextdoor; a private, location-based social app that can connect people, businesses and public services within a local area. Using Nextdoor, she started up her local coffee group.

“It is a bit risky, just putting yourself out there saying, ‘Hey, I’m looking for friends’,” Phoebe said.  “There are safety risks that come along with meeting new people.” But with the online group, she can vet the applicants before meeting up with them.

The group, made up of approximately 12 regular members, holds monthly brunches at local family-owned cafes. “Everyone’s got such interesting stories,” Phoebe said.

“The main benefit of the group is it provides a sense of community. We all enjoy finding out about new things from each other like local bowling alleys, the annual SA History Festival, and I even went to a musical production with a couple of group members earlier this year.”

Members of the group help each other out in small, but significant ways. “If anyone in the group mentions they’re looking for a plumber for example, someone usually gives a recommendation,” Phoebe said. “And I have occasionally heard people offer to give others in the group a lift to our brunch meets.”

Phoebe’s advice to others wanting to create a community group of their own, is to be persistent.

“It took about six months for the coffee group to find its groove,” she said. “At the start, sometimes not many people came, and sometimes people came along who weren’t a good fit. Like everything else in life, it’s a matter of picking yourself up and trying again.”

Phoebe advises aspiring community builders to limit their barriers to entry. “I’ve seen groups who have an age range such as 50 plus, but I’m not a fan of limitations like that - I like it to be open as long as everyone gets along,” she said.

It’s also important to make things easy and enjoyable for people. “Food is a good way to get people out of the house,” Phoebe said.

“People enjoy the low-stakes socialising over a meal. It gives people regular positive interactions to look forward to.”

Despite finding success, Phoebe still faces regular challenges related to managing the group.

Members can struggle to take the initiative when it comes to planning their own catch ups. “I want to create community connection beyond myself - the burden of organisation can be a heavy load,” she said.  “That’s why it’s important to have admins or supporters when setting up a similar kind of group.”

Phoebe recognises that not everyone has the capacity or confidence to organise community meetups. She recommends people with less capacity support others by repeatedly attending events and community endeavours. “It takes time and outsiders’ support for things to grow.”

Phoebe hopes to inspire others to create similar initiatives. “It can be hard to make new connections, but it’s worth it,” she said.

Phoebe’s story highlights the importance of people being there for each other. At NHW, we also value community connection. You can read more about this here.