Home is a great place to strengthen existing bonds.

• Digital free dining – have dinner with your partner, family, friends or housemates without devices at the table
• Schedule a chat – if family or friends are busy or live abroad, schedule a facetime call
• Cook together – write down your favourite meals and put them in a bucket. Choose one each night to prepare and eat together
• Chat to your neighbours – do more than wave and make the time to chat to your neighbours
• Street play for children – organise playgroups for your children and meet up with parents and families in the neighbourhood and, or your school communities. Download a free guide by Neighbours Every Day and Play Australia.

School, university and tertiary education settings can create a safe space for students to talk about loneliness and build meaningul social connections.

• Learn together – download our free primary and secondary school lesson plans exploring loneliness and meaningful social connections
• Get creative – encourage students to write a poem, draw a picture or make a poster about the importance of connection. Send your masterpieces to info@endingloneliness.com.au
• Celebrate cultural diversity – embrace different cultures by learning about each other through food, stories, traditions and customs.
  

• Meaningful meetings – start meetings with a check in question (What did you do on the weekend?  What’s the highlight of today/ this week?) and finish with a check out question (How is your work going? Is there anything you need support with?)
• Know the signs of loneliness – download our Understanding Loneliness Pack
• Host an in-person gathering – bring staff together to connect/ re-connect. Organise a set day in the office, or team bonding activities chosen by staff
• Celebrate cultural diversity – learn about colleagues’ cultural backgrounds and traditions by creating the space and time to celebrate important days
• Introduce a buddy system – match new starters with existing staff to help them ease into a new environment and form connections in the workplace.

Healthcare workers are in a unique position to recognise the signs of loneliness and respond to support meaningful social connections.

• Know the signs of loneliness – watch our Understanding Loneliness short video or complete accredited Pharmacist Training by Pharmacy Addressing Loneliness and Social-isolation (PALS) in partnership with Pharmaceutical Society Australia.
• Ask targeted questions – consider people’s life circumstances when providing or referring to care options
• Be a connector to social resources – our online national directory lists groups, organisations and services in local areas
• Look after yourself – healthcare workers also experience high levels of loneliness. Download our self-care toolkit.

Local councils and services serve a diverse community, all requiring connection to thrive.

• Normalise conversations about loneliness – feature our real story videos on community pages and websites, spotlight books in libraries about loneliness and connection
• Host free local events – bring local community members together by celebrating cultural days, holding food events and hosting activities for different interests such as community gardens, craft, pet play, markets etc
• Create safe spaces for connection – such as parks with seating, shaded areas, playgrounds, games areas, common spaces in shopping centres, libraries, and recreation/ leisure centres
• Use our Conversation Starters – hospitality workers, reception workers, hairdressers, cashiers and other front-of-house staff interact with people every day, and often have regular customers. Download our Conversation Starters to start meaningful chats with customers during the week
• Be a connector to social resources – promote local events and regular social activities so that people are aware of them.

There are steps we can take to build meaningful connections in our life.

• Recognise loneliness as a sign to connect – it’s ok to feel lonely, it’s our body’s way of telling us our need for connection isn’t being met
• Build on small talk – with neighbours, colleagues, local service providers and your community. Our Conversation Starters can help
• Nurture current relationships – you don’t have to make a new friend to feel less lonely. Spend more quality time with the people in your life
• Join an interest group – think about your interests and values and join groups that align with these. Our online directory is a good place to find local volunteering or low-cost opportunities
• Try volunteering – volunteering provides an opportunity to connect with others through a shared cause.