You are going to see and hear a lot about cafés this year. These will include Community Conversation Cafés, Vitality Cafés and Parent Cafés. There can even be Dad Cafés, Farmer Cafés, or any demographic, interest or issue-based group.

So what is the story about cafés?  Humans are naturally social creatures, and when we are isolated, we are not at our best.  We need other people, we need contact, and we need to connect.  Some people are already part of a committed coffee group, book club, service group, social group, etc., and that is a healthy thing.  Feeling heard, learning from others, and sharing ideas and strategies can help you deal with life’s shared challenges.

Not everyone is connected in this way, yet cafés allow us to connect with more people.  Community Connection Cafés are like a book club without the book; they will cover general interest topics, and then the group can discuss their thoughts. They are designed to be held in person, so they will not start until we can meet face to face again. Vitality Café begins with a series of targeted questions to get people talking and thinking, to improve our personal well-being.  Parent Cafés allow a chance to connect over the everyday struggles we face as parents and, with a series of conversation starters, to learn from one another and build our strengths.

Almost everyone has experienced some isolation this year, and it affects us all in some way.  People who work on their social connections and build their social capital tend to flourish on well-being rather than languish.  That is why it is essential to maintain connections and relationships in all forms and why everyone can benefit from joining a café.

We will start the Vitality Cafés virtually because our ability to meet in person is limited by Covid-19 restrictions and because some people may not be comfortable gathering for some time. These can be run in the daytime or evenings.  Our goal is to eventually run some in-person cafés as soon as possible in small, comfortable, socially distanced groups.

Please fill out one of our surveys to help us identify a good time to run the cafés.  Please use the comment section if you are interested in starting a café around a specific topic, interest, issue or demographic.

Parent Café https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PGYRC2D 

Vitality Café https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/62PR65L 

Community Conversation Café – please use the Vitality Link and express your interest in the Community Conversation Café in the comments.

Cafés are being led by Act4Health, Vulcan and Region FCSS, Vulcan County Health and Wellness Foundation and the Primary Care Network who are all committed to making our community more robust and the people in it healthier.  Social connection is one of the pillars of health.

To register your interest, please contact FCSS at communityliaison@vulcanandregionfcss.com 403-485-2192.