Organised by Wolf & Badger
The School of Life Summer Social is an introduction to the art of friendship in adulthood.
About this event
Of all the many challenges of adult life – buying a house, filing a tax return, drawing up a budget or changing one’s brake fluid – perhaps the most unexpected (and unexpectedly difficult) is the challenge of making new friends.
Once we have left the protective bubble of school or university, making friends becomes a much trickier proposition. Confessing that one might be struggling in this area can seem shameful: a sign that one is needy, ‘lame’, or lacking in basic social graces. But in truth, it has never been more difficult to make friends – nor harder to admit that one might be in need of more.
The modern world has become a uniquely hostile environment for the formation of friendships. The disappearance of ‘third places’ – venues for socialising, outside of work and home – has meant that organic encounters with potential new acquaintances are few and far between. At the same time, our culture offers us very little help when it comes to friendship. There are no end of books, courses and apps that promise to help us find a romantic partner; almost none that provide instruction in how to make new friends.
The School of Life Summer Social is an introduction to the art of friendship in adulthood. We want to bring people together – people who might be new to the city, or seeking to broaden their social circle – in a purpose-built ‘third place’. And we want to teach some of the key emotional skills that socialising requires. The event will explore:
How to approach strangers at a party (or elsewhere)
How to be interesting
How to be charming
How to be vulnerable
How to get away from ‘small talk;
How to turn casual acquaintances into friends
We will also be hosting a series of conversational games, designed to help you practise some of the techniques discussed in real time. Our hope is that you’ll come away ready to seek out new friends in the future…or even with a few you’ve made at the event itself.