We Met In Miami

The U.S. Surgeon General has a warning for Americans about a pervasive condition that worsens the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety and premature death. This societal ill is about as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

In an advisory last year, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy declared an “epidemic” of loneliness and isolation. 

Here's some of his warning:

"We are called to build a movement to mend the social fabric of our nation. It will take all of us … working together to destigmatize loneliness and change our cultural and policy response to it.

"If we fail to do so, we will pay an ever-increasing price in the form of our individual and collective health and well-being, and we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country."

We Met in Miami is an answer to the surgeon general’s call: a nonprofit event series facilitating love and friendship for adults 21+ through community service, civic engagement and the arts.

Since we launched in February 2024, we have hosted or participated in 16 events, drawing anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred people seeking love, friendship and community. 

Our events are curated connection experiences, featuring icebreakers, activities, and facilitated small-group conversations, designed to help people build deeper, more meaningful connections through shared interests and values.

We wear wristbands that show others we are open to making new connections: green for people looking for love, blue for those seeking friendship and rainbow for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. (Yes, you can wear more than one!)

Connection and community are the antidote to polarization.

We Met at a Local News Forum, Books & Books, Sept. 18, 2024