The Building Caring Communities Team was so inspired by this video that we set out to create a similar social experiment on the streets of Vancouver. So on a very brisk December morning, we set up at Grandview Park on Commercial Drive and got ready for what would turn out to be a very memorable Friday. We came equipped with hot apple cider, a tent, two chairs, a sign and – here’s the best part – inflated balloons with secret questions and a sprinkling of glitter inside. The idea was to invite two strangers to sit under the tent, choose a balloon, pop the balloon, read the question aloud and share a moment of connection. And that’s exactly what happened!
Highlights of the afternoon included an elderly gentleman and a traveler from Montreal discussing which animal they would choose to be. The former chose to be a fire monkey, while the latter chose to be a phoenix – both were intrigued by the element of fire. Other highlights included two perfect strangers discussing details of what their dream date would look like (no, they did not exchange numbers). And finally, there were two strangers that realized that although they shared the same name, they had very different answers when asked ‘what is your dream job?’
The success of this initial pop-up event has inspired the BC2 Team to make this a monthly event. Though the locations and details might change, the premise will remain the same – how can we bring people together to share spontaneous moments of connection? If you see us in your community, we invite you to join us and make new friends!
This article was written and shared by Katherine Allen, Community Connector at Building Caring Communities.