Here's how it works.

• There are fascinating people everywhere, we just need to get to know them.

  What if we could better tap into the stories, ideas, creative skills and passions of the people around us? Would they still be strangers? How would our perspective on social issues shift if we met more people with different ideas and experience? Would we feel more at home in our cities and neighborhoods? What could we accomplish together?

  Give & Take encourages face-to-face connections across traditional boundaries of education, profession, social class and culture by creating a dedicated space for people to share knowledge and curiosity. We’ve found that this leads to unexpected and authentic connections, friendships and collaborations. Over time, these new social relationships can help our communities flourish by making individual knowledge and curiosity more visible and accessible, and by encouraging diverse perspectives and approaches.

  Give & Take can also augment existing gatherings and events, encouraging creative and spontaneous interaction around things we know and want to know. This can help to reveal hidden talents and skills, and can create greater trust among coworkers, classmates or project partners.

• Face-to-face connections are easier with a little help.

  Spontaneous conversation is not everyone’s cup of tea, and getting to know other people can be intimidating. Give & Take is one way to create an atmosphere where sharing personal stories and ideas, as well as teaching and learning from one another, can be fun, entertaining and empowering.

  The Give & Take Nametags are designed to tap into hidden knowledge and curiosity, rather than relying on traditional introductions based on where someone lives or what they do for a living. This simple shift of perspective encourages people to dig deeper and to find common ground, discovering that the things they know can be fascinating to others, and the things they want to know can be answered in new ways by those around them.

  The result is a deep well of topics that suddenly become part of the collective conversation. Rather than falling back on our usual and often guarded public personalities, we’re invited to share what makes us tick and to explore new ideas and connections.

• Social connections are important to individual and community resilience.

  We’re all probably familiar with the phrase, “It’s all about who you know.” How many of us get the opportunity to expand our social networks in spontaneous and diverse ways? The people we know can help us to build trust in ourselves, to understand perspectives other than our own, to find new economic opportunities, and to address relevant issues and burning questions. Social connections make us feel invested in the places around us. Give & Take can help to catalyze these connections in a safe and empowering social setting.

• Connected communities are better places to live.

  Give & Take helps connect individuals, and over time, creates more connected communities. Using the Give & Take Kit or Give & Take Nametags anyone can turn an ordinary gathering into an invitation to share personal stories, passions and curiosity, creating an opportunity for collective knowledge, resources and energy. It’s easy, it’s exciting, and it’s inexpensive. And we believe it will make our communities stronger, more connected, and ultimately, more resilient.