Your Questions, Answered

(With lots of heart) 

Peoples

Hi there, curious one! 👋

We’ve gathered a bunch of common (and uncommon) questions from folks just like you. Think of this like chatting with a friendly human who gets what it’s like to be new, nervous or just not sure where to start.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for here, hit the chat button in the corner. We’ll do our best to be there live, but if it’s after hours or we’ve stepped away from our desks, your message will land in our inbox and we’ll reply as soon as we can.

We’re a small, part-time team and we aim to respond to all messages within a week or two, but sometimes, life (and inboxes!) get a little wild. If it’s been a few weeks and you haven’t heard from us, feel free to send a follow-up. It may have just slipped through the cracks.

Commonly asked questions

Great news! If you’re engaged with Befriend in any way—maybe you come to a gathering now and then, follow us on Facebook, open our newsletter, or just like what we’re about—then you’re already considered a member of the Befriend community! No forms, no fees, no obligations.

If you’re keen to connect more actively, we recommend creating a free Meetup account so you can RSVP to events and stay in the loop. You’re also welcome to sign up to our newsletter, check out our Facebook group, or reach out if you’d like a hand getting started.

Absolutely anyone over the age of 18 can be a Host! All you need to do is reach out to our Community Building team for an exploratory conversation so we can get you started on your Hosting journey. We have friendly Community Builders located all around Perth, and they’re there to support you in bringing your creative community idea to life! To get in touch with the team for a chat, click here!

Oh no! Sorry about that. We’re a small, part-time team and we do our best to respond to everyone within a week or two—but occasionally, messages get lost in the email jungle.

If it’s been a few weeks and you haven’t heard back, feel free to follow up or use the chat feature on the site—we’ll make sure it reaches the right person this time. Pinky promise. 🩷

We’re a small community-building non-profit based in Perth, Western Australia, called Befriend. We don’t have any user accounts or logins associated with our organisation — our community members simply connect through local gatherings, often listed on a platform called Meetup.

That said, there is another app out there called BeFriend (often described as being similar to Snapchat). If you’re having trouble creating an account, it’s possible you were trying to reach their support team instead.

If you are referring to your Meetup account, you can also reach out to Meetup. For their Support team to be able to assist you, please submit your request through their Contact Form by choosing the appropriate category and topic. This will ensure that your request is properly triaged and managed in the shortest time possible:

https://help.meetup.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

Yes. Befriend is a not-for-profit organisation focused on strengthening community, connection, and belonging. We are also a registered charity.

Befriend is supported through a mix of grants, partnerships, and community support, allowing us to focus on long-term relational work.

It’s totally understandable to want to meet others you feel you’ll naturally click with — we hear this from people of all ages. One of the beautiful things about the Befriend community is that it’s made up of people from all walks of life, and there’s plenty of variety in the types of gatherings and who shows up.

Some events naturally draw a broader mix of ages, and others tend to feel a bit more like a peer group — it really depends on the vibe of each individual group or Host! If you’re browsing the Meetup calendar, the event descriptions can help give a feel for what to expect, and you’re always welcome to message the Host beforehand if you’re unsure.

And if you don’t spot something that feels like the right fit, you might even consider starting a small gathering yourself — we love supporting people to create the kind of connection they want to see more of 🌱

We’re supporting and learning from a range of peer-based spaces where shared identity, lived experience, or a sense of common ground really matters. We understand that inclusion doesn’t always look the same for everyone, and that people often feel most comfortable when they have a clear sense of who a space is designed for. We’re continually learning about how to hold space for different kinds of belonging, and if you’re looking for something specific — or curious about what already exists — we warmly encourage you to reach out. 

Also, on the Befriend Social Network, many groups describe their purpose and focus clearly so people can decide for themselves whether a gathering feels right for them. These groups aren’t technically only for a particular peer group, but they do explain the kind of connection they’re centred around — for example, a group created for single fathers to catch up and connect.

At the moment, our community-building efforts are focused on the Perth Metro area. We don’t have the capacity to support Hosts beyond that. But we’re always curious to connect with like-minded folks, so if you’re dreaming about something outside Perth, send us a message—we’d love to hear what’s on your heart and see if there’s something we can co-imagine.

Befriend is a community building organisation in Perth on a mission to create a connected and inclusive Perth. We believe everyone on this planet has so much good stuff to offer to the communities they care about. We are here to help people take the next step on their connection journey! Befriend supports individuals in the community to host, or participate in, inclusive events in their community based around something they enjoy.

We do not have staff or volunteers that engage in one-on-one support activities you may be looking for through Befriend. However, your loved one would be very welcome to attend any of these above-mentioned community events–the Hosts strive to make them as accessible and inclusive as possible. This really is a space for the community, led by the community, so there are no sign-up fees or paperwork and most gatherings are completely free or low cost. The best place to look for events near you or your loved one is via the map in the middle of our website (https://befriend.org.au/) or you can browse our Meetup page. Let us know if you want more information about this!

Perhaps you could also try People Who Care? This is a volunteer-based not for profit organisation that has been serving the community for over 40 years. They operate from 7 centres across Perth from the Cities of Joondalup to Mandurah and the vast in-between. They offer services and support for those who are frail aged, those with disability and families starting over following domestic violence and disruption. Or check out some of the local Facebook groups in and around your suburb to see if any community members nearby are free to offer your loved one some support and connection? You could also approach a local church or religious group in the area, as they often have pastoral care and community service as underpinning values in their communities.

We hope that you are able to find some support and connection for your loved one! Feel free to send us a message or give us a call on 0404 831 201 or (08) 9520 8574.

We’ve got one big ol’ newsletter for now which we send out monthly, but we sometimes share region-specific updates.

You can sign up here.

There are a few areas with an active little befriend community that prepare their own calendar of events–you can find them here on our website. If you would like to sign up to receive some of them in your email/the post, reach out to us.

Thanks for being interested in joining our team of change-makers and community-builders! Since our early beginnings, Befriend has grown to be an innovative organisation with an ambitious vision. Underpinned by strong governance and leadership, a creative team with diverse skills and experiences and an incredible network of effective partnerships, it’s a work environment like no other! We will add job opportunities to the website as and when they’re available!

 

Still have a question?

At the bottom of each of our main pages you’ll find more common questions and answers related to that specific topic.

You can also contact us directly if that’s easier 🙂