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.

Frequently 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.

Most gatherings are totally free to attend—hooray! 🎉 Befriend is all about creating accessible, welcoming spaces, so there are no membership fees, no sign-up costs, and no catches.

Every now and then, a Host might ask for a small donation to cover things like room hire or materials (think: a few dollars in a jar), or you might pay for your own coffee or movie ticket if the group’s meeting at a café or cinema. But generally, connecting through Befriend won’t cost you much—just a bit of your time and curiosity.

Events are usually listed in the Befriend Social Network on a website called Meetup. It’s easy to use, free to create a profile and simple to look at all the events taking place across Perth! Whilst there isn’t an easy way to see events geographically, Hosts usually list the location of the event in the title.

You can also check out the map above to browse events by location. Click on the red pins to open up the event details and provide a link to RSVP through our Meetup page, where you can also contact the Host directly if you have any questions.

You can also browse our Upcoming Events page on our website, which has links to a few location specific calendars prepared by those local communities. Or reach out to us and we’ll help you find something that suits you.

Most Hosts will describe the accessibility of their event or venue in the description on Meetup. You are also welcome to reach out to the Host or to us to ask about a specific event.

A Host is the name we give to the wonderful community members who initiate and host a group or gathering within The Befriend Social Network. These superstars are people just like you: mums, dads, teachers, students, artists, musicians, collectors, board game enthusiasts, nature-lovers, foodies… just everyday humans in the Perth community who want to connect with others through a shared social experience.

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!

Hosting is all about creating safe, inclusive spaces where people can connect over something they enjoy. It could be a weekly chess meetup at your local café, a dog walk at the park, or a once-a-month knitting circle—it’s totally up to you.

You choose:

  • What your gathering is about
  • When and where it happens
  • How often it runs

We help you with:

  • Exploring venues
  • Spreading the word
  • Planning your first gathering
  • Tips for creating inclusive, welcoming vibes


We’re here to support you every step of the way.

Look for a yellow Befriend flag or a yellow table topper! Once a Host completes our Host training workshop, they receive a flag and/or table topper to help their group stand out from the crowd! Many Hosts are available to contact via Meetup too, so once you’ve RSVP’d to a gathering, you could always reach out to say hello and warmly introduce yourself.

Groups are generally small gatherings of between 3-15 people. It varies, depending on the activity and sometimes, how long the group has been running.

At the moment Befriend is generally for adults over 18. There may be some Befriend events that are of interest to a younger audience, so if you wanted to accompany your young person to one of these, that would be totally fine. Or you could bring along your child to an event you are interested in. knowing that you are responsible for your child at all times.

It can be a bit challenging to find groups aimed at younger people! Some places you might like to try are HQ Leederville, local community centres or youth centres.

Another idea to meet people is volunteering around a cause or area your teen is interested in like a local animal shelter, tree planting, KickstART planning committee or a youth planning committee.

If you or your teen would like to chat with other folk in an online space, we have a Facebook group called Connecting Us Perth, where you can go to share ideas and connect with others digitally. You can click here to request to join that group.

We are also in the process of  reviewing and revising our current Child Safe Policy to potentially allow unaccompanied minors to be present at events under certain conditions (for example, a protocol that permits 14-17 year olds to be present unaccompanied, with parental consent and agreement). If you are interested in learning more about this, let us know.

Befriend is mainly for adults aged 18 and over. Some gatherings, such as intergenerational playgroups or picnics, are designed so children can attend alongside their parent or caregiver. In these spaces, adults stay with and are responsible for the children they bring, as our gatherings are focused on shared connection rather than providing care for children.

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

Option 1: RSVP through Meetup (recommended)

  1. Create a free account at Meetup
  2. Search for “Befriend Inc” (or click this link) and click “Join”
  3. Browse events and click “Attend” or “RSVP”
  4. That’s it! You’ll get updates if anything changes.


Option 2: Ask us to RSVP for you

If Meetup feels tricky, no stress. You can:

  • Email us with the name of the event
  • Call or text us
    We’ll add your RSVP and confirm it for you.

Yes! But we recommend letting the Host know you’re coming—you can RSVP through us —so the Host knows to expect you, and if the event is cancelled or moved, you’ll get a heads-up.

All groups taking place across The Befriend Social Network are run by local community members around Perth who have a desire and passion for getting to know people in their local community. We call these wonderful humans Hosts. Our role as an organisation is really about supporting those local people and their groups to thrive.

We aren’t able to control which events take place, when, or where they happen, as it really takes a community member just like you to put their hand up to give hosting a local group a go!

So, if there’s nothing happening in your neighbourhood that takes your fancy, you might need to travel to another suburb to find something, or, hey, maybe it’s time for you to bring The Befriend Social Network to your ‘hood and become a Host so you can put on your own group!

That’s awesome to hear you are looking to meet new people. Whilst it can be a bit tough to know where to start, once you get started and find something you enjoy attending regularly, that’s when relationships can really start forming!

Here are some ideas we like to share with people who are looking to meet new people:

  • The Befriend Social Network has a variety of local gatherings happening across parts of Perth. These are hosted by friendly locals we call Hosts, who also want to meet new people and share something they enjoy doing. Anyone over 18 is welcome to attend or host, and most gatherings are free or low cost. Use the map on our website or our Meetup page to explore what’s on near you.
  • Visit local spaces like community centres, libraries, gyms, or gardens, where people regularly gather for shared interests.
  • Connect online. Facebook has local interest groups, Buy Nothing or gifting groups, and even niche communities like Dungeons and Dragons Perth or WA Community Gardens Network. Our own Connecting Us Perth Facebook group is a great digital space to chat and share ideas.
  • Volunteer for something you care about. It’s a meaningful way to meet like-minded people. Volunteering WA is a great place to start, and you might also enjoy this article about lasting friendship.

If you’d like to explore these options with a friendly human, send us a message, or give us a ring on 9520 8574 or 0404 831 201—we’d love to chat more about what could work for you!

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.

Great to hear you know someone interested in heading along to an event! We have a variety of different types of local gatherings happening in some areas of Perth run by friendly people we call Hosts (local community members who volunteer their time, want to meet new people too and share something they love doing!)

Befriend is a community building organisation rather than a service provider where anyone over 18 is welcome to attend a community group, and anyone is welcome to host one. 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 two best questions to ask the person who is wanting to attend are:

  1. What area of Perth are you willing to travel to? 


You can check out the map on our What’s On page to see events by suburb. This will then link you to a free website called Meetup. All gatherings are listed here and you can find dates, times, details, venue information and you can reach out to the group Host for any information about their gathering. You can also go to Meetup to RSVP directly to events: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/befriend-inc-social-club/

  • What kind of things are you interested in doing with other people?


There are so many different types of local events being hosted. From walking groups, craft groups, coffee catch ups or bowling there are different ways to meet new people depending on your interests.

We have an article on our blog called “How can I support someone to feel more connected?” which offers some handy pointers about why the context for connection is so important. 

If this sparks any more questions for you, do let us know. If you want to talk through any of this you are always welcome to send us a message or give us a call on 0404 831 201 or (08) 9520 8574 and we would be very happy to chat with you.

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. Unfortunately, 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 one 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 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.

Absolutely. Befriend gatherings are designed to be welcoming, relaxed spaces—and that includes folks attending with support workers or carers. You’re welcome to come along together, and participate however feels most comfortable for you both.

There’s no sign-up, no registration process, and no need to ask for permission. Just choose an event that sounds good, RSVP, and show up as you are.

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.

The emails you are likely to be receiving are from Meetup (which is the platform we use to list Befriend events, but we don’t own it). You can turn off all email notifications by going settings –> email updates –> scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Turn off all email updates” or choose which notifications you wish to receive and how.

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!