BE MY WINGMAN

Posted by Amanda Whitley on Jan 24, 2012 in CONVERSATION | 5 comments

You often hear people say that Canberra’s a hard place to meet new people. Women move here with their partners; or with young children; and without the instant social network that can sometimes come with university or working in a larger organisation.

Then there are those women whose circumstances have changed. I lost a large proportion of my daily social group when I went on maternity leave…I went from having face-to-face contact with around 50 people per day to just one (and a newborn isn’t a sparkling conversationalist!) Some women find their circle of friends changes when a relationship breaks up; others simply grow out of their childhood friendships.

HerCanberra was borne largely out of the desire to create a place where local women could connect, and I hope that we’re on the way to achieving that.

But now there’s another local resource where Canberra women can meet and make friends – in real life. I seriously think this is a brilliant idea (and I kinda wish I’d thought of it!)

Because girl friends are incredibly important. For me, talking to my friends is how I make sense of things. I share intimate information with them and I trust them with secrets. And I think most women are the same.

be my wingman is a unique social society for ladies. It’s for women who are looking to make new friends, whether they’re new to the region or just wanting to broaden their network.

be my wingman is the brainchild of Jade Hill, who moved to Australia from the UK two years ago, and has recently moved to Canberra.

Upon her arrival in the country, she found she’d taken having friends a little for granted, and that it was quite difficult to establish new relationships.

“At 30 it seems that it is harder to make new female friends. Especially when you don’t have much free time because of work commitments.

Friends can move out of your geographic location, decide to concentrate on new families or you can just lose contact.”

A few years ago, when Jade was single, she tried internet dating for a while. It didn’t deliver the man of her dreams (she found him the old fashioned way) but she found the process gave her confidence; simply by meeting new people and learning to talk about herself and her interests.

This experience was part of the inspiration behind be my wingman.

be my wingman is a chance to speed up the process of finding new female friends, for companionship, for travel, for contacts and for fun. The first Canberra event is being held this Saturday, 28 January in Dickson.

The events are set up in a speed dating format where participants spend time talking to each other before switching in relaxed, fun and new environments with like minded girls who are also looking for new friendship.

Participants have the names of the other potential ‘wingmen’ on a clipboard in front of them, and if they connect or click and would like to see that person again, say yes on their form. If they get two corresponding ‘yes’ then they get details, but if only one, they don’t. From there, it’s up to them to take the next steps.

“When the ladies walk through the door, they’re usually very nervous – it’s taken them a lot of guts to come to the event. But that apprehension usually disappears within 10 minutes when they see a room full of normal women.

Some people are hesitant, because they think it’s a very “unnatural” way of meeting people – well, we all want to meet people ‘organically’ but rather than sitting around waiting for it to happen, why not take an active step?

And the best thing is that, unlike traditional speed dating between guys and girls, there are no ulterior motives with be my wingman. Everyone is there because they’re looking to make new friends…it’s as simple as that.”

Are you looking to meet new people? be my wingman could be a fantastic way for you to find some amazing friends…pop over to the website to find out more (and maybe buy your ticket to this Saturday’s event!)

You might also like to check out Shelley Eldridge’s tips for Making Mum Friends.