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Stitch & COVID-19: the community responds

I’ve spent the last several years building the Stitch Community to help improve the lives of our members around the world.

For me personally, that makes the current coronavirus crisis feel especially heartbreaking.

After all, the Stitch Community is exclusively for people over 50, and we address social isolation by providing ways for our members to connect with each other, most notably in social groups at events and activities.

In other words, we are a community filled with the segment of the population most at risk from the virus, and a big part of Stitch is based on something that increases the likelihood of getting exposed.

On top of that, the coming months could potentially see prolonged periods of social isolation for many members, which we know can have an extremely detrimental effect on our mental and social health. As you may have heard, loneliness kills.

That’s why we’re scrambling right now to make sure the community responds to the crisis in a way that keeps all members safe. If we can help it, we don’t want a single person to suffer because of this virus.

Thankfully, the Stitch Community is an incredible force for good, and we know many of our members are already mobilizing to help make sure everyone gets through the crisis OK.

We issued an official statement about the crisis a week ago, but that was primarily advice & recommendations based on the public health situation in the Stitch communities around the world.

Much more important is how the community is responding to the crisis.

That’s what this article is all about. It covers:

  • What the crisis means for Stitch Events & Activities, particularly our recommendations for event and group organizers
  • What we’re doing to help our members stay socially connected through the crisis (including the introduction of a Group Video Chat feature and virtual events to Stitch)
  • What Stitch members can do to help others, and to ask for help themselves, during the crisis

The health risk from the virus is obviously real. But so too is the impact that we’re all going to feel if we don’t find ways to stay connected.

It has been pointed out elsewhere that “social distancing” is actually the wrong term to be using. When people say “social distancing”, they really mean “physical distancing”. We actually need our social connections now more than ever. They form the fabric of our communities and are what will help us get through this crisis.

Please read on to find out how you can make a difference.

Stitch Events & Activities

As I described above, Stitch was created to improve the health and wellbeing of all our members, so it goes without saying that we don’t want any members to suffer as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

That’s why we are encouraging our members to postpone any events & activities they have planned.

Even if government advice in your area doesn’t yet prohibit social activities, we are asking our members to consider changing the date of their activities until after the crisis has passed.

The key word here, however, is “postpone”, not “cancel”.

The progress in controlling the growth of the outbreak in other countries indicates that the current situation will not be permanent, and that life will eventually return to normal.

We think it’s not only important to ensure that all Stitch members are kept safe, but also to make it clear that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

And at the end of the tunnel, there will be something to look forward to.

That’s why we’re asking all event organizers not to delete or cancel their activities on Stitch, but to postpone them to a later date.

The current uncertainty means you probably don’t yet have any idea when to reschedule them to, but that’s OK.

Here’s what we did with this week’s Stitch Quarterly Get-Together, which was scheduled to be held this Thursday in Sydney.

This event was fully booked out, with 65 people booked in to attend, plus a waitlist of people hoping extra spots would open up.

As the news about coronavirus started to spread last week, however, we decided to take immediate action and be totally safe, even though the official government advice here in Sydney was that events of this size are still fine.

We cancelled our reservation at the venue and told all attendees the event would not be going ahead this week.

We did not, however, cancel the event on Stitch.

As you can see in the image above, we simply updated the title to add “Date TBD”, and scheduled it for an arbitrary date 6 weeks from now.

Our announcement to all attendees made it clear the event won’t actually be taking place on the 30th of April, but by that date we expect to have a much better idea of when the event will be able to be held.

And if we don’t, we can always reschedule again.

If you are the organizer of an event or activity on Stitch, we’d recommend you do something similar. You just need to:

  • Update the date to something 2-3 months from now (or later)
  • Update the title to include “Date TBD” or similar
  • Update the event description to note the event listing is now a placeholder, and the actual date will be advised

Of course, if your activity related to a public event, such as a concert, which has now been cancelled, you can’t simply change the date. You can, however, change the activity to something that would appeal to the people who were meant to be attending. “Sydney Writer’s Festival”, for example, could become “Social get-together for bookworms”.

If you need help doing any of this, please just let us know.

New (and safe) ways to stay socially connected

It’s easy to forget that there is a lot more to Stitch than community events & activities.

That’s because our community activities are the most publicly visible aspect of the community, and we love sharing stories and pictures of our members staying socially active and having fun.

It’s also because we’ve put our biggest emphasis on connecting in the real world, as we believe that’s where enriching relationships most often form.

Unfortunately the coronavirus crisis has put much greater urgency on finding ways for members to stay socially connected (and sane) when they can’t get out and about.

Here are two of the things we are working on right now to help with exactly that.

Group video chat

Stitch already provides a bunch of ways for members to connect with each other online, whether that’s through online messaging, group chats, the discussion forums, or even the chat sections on events and activities.

Those features were built, however, to support the social interaction that happens on Stitch in the real world, rather than where members would spend the majority of their time.

Having to type messages is great for discussing ideas or to coordinate logistics about an event, but not so great when you just want to enjoy someone else’s company. You really need to see someone for that to happen.

That’s why we’ve spent the last week fast-tracking work on a new feature designed to help our members stay socially-connected through the crisis: Group Video Chat.

We’ve got a basic version up and running, which you can see below:

Testing out the Video Chat feature

We’re now working around the clock to get the first version of this feature built and released to Stitch. It’s going to be pretty simple at first, allowing Group & Activity organizers to start a video chat at the touch of a button.

We’ll then expand the feature to include Stitch Discussions, one-on-one messages, and the ability to schedule “virtual” get-togethers at a set time and date.

We are working very hard to be able to release the new feature very soon: stay tuned for the announcement!

Stitch Discussions, bigger & better

One of the hidden secrets of Stitch is the Stitch Discussion section.

I say “hidden” not because the Discussion forums are hard to find (they can be accessed directly from the main Community home page), but because Stitch members who live in active areas typically don’t use them all that much.

That’s usually a good thing: if you live in an area with a vibrant and active Stitch community, it makes total sense for our members to be spending time attending events and activities, rather than spending their time online.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t great friendships to be made through the Discussion forums. Some of the strongest and longest-lasting friendships on Stitch have been between members who met in the forums.

In fact, Stitch’s very first marriage was a couple named Carol & Doug, who met through the Stitch forums and formed a connection even though they lived in different states. You can read a post by Carol & Doug here.

Having said that, it’s fair to say that the Discussion section of Stitch hasn’t seen a lot of improvement over the last 12 months or so, as we’ve been prioritizing the features of Stitch which get people together in the real world.

The coronavirus has highlighted the need to rethink that approach.

We’ve seen a marked uptick in the amount of participation in the Discussion forums over the last couple of weeks, highlighting that members are looking for alternative ways to stay socially connected.

So over the coming few weeks we’re going to be rolling out a number of improvements to help raise the awareness of the forums to Stitch members more broadly, make them easier to use, and make it easier to connect with other members about shared interests and ideas.

The first of these improvements will be a weekly update about all the activity in the forums relevant to you, making it easier to find discussions you may be interested in. We’re planning to have it released by early next week.

Look out for it!

Providing help where it’s needed

Nobody really knows how the crisis is going to play out, but one thing is certain: a lot of people are going to need help.

The needs are going to vary from location to location, and person to person.

Some people are going to struggle to purchase basic items if they are physically isolated.

Others may need help with mobility or other services.

And who knows what shortages that some neighbourhoods are going to experience over the coming weeks.

Whatever happens, we think there will inevitably be areas that Stitch members will be willing and able to help.

We have just created a Stitch Group in Sydney for members to join so that they can both offer, and ask for, assistance during the crisis. Members who join the group will be volunteering to contribute where they can, and to be part of the discussion about how and where the community can help.

And we want members to ask for help where it’s needed too, whether it’s for themselves, or someone they know.

We are encouraging Stitch members in other locations to follow our lead and set up community assistance groups in their own areas over the coming days.

(If you are a Stitch member in another location and would like to see what’s happening in the Sydney group so you can get some ideas of your own, you can find it on Stitch here.)

Doing the right thing

One thing that has struck me during this crisis is the way that politicians are suddenly talking about “being good to each other”, and “doing the right thing”, as though that’s a new concept that people need to be told about.

Anyone familiar with Stitch knows that the community only exists because our members have already demonstrated a willingness to do things for each other.

Stitch members don’t need to be told to look out for other people.

They just need ideas and suggestions about the best ways we can all help each other through the crisis and keep everyone safe.

I am just as concerned about the crisis as everyone else – probably more than most, given I have to worry about the wellbeing of all members of our community around the world – but it’s at times like these that I am also extremely proud to be a member of Stitch.

Hang in there everyone, we’ll get through it together.

34 thoughts on “Stitch & COVID-19: the community responds”

  1. Hi Andrew, it’s a great idea to do a group video chat . Please advice me how to get in group video chat.

      1. Locked down in Florence, Italy….I am from Sonoma County and would love to be on a political or group chat. Thanks…

          1. Hello everyone. With places closed, staying alone inside is pretty boring. Great to chat with someone.

          2. Hi, Tom here in San Rafael, Marin County, CA (S.F. Bay area). In wine industry in wine country! Cece did you ever work in rest. biz in S.F? Good luck to us all. B well. B safe. B grateful. Namaste

        1. Cece, sorry you are in lockdown. You probably know by now you would be here as well and so am I in Santa Clara county. I like what Andrew has to say and being positive for so long is going to be, already is for you, tough I would imagine. Take care. Hope to meet you one day. I went to school at Sonoma State. It’s beautiful up there.

      2. Perfecto … just what i was thinking of … established a free Zoom account, but will wait until Stitch video chat up and running. Problemo … don’t have a webcam on my monitor … but Zoom has a way to insert a photo instead, can that be programmed in. I will establish a TBD SalonSonja group event … thank you so much!

  2. Just what I would expect from stitch,leading the way, taking us with you, keeping it simple. Mike

  3. I would love to participate in the video chat also. I am new to this and if not met anybody yet but would love to meet new people. I scheduled a lunch for last Friday but I never got any response here in Virginia Beach. What can I do to get involved and meet people?

    1. Hi JoAnne, I think in the current climate very few suggested activities will get much of a response. We’re hoping the first part of the video chat capabilities can get rushed out some time next week, so stay tuned for an announcement about that.

  4. Christine Coyne

    Thank you, Andrew, for the hopeful article. I appreciate that you noted social distancing when it’s really physical distancing. We all still need that social connection. I look forward to finding out more about the video chat.

  5. Thank you, Andrew. Some wonderful ideas. I love the notion of setting up a group and would like to do that. This is a time when we must be ‘kind’ and caring as there will be many who are nonplussed by this whole advent yet do not have a support group to help them cope. 🙂 🙂

    1. Let us know if you need help setting up a similar group! It’s already prompting a great response and I think we’re going to learn a lot of lessons we can share. We’ll put all the group owners in touch with each other so they can share what they learn

  6. Thank you for this excellent article, Andrew. In a time of confusion, it certainly helps to put things in perspective and rather than feel disappointed that events have to be cancelled/postponed, gives us al hope for the future when we can return to normal. I have rescheduled events and look forward to learning more about the video groups. I think this would be a wonderful way to keep people ‘together’ while apart 🙂 Stay well Kia Kaha!

  7. Cynthia Withers

    Hi Andrew
    I dropped down to a basic membership. Will the video capabilities be available at that level?
    Cynthia

    1. Hi Cynthia, yes we’re planning on having the new feature follow the same rules as the rest of the community. That is, group chats that get created for Open (i.e. public) events or groups will be open to Basic members. (Chats created in groups that have been created for Full members only will obviously only be open to Full members)

  8. I would like to suggest that we need high school girls to babysit for many families who need help watching their young children while at work. Young men can participate by helping with errands many seniors are affraid to do and those who have no time for basic chores.

  9. Well done, Andrew! I look forward to interacting with members on the opposite side of the globe via the video group chat.

  10. Another vote of confidence for you and the Stitch team, Andrew. Thanks for caring, thanks for being brave … hugs and love to you all xx

  11. Andrew, thanks for keeping us informed about Stitch’s measures in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

    I would like to advocate for allowing outdoor activities such as hikes to continue at the present time, at least in our Silicon Valley area (AKA Santa Clara County, CA), provided that members are instructed not to car pool and must remain at least six feet apart at all times. Paragraph 10.a.iii of the county’s Shelter in Place order specifically exempts walking, hiking, and running as “Essential Activities”: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/phd/DiseaseInformation/novel-coronavirus/Pages/order-health-officer-031620.aspx The open space authorities for the northern and southern regions, respectively, are encouraging citizens to take advantage of their preserves, other than specific exceptions for locations they deem subject to overcrowding: https://mailchi.mp/openspace/covid-19-20200317 https://www.openspaceauthority.org/visitors/events.html#HealthNotice

    1. It’s a good point Jim. I’m trying to manage the difficulty of providing advice that applies across the entire community (bearing in mind we even have some members in Italy, as you can see in the comments to this article) while also bearing in mind that the situation is very different in different cities and even neighborhoods across the world. We definitely think there is room in the recommendations for people to be sensible, which is how we describe things in our official recommendations referenced in the article. I won’t be getting down to the level of detail of providing specific advice, as obviously what applies in Santa Clara is different from what applies in Italy right now, and I’d go crazy trying to keep up. But it’s a very good point that people should still pay attention to the advice that pertains to their local areas, as per our official advice and recommendations. Where our members CAN maintain some semblance of a normal life, they should do so!

  12. Thank you, Andrew for your article and effort to maintain this important circle of friends. 🤗

  13. Thanks Andrew for the update and tireless work in connecting us all. I will join your Sydney COVID-19 help group to see how it works and what can be done in Brisbane 😊

  14. Perhaps you will open discussion groups to all members, not just ones who can afford to update their membership?

    1. Hi Mary, Discussions were originally made members-only because we found we were dealing with large amounts of spam from free members. Next week we’ll be opening up more access to free members, though, starting with the group video feature which will be available to all Open (i.e. public) groups, which Basic members can join. We’ll then be doing something similar with the discussions, so that discussions in public groups on Stitch can be accessed by Basic members.

      It’s worth remembering that Stitch itself is a non-profit charity (learn more at wipeoutloneliness.org) and is in a constant struggle for finances, so we while we are working to give as much as we can to free members, we do need people to support the community so that we can continue to operate. The $60 annual membership for full members doesn’t cover our operating costs, so we rely on donations and grants to be able to keep the community running.

  15. Hopefully east of Houston I can meet u guys near there. I have not sent my photo but I will soon. Every one stay safe

  16. Delayed response. I was first of all so excited to learn about stitch and just the thought brought overwhelming joy. However as time went on I realized I wasn’t in a position to be as active as I would like. By way of attending and creating events. It’s really something to realize your not capable of doing the things you use to do. The physical and especially emotional toll is too much and needed to prioritize. This was hard for me for many reasons and didn’t expect to get as attached as I did. I sincerely hope this venue sustains itself as we move into a new way of existing. Peace and Blessings –

    1. Sherrie Lynn, I understand your dilemma. As a result of a car accident, I find that I have limited strength and energy and, sadly have to strictly ration how I spend them. I would love to be more active as well.

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