At our September gathering, a small group of locals in Geelong made an important decision: our long-running Climate Café will now be known as the Geelong Connection Café.
Why the change? Because words matter. While climate is central to our concerns, the word often carries a weight of crisis and disagreements. We wanted a name that points to what helps us move forward: togetherness, resilience, and the energy of being connected.
Mel, who suggested the word, summed it up beautifully:
“I think ‘connection’ is a good word because we have a global loneliness problem at the same time as having a climate crisis, and I think the thing that will move us through the climate crisis and make us more resilient is connection – the only thing that will actually get us through. If we are prepared to connect before that happens, then it means that we’re more likely to do better in the future. It also puts a more positive tint on things, because climate can feel a bit doom and gloom, but everyone wants connection – it’s intrinsic to us.”
Anthony added that the word opens up many directions at once:
“There are so many things we can connect with – connect with each other, connect with la sala, talk about what’s important in life, connect with nature, connect with other people. That same connection can apply to all of those things. And that’s actually what’s missing in society as a whole.”
For Adam, co-founder of the Geelong Climate Café, the new name also ties back to the history of The House, where our monthly café is hosted:
“For the founding members of The House, it was actually that lack of community that drove us to put together The House. So it definitely fits with the theme of this place as well.”
A step away from “crisis” language
The move also reflects a broader shift. Around the world, people are experimenting with new language for community gatherings on climate and sustainability. Joseph Gelfer, who talks about replacing “climate” with concepts rooted in service to life, points out that words shape our expectations and our energy. By naming our café around connection, we are choosing to emphasise possibility, relationship, and resilience, rather than crisis alone.
What to expect at the Connection Café
The Geelong Connection Café will continue to meet monthly at The House. It will remain an open, informal space for:
• Conversations about how we live well in times of change
• Sharing personal experiences and practical ideas
• Building supportive networks in Geelong and beyond
• Exploring ways to strengthen community resilience and connection
Most of all, it will be a place to practise what the name promises: connection.
. . .
Taking the idea a step further
Taking the Connection Café idea a step further: what if connection cafés began to pop up everywhere – small, local groups limited to around a dozen people? The idea is that the small size would be a strength: it would encourage new cafés to form in more neighbourhoods, streets, and courts, spreading connection outward like ripples.
The appeal lies in its simplicity. A connection café is not about climate or activism – it can simply be neighbours meeting over a cup of tea or coffee to talk, listen, and get to know one another. Even those everyday conversations build resilience. They help us face not just the cost of living crisis, but also loneliness, social disconnection, and whatever other local or global disruptions may come our way.
Suggestions for gentle “rules of thumb” might help such cafés flourish, for instance:
Eeeping groups hyper-local, so members live within 10 kilometres of each other in cities, or a wider radius in rural and regional communities.
Each café could also choose its own guiding purpose, whether that is a shared hobby, a local project, or simply the commitment to keep showing up and supporting one another.
This approach shifts the focus away from needing deep consensus or technical expertise. Instead, it’s about creating spaces that are easy to join, easy to replicate, and valuable in themselves. The simple act of connecting – talking face-to-face – may prove to be one of the strongest ways we prepare for whatever the future holds.
Join us at the Geelong Connection Café
When: 3-5pm on the fourth Friday of each month
Where: The House, Shop 8, Centrepoint Arcade, 132 Little Malop Street, Geelong
Entry: free
Next meetings: Friday 24 October 2025
