Joyful Connection Masterclass with Social Connection Collective
“Loneliness and isolation represent profound threats to our health and well-being.” Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General Report 2023
Connect and learn with connection leaders at the next workshop hosted by the Covve community, Connection Crew. Have fun and elevate your connection coaching expertise with fellow peers who are passionate about connection. This is where your kind of people hang out.
Why attend?
Expand Your Toolkit: Learn how to facilitate three new connection activities that you can take back to your own communities and gatherings.
Valuable Networking: Connect with Connection Pros. Learn from those who not only talk about social health but actively shape it. Meet people who are as dedicated and passionate about social health as you are. Make connections that go beyond the workshop.
Fun and Engaging: Expect a session full of laughter, learning, and light-hearted yet deep connections. It's not just a workshop; it's a social exercise for your professional soul.
Learn with Your Peers: Enjoy the rare opportunity to be a participant rather than a leader, in a room where everyone speaks your language of community and connection.
Elevate Your Expertise: This workshop isn't just about discussion; it's about elevating your skills with practical, hands-on experiences.
What to expect?
A 90 minute joyful connection experience. You will be paired with one connection leader for the duration of the event. To ensure you both have a wonderful experience, It's important you agree to the following:
Have video and audio on during 3 breakout room sessions
Participate fully during the breakouts
Be present for at least the full hour (15 minute after party is optional)
Bring curious and open energy, ready to learn from and share with your peers
[Virtual] doors will close after we have reviewed the group agreements. Approximately 5-10 minutes after the hour. Please be on time to ensure you make it in and get the full experience.
There will be prompts that invite you to share something that may feel vulnerable to you (please find a safe place to join the call from)
Who is this for?
People who already prioritize social health in their personal and professional lives and want to continue elevating their connection skills. If you’re typically the one hosting the gatherings and workshops, this is your chance to have fun learning and sharing with other folks in your shoes.
Connection & Belonging Advocates
Workplace Culture Champions
Community Leaders
Coaches and Facilitators
Networking Gurus
Social Health Champions
Your June Connection Crew Co-Hosts:
Jackie Ourman (she/her) - Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Founder, Social Connection Collective
Jackie Ourman, LMHC-D, is a licensed therapist, attachment expert, and executive coach based in New York. She is the founder of the Social Connection Collective, a grassroots global community connecting the researchers, clinicians, technologists, and changemakers working to reduce loneliness and strengthen belonging worldwide. She also sees couples and individuals for therapy and executive coaching through her clinical practice, Values Aligned Therapy.
Jackie's work sits at the intersection of mental health, human connection, and technology. She advises organizations working at the frontier of mental health, social health, and AI, and contributes to broader conversations about the future of human connection in a tech-driven world. Before her clinical career, she held senior HR leadership roles in investment banking and equities, and led partnerships at a national nonprofit.
Connect With Jackie
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-ourman-lmhc-d-97282385/
Website: https://www.valuesalignedtherapy.com
Christian Altenius (He/Him) - Social entrepreneur /Lecturer / Podcast producer
🙌 Initiator of the network Collaboration for social arenas/actors: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10086327/
🎩 Altenius Social Innovation & Communication - my social entrepreneurship with solutions to socially related societal challenges, with a special focus on loneliness prevention and community-building solutions.
🏆 My award-winning social innovation since 2006: the activity site Citypolarna.se
😔 Passionate about counteracting our fastest growing public health challenge loneliness, board member of NSOE - the Network Stop Involuntary Loneliness
🎤 Lecturer on our vital social contexts, appreciated for my ability to connect different subject areas with "the social" as a common denominator.
🎨 You can get a colorful picture of the whole palette in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f97747h1tsM
🔊 Podcast production & Auditory communication
- GemEnsamhetspodden about social well-being and health: https://open.spotify.com/show/4KobBiKBWx7Q4kniO6H8Ns
Education in podcast/radio journalism at Ljungskile Folkhögskola, AI-driven journalism and media production at Linnaeus University, Risk and Crisis Communication at JMG.
Connect with Christian
Website: Altenius.com
Stephen Coté (he/him) - Social Connection Infrastructure Planner
Stephen J. Coté is a social infrastructure planner and connection builder. An entrepreneur, dynamo and visionary within the social health movement, he exalts the places and stories that connect us. Positioned in leadership roles from local to global, Steve works across industries to advance evidence-backed social connection solutions for human flourishing within the built environment.
“We are building neighborhood cultures of connection where space activation meets people animation.” You will find Steve leading a proximity-based mentorship placemaking movement for belonging in pilot cities across the U.S. - creating & animating social infrastructure elements including friendship benches, “magical” third places and community connection hubs (fourth places) while envisioning integration with the complementary practice of social prescribing!!!
Steve also champions the peer place-based animators among us: everyday heroes who weave the social fabric toward community building impact.
Connect with Stephen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cotestephen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectioncote
Your Host:
Hansen Hunt (he/him) - Community Lead, Covve
Hansen Hunt (he/him) is a community leader and connection designer on a mission to co-create a deeply connected world by bringing people together.
After years of professional success alongside loneliness and isolation, Hansen made a deliberate decision to change how he was living. Sobriety, endurance running, and building committed support circles transformed his life and shaped his work.
Today, Hansen leads Connection Crew by Covve, a global group of connection professionals working to help 1,000,000 people feel more connected by 2030. His work focuses on forming strong volunteer teams, facilitating circles, and designing shared leadership and accountability so communities can grow without burning people out.
Hansen co-leads the San Diego Chamber of Connection, B-Side Racing Team, a men's group with The ManKind Project, and is an advisor to Longer Tables and Compassion It non-profits. He loves family, his teammates, his dog Obi-Wan, tacos, meaningful conversations, and creating spaces where people feel they belong.
Connect: LinkedIn | Instagram | Digital Business Card
About Social Connection Collective
The Social Connection Collective is a global network of practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, leaders, and advocates dedicated to ending the epidemic of loneliness and building a more connected world. Born from the shared energy of the WHO Commission on Social Connection launch, the Collective brings together people across disciplines and continents to advance research, collaboration, and community initiatives that strengthen human connection. We believe meaningful connection is essential to well-being, leadership, and social progress.
Ways to Support the Joyful Connection Masterclass
For the past three years, the Joyful Connection Masterclass has been offered through invitation and complimentary tickets. That approach helped us ensure the right people were in the room and created the thoughtful, generous culture that many of you have experienced.
As the Connection Crew continues to grow, we’re experimenting with a community-supported model so the program can remain sustainable while staying accessible to everyone.
New Ticket Model
Name Your Price — Suggested Contribution $30
Minimum: $10
Choose the amount that feels right for you.
Your contribution helps support:
The hosts who design these experiences
The tools and support team needed to produce these high quality experiences
Providing additional connection and community events/resources
If contributing isn’t possible right now, you’re still welcome here. Connection has always been the priority.
A Note on Contribution
Most of us are used to contributing to things we value.
A yoga class.
A favorite café.
A workshop that helps us grow.
Connection spaces are newer territory for many people.
By offering a name-your-price model, we’re inviting the community to help shape what supporting connection work looks like.
Some will contribute the suggested amount.
Some more.
Some less.
What matters most is that we keep building spaces where people feel seen, heard, valued, and understood.
Invite a Friend
Connection Crew grows through personal invitations.
If you’ve attended before, feel free to share your complimentary promo code with someone you believe would benefit from being part of the experience.
The magic of these rooms comes from who gets invited into them.
Grandfathered Promo Codes
Many of you have received complimentary promo codes in the past.
Those codes will continue to work during our transition period over the next several months.
We deeply appreciate the people who helped shape this community early on, and we want to make sure the transition feels smooth and fair.
Over time, we’ll gradually shift away from promo codes toward the community-supported model.
What is the Connection Crew by Covve?
The Olympic training team for connection professionals. A community of people passionate about connection and inspired to take action to flatten the loneliness epidemic curve. Leveraging our diverse skill sets, we come together to learn from and amplify each other’s impact in the world. We grow together and are stronger by sharing wisdom and having a team to go through this journey.
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” - Hellen Keller
What to Expect?
Join us for an interactive and engaging session filled with connection exercises that are both fun and insightful. Our expert-led activities are designed to not only teach but also provide a platform for meaningful interactions. You’ll engage in practical scenarios that mirror real-world challenges.
So, if you're ready to be energized by connection, to laugh and learn with the best in the field, and to be part of a high-quality gathering of like-minded professionals, this workshop is for you.
A few reactions about a previous experience:
"This is a can't miss event on my calendar every month."
“Thank you SO much for today. Wow.”
"Surprised by the community focus. Felt at home with like-minded individuals. Rare and cool experience."
"Great session, met amazing people. High-quality gathering. Thanks for the invite, Hansen."
Join us for a unique experience where connection isn't just talked about – it's actively practiced and celebrated.
Spots are limited – reserve your place in this gathering of connection experts today!