Connecting Through Quizzing

Connecting Through Quizzing

The taste of "freedom" has been teased to all of us during the last few months, and as we finally start to come out the otherside of the corona-virus era, it is important we reflect on how significant the power of connection truly is.

Many people used methods already familiar to them to stay in touch with friends and family during lockdown, such as FaceTime and WhatsApp, to name a few. Whilst some of us are used to sending photos and videos to each other as a matter of routine, there were undoubtedly people who had to start from scratch, perhaps by learning how to use apps and technology altogether. Nevertheless, whilst there are many lessons to be learned from the events of the last 18 months, it is crucial to recognise how important our friendships and relationships have been during this time, and how important they are going forward.

On this note, I took some time to consider how challenging it must be for those who have felt isolated during these times. After all, how exactly do you go about meeting new people when you are told to stay indoors? There are a number of people who, for a variety of different reasons, struggle to socialise owing to personal challenges and needs, who would have also struggled prior to the lockdown.

With this in mind, I took to a Facebook group in which I am a member of, to host a Virtual Quiz Session via a video call, to help combat this issue for those living in West Sussex. This gave people, who find socialising in person challenging, an opportunity to "meet" new people virtually from the comfort of their own home.

I felt a great sense of pride that a number of people attended, taking part in two quizzes and then talking to each other afterwards about hobbies, interests and finding other things they had in common with each other.

The first quiz was devised by myself; a set of samples of different songs sang in different languages. Participants had to guess the language of the song - something that actually proved quite challenging!

The second quiz was devised by Kat Taras - an aspiring Life Coach - which tested participants on their generalknowledge of West Sussex. I was pleased and grateful that Kat kindly volunteered to create this quiz especially for this event.

Whilst I am pleased I was able to offer this opportunity to a small number of people, I hope it encourages others to host and partake in similar events. I hope it also reinforces just how far a small effort can go. After all, one of the most beautiful things in life is getting to meet so many interesting and diverse people, sharing stories and laughter and developing friendships and relationships. Please do take a moment to appreciate the power of connection - not just in person - but virtually, for it can lead to so many great, wonderful things.