Participant Testimonials

As the trip came to a close, the last full moon of the year shone brightly above us, its radiant glow mirroring the fullness in my heart.

For years I've enjoyed couchsurfing — staying with strangers who open their homes and their minds, building meaningful connections right from the get-go. When I joined Friendzone, I unknowingly sought something similar, but more grounded and local. Fortunately, I found that with Farmer and Amelia.

Our first meetup after the event was at Chomp Chomp Food Centre. Over sambal stingray and sugarcane juice, we talked philosophy and the meaning of life — not in some distant, theoretical way, but grounded, personal, and deeply reflective. I knew then that I'd found something real.

Over the past two years, we've visited each other's homes, met one another's friends, explored Sungei Buloh, volunteered together, and shared books, thoughts, feelings, and learnings as we navigate life. Our friendship is fresh air in a quiet grove — safe, inviting, and spacious.

Last December, I couchsurfed again — but this time it was us three, staying in the home where Farmer grew up in Kuala Lumpur. The trip was especially healing; I'd been grappling with a confusing interpersonal situation, and Farmer and Amelia, with their kindness and patience, helped me untangle my thoughts. From hiking Ketumbar Hill to browsing bookstores, dim sum to cosy coffee runs, every moment felt joyful and rewarding.

What I love most about this friendship is how much I'm learning — to be vulnerable, to connect with myself emotionally, to love, to live.

I saw an Instagram ad for a Friendzone event two years ago and decided to join. Last month, I hosted two of the friends I made at that event in my hometown, KL.

Amelia and Gwyneth are kind, intelligent people whose views on life resonate deeply with mine. We meet up regularly to catch up and do things together — volunteering, visiting Sungei Buloh, hosting each other at home and just talking about life. And it doesn't stop at meetups; we dm each other things we find interesting and support each other through relationships, work, and everything in between.

They study and reflect on emotions deeply, and that's rubbed off on me. Once, when I had a falling out with a friend and was really upset, my first instinct was to reach out to them. They were so supportive and empathetic that I felt better almost immediately, and the messages of support kept coming for weeks after.

I love this friendship, and I'm grateful we found each other through Friendzone.

My favourite memory is our JB trip — spending two hours in a café doing watercolour and reading zines. Just a super chill, really comforting day.

I went to SUSS Friendzone — my first Friendzone event — and ended up having dinner with people who lived in Punggol. I didn't expect to still be in contact six months later, but we've already hung out more than five times. We're all foodies, so we're always hunting for good food together — I brought them to my favourite Vietnamese spot, they brought me to their favourite Korean place.

Over time, we've grown comfortable enough to share our worries and everyday lives with each other. Two of them introduced me to their wider friend group, where I met Jordan, a fellow creative who's into photography. We've gone on photowalks together, we're working on a zine project, and he helped me figure out which camera to get. He's been a huge part of my creative journey.

Beyond food, we've also been to creative events like the Singapore Art Book Fair and School of Tomorrow — I'm so glad to finally have people to go to these things with.

From a hesitant beginner, I've grown into a proper climber with a community I genuinely belong to.

The pandemic had thrown a wrench into everything, including social gatherings. So when I stumbled upon Friendzone's "Wrapped 2021" online event, I was intrigued — the idea of reflecting on the year with others felt oddly comforting.

I was placed in a small group with a couple of strangers, Nazs and Kim, and surprisingly, Grace, the co-founder! We spent the next hour sharing our triumphs, regrets, and all the messy adulting bits. The conversation flowed easily. We laughed, commiserated, and even shared some embarrassing stories. It was refreshing to find common ground with people I'd never met before.

Then Grace suggested we go rock climbing. I was hesitant, but something about the camaraderie we'd built in that one hour gave me the courage to say yes. The adrenaline rush was exhilarating, the sense of accomplishment real, and I was hooked.

Looking back, the skills I picked up through Friendzone — active listening, genuine curiosity, the courage to share — turned out to be exactly what I needed to navigate a new social environment. I'm grateful for the unexpected turn my life took because of that one online event.

I'm so glad to have met Ellaine and found friendship in such a lovely human being!

Ellaine and I met through a neighbourhood event and were at the same table. We bonded over the same anime genres and Ghibli movies — Ellaine is just so bubbly! A few weeks after the event, our whole table went for dinner together. Ellaine and I even bumped into each other on the bus once and got to catch up for a bit.

Recently, I had an extra ticket to a comedy show and noticed Ellaine had liked the comedian's post, so I reached out. We went together and laughed so hard we literally almost peed our pants HAHAHA.

Before Friendzone, I didn’t really think of myself as a Marine Parader – just as an Eastie. Now, my Marine Parade identity is stronger!

In the neighbourhood Telegram chat, people share happenings in Marine Parade, like booking the CC for board games. Knowing that there are other young adults who live nearby and have common interests makes me feel more connected to the neighbourhood - we can go hang out together! Their food recommendations are also very helpful. 

So far, I’ve also reconnected with 4 friends that I had lost touch with who happen to live nearby!

I felt nervous about meeting others over a Zoom call. But by the end of it all, I was happy to have taken part.

At first I was sceptical about the session as it had many other participants, but eventually it became fairly interesting. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. While I enjoyed the session, the most memorable part for me was where we spent time after the session talking past midnight sharing about ourselves. It was an interesting experience as it is rare for people to talk to complete strangers about their life here in Singapore. 

Friendzone has definitely allowed me to connect with others around my area. A group of us met up to go rock climbing, and it was a great experience as it was everyone’s first time!. 

My general takeaway from the session was to be more open-minded to new ways of connecting with others during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, my biggest benefit at the end of the session is that I have a new group of individuals to try out new things and possibly forge long and fruitful friendships with.

Friendzone events have given me many precious opportunities to meet eager and like-minded neighbours. I feel assured that I’m not alone in this #adulting journey.

Honestly before attending FZ events, I had always imagined that adulting after graduation would be a dull and depressing journey. I thought that I wouldn’t have the chance to meet new people and establish meaningful connections like I did during my schooling days. I also thought that I would remain stuck with the people who I was already familiar with… literally for THE REST OF MY LIFE LOL. 

However, I’m really glad that FZ provides an excellent avenue to meet people from all walks of life (beyond just your own profession). Through all kinds of conversations with diverse individuals, I can’t help but feel incredibly empowered!

Now, I’m spreading the word about the wonders of FZ with my other friends who haven’t been to an event and inviting them to hop onboard, catching up with my newfound friends, and of course, actively checking FZ’s social media pages for upcoming events and anticipating them!

You’ll continue to keep in touch with the people you meet through Telegram groups, which is great so it’s not just a one-off event! 😁

The Friendzone event was really insightful and fun, and I would definitely recommend it to others! It’s such a great initiative; I wonder why nobody started it sooner!

I was a little anxious about it at first, but the fact that it was done virtually made it easier. I enjoyed the discussions, and it was a wholesome experience because everyone was so warm and friendly! I love meeting new people, and it’s really nice that they live nearby as there are more opportunities to meet up. I managed to connect with other young adults in my neighbourhood, especially with the girls I met there, and was even invited to join one of them to play badminton! 

Through FZ, I got to meet, connect and network with others and hone my social skills, and it was especially heartwarming being able to do this during the pandemic where our social lives are hindered.

Friendzone sessions are really lit!

It’s a great way for young ones to share views, pro tips on topics like our hobbies, and most importantly, make new friends. Facilitators are friendly and welcoming.

The atmosphere’s warm and casual so everyone just feels at home right away. Highly recommended!

Despite the limitation of having to organise our engagements online, the sessions were well facilitated with the effective use of online tools.

Friendzone helped to design and facilitate a few engagements for Holler, one of National Youth Council’s youth communities, from Dec 2020 to Mar 2021. They were professional and met our needs in a timely manner. The facilitator was able to engage our participants, helping them feel comfortable in sharing their personal opinions and contributing richly to discussions.

Overall, Friendzone was able to fulfil our objectives to strengthen our community. It was a pleasant working experience with Friendzone and we would work with them again for future engagements.

Friendzone managed to create conversations among our alumni who have never met, as well as reconnect friends in the group.

The two Young Social Entrepreneurs programme alumni re-engagement sessions Friendzone conducted for us (1 physical and 1 virtual) were really well-run. My team was inspired by the creative use of facilitation techniques and digital tools.

Tham and Grace were friendly facilitators who were able to customise the sessions to our needs and gave good suggestions. We are also excited to continue growing the Asset Board with our alumni from around the world and explore further opportunities to work with Friendzone.

Everybody had fun, there was lots of laughter, and conversations flowed easily.

We engaged Friendzone on 2 separate occasions, once for our organisation's leadership development program and another for our new hires' onboarding program. 

On both occasions, we wanted a team building segment and aspect that allows individuals to open up and build relationships with their peers and colleagues to forge stronger alignment and community spirit. Friendzone's program really helped us achieve these objectives! The games segment was well thought out and executed with great facilitation and tools. The whole program fit well with our intention also for our people to find their tribes.