What the WHO connection report asks communities to notice

The situation to understand

A resident has friends online but cannot find anyone nearby to join a short walk. Another attends a busy weekly event and still feels unseen. The same invitation will not necessarily solve both situations.

The WHO Commission’s June 2025 report calls for action on loneliness and social isolation across society. Distinguish access to people from the experience of belonging. A community can provide many activities while still making participation difficult for people with limited transport, money or energy.

A closer look at the practical details

Walk through the whole arrival process before recommending an activity. The website may describe a welcoming group while leaving out a locked entrance, an inaccessible floor or a requirement to arrive with a team. Those small details can decide whether someone participates at all. Ask a newcomer what was clear and what made them hesitate. Their answer may suggest a change as simple as naming the person who will meet them. Collecting feedback should not require someone to disclose loneliness publicly. An organizer can ask about the practical experience of joining and still learn something useful about inclusion.

Make this step manageable

A workable first move is to map one local activity from the perspective of somebody attending alone for the first time. Decide beforehand what information you need and what can wait, so the conversation does not expand into every related concern. Give the other person a chance to describe what would make the proposed action easier. If the arrangement is unclear, demonstrate or explain the relevant part together before expecting it to happen independently. Keep the first attempt small enough that you can notice what changed.

Turn the idea into an agreement

Try to ask about cost, access, transport and the way newcomers are welcomed before promoting attendance. An agreement becomes useful when the people involved can explain how it will work in an ordinary day, including who will do which part. Do not assume that a nod means everyone has the same understanding; invite a question or a different suggestion. Choose a practical detail to settle now and leave the broader conversation open. A modest arrangement that fits the circumstances gives you something concrete to review.

Start where the difficulty occurs

The next useful action is to create a clear small role for a newcomer who wants involvement without public self-introduction. Locate the point in the actual sequence where confusion or friction begins instead of applying a general solution to the whole situation. Ask what happens immediately before and after that point, because the surrounding steps can affect whether the change works. Make the adjustment where it will be used and check that the person who needs it can find or understand it without another lengthy explanation.

Words to begin with

A possible opening: “You can come for the first half hour and join the table by the window. I will be there to introduce you to the person running it.”

A complication worth addressing

A community activity is an opportunity, not a guaranteed remedy for loneliness. Listening to residents may reveal barriers that organizers cannot solve alone and need to raise with other services.

What to notice next

Look for whether newcomers return, whether participation is affordable, and whether people describe feeling included in the activity.