THE MEET CART
Created as a mobile structure where strangers meet, greet and play, The Meet Cart is where unfamiliar people become unexpected pals. In a world of great disconnect and divide, Betterish has created this pop-up social space were simple games + activities bring people together in fun, meaningful and engaging ways.
It’s been to creative events, festivals, birthday parties, museums, schools, parks, donut shops and bakeries.
Want to bring the Meet Cart to your organization, event, classroom, or party? send a message let's make it happen.
p.s. The Meet Cart now has it’s very own corner of the interwebs: THE MEET CART DOT COM
NEW’ISH VIRTUAL MEET CART OFFERINGS
MORE ON THE MEET CART 2020
Architects in Portland. Moms in Long Island. A grandfather’s 94th birthday. 4th graders celebrating the end-of-the-weirdest-school-year ever. Folks zooming in from Argentina, France, India, Australia, Iceland, Mexico (and the list goes on…) to attend a Creative Mornings Global Field Trip simply to connect with strangers.
Since April 2020, The Meet Cart has virtually been rolling it’s wheels across the globe for programs/events ranging from company happy hours, birthday parties, university workshops and weekly Meetful Mondays as way to socially connect people during a time of socially distancing.
You might have landed on this page because this Meet Cart thing sounds interesting, but a.) you’re not quite sure how it works or b.) you want to learn more from previous participant’s perspectives
RE: A - contact emily for the logistics
RE: B - see below
MEET CART REVIEWS
“i have ‘virtually’ gathered around the meet cart a few times and i cannot stop talking about the experience. emily has the gift of creating a safe space that fosters people to listen and share courageously. it’s been so refreshing to have a meaningful, vulnerable, honest, and funny conversations with strangers. i’ve left feeling heard, nourished, inspired, and connected with a few really sweet humans in the process.”
—ELITSA, SAN FRANCISCO CA
“Emily's interactive facilitation at the Meet Cart helped our graduate business school community to open up and connect as we work to adapt to virtual learning and networking. The WAY SHE FACILITATED encouraged us to focus on things that we love and appreciate—- sharing those with each other allowed us to start our semester off in SUCH A meaningful way. Emily helped us to set a positive tone DURING a time where it is critical for us to work together to build intentional connections, and for that we are incredibly grateful.”
LIZ, GABELLI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
“One of the hardest goals to meet during a virtual convention is attendee connection. The Meet Cart happy hour we offered was a wonderful solution to the problem - our attendees met new people, laughed, and made connections. It was easy to participate and a great success! We would definitely do it again.”
AUBREY, NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR HISTOTECHNOLOGY ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM/CONVENTION
“emily threw my sister’s 38th birthday day party at the meet cart and i am still in awe of how wonderful it went!
inclusive: ✔️ this brown and black family, with my little 13 and 7 year old nephews and my grandma who doesn’t know how to write felt 100% included.
fun & meaningful: ✔️ emily created a space that brought us such a sweet and fun new memory and this time with my grandma, who had not celebrated my sister’s birthday with her since my sis was 5!
bilingual: ✔️ i translated for my parents and grandma. they were hesitant at first to try something new but very quickly they had a blast and by the end they were saying ‘woah, i loved this!’
i don’t know about your family, but mine doesn’t really take the time to share how much we care about each other. emily’s virtual meet cart party took care of that. it was so fun and created a space that allowed us to share things in our heart that we never speak out loud.”
— NANCY, LOS ANGELES CA
“i attended the creative mornings global field trip in june and am so appreciative of emily’s time and talents. the meet cart offered me the opportunity to meet a lot of strangers, to make connections (even if just for minutes), and the chance to share smiles, vulnerability, and kindness. emily is a connector. a joiner. a bridge builder. she offered us all a safe place to unplug from the daily grind. she made the world feel more human and smaller.”
— JOHN, MAHTOMEDI MN
“each time i join a meet cart event, i leave feeling energized. i get to connect with new people through lighthearted games that open up avenues for engaging conversations. if you can’t stand small talk, you’ll love this format.”
— SARAH, ATLANTA GA
My family (which is scattered around the world) was so looking forward to celebrating my mother’s 80th birthday all together and in person this August. We were deeply saddened that we couldn't due to COVID, and we were struggling to figure out how to celebrate in a way that still felt extra special. The Meet Cart Birthday format was perfect. It brought 25 of us together in a way that felt personal, uplifting, fun, and structured. Emily is a great emcee: she is gracious, kind, and funny. My mom, her friends, my siblings and cousins all called or messaged me afterwards to say how much they loved this zoom celebration. Highly recommend!
-SUSIE, LOS ANGELES, CA
“i think a really powerful aspect of this movement we’re in now is seeing how we can leverage the communities we’ve already built to foster change, as well as to get folks more comfortable with some of the ideas and practices. it’s not easy, but i’m grateful to see emily using the meet cart to bring her compassionate energy to the conversation around anti-racism work. it’s much needed. ”
— LUCY, PORTLAND OR
“we were struggling to find a way to connect our staff over the past several months. staring at a zoom room of 30 people was not anyone’s idea of a good time. i reached out to emily after participating in a monday meet cart session with the hopes that she could facilitate some conversations and help us actually have fun at happy hour. the first one was a hit, and the second. her game is engaging, thoughtful, fun and gave us a way to talk about the important things in a challenging time. we will be back.”
— KELSIE, PORTLAND OR
“emily is a skilled facilitator of joy! it’s challenging to help strangers create authentic connections in person, never mind over the internet. but alas, emily does it with ease, grace and humor. i highly recommend trying out her virtual meet cart session...but probably only if you like having fun.”
— ERICA, DENVER CO
“betterish turned my daughter’s virtual graduation celebration into an amazing heartwarming community experience despite our difficult time of quarantine. thought provoking conversation with special attention to the graduate made everyone feel the love and virtual hugs! emily is organized, well-spoken, fun, & friendly! she wants nothing but the best for the world and each individual in it. she followed through after the zoom celebration and continued to make our family feel proud of our daughter’s accomplishments. emily works in a casual yet professional style. betterish certainly makes the world a “better” place!”
— KATHY, MILFORD CT
“i’ve been attending meetful mondays every week since emily shifted the focus to holding conversations about race and racism. these sessions have really served as a reminder i need to expand my bubble…which is really hard when in a pandemic. but that’s why i’m so grateful for what the meet cart is offering in terms of connecting with new people—-the meet cart is allowing us to expand our bubbles. we all need to be expanding our bubbles right now. ”
— SARAH, SACRAMENTO CA
MEET CART PRESS
Meet The Meet Cart, a Virtual Place With Games To Bring People Together - 303 Magazine, June 2020
Colorado Creatives: Emily Hope Dobkin & Her People Connecting Platform - Denver Westword, June 2020
Talking To Strangers in a Pandemic - CONVENE Magazine, September 2020