I loved the intentional hours in my week where I prioritized my own journey, so I couldn’t wait to share it with my community.
Working with Nearness was immeasurably fruitful—and fun! They are expert collaborators and know how relationships can flourish. It is not too much to say that every organization would benefit greatly from engaging them.
Nearness creates 6- to 10-week programs designed around a topic relevant to your organization. Weekly small-group gatherings take place as a series of Zoom calls, during which participants walk through conversation starters, readings, and exercises that have been developed by experts in spirituality, connection, and psychology.
A written discussion and activity guide helps participants take turns leading the group, keeping time so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute.
Take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. Settle into silence.
Read aloud the Agreements: the perfect tool for collective intention-setting.
Journal with heart-expanding reflection prompts.
Rediscover your faith in humanity. Reconnect with your deepest self.
Feel seen and validated as you share. Experience deep connection as you listen.
When Nearness partners with a campus, community, or business, we develop custom content to match this proven structure.
The connection and support from my small group was so much more than I expected! An experience of diving below the surface to have real, vulnerable encounters.
Nearness is a 10-week program (running from February 12 to April 15) that takes place as a series of Zoom calls. You'll be matched into a small group of 6-7 people by complimentary interests and backgrounds, and you’ll walk through exercises that have been developed by experts in psychology, connection, and personal growth. A discussion and activity guide helps you and your fellow participants take turns hosting the conversation, keeping time so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute.
Nearness is created by a growing team of community-builders, facilitators, and program designers.
Co-Founder and CEO Alec Gewirtz is an expert on human connection and spirituality. He's led the design and execution of thousands of small-group conversations, and his work has been featured on BBC and in The Atlantic. A graduate of Princeton University and a former Fulbright Research Scholar at The University of Toronto, he lives in New York City.
The Nearness was formerly led by Co-Founder Casper ter Kuile, now Director of Special Projects, who is the author of The Power of Ritual, a former Harvard Divinity School Innovation Fellow, the co-founder of research and design firm Sacred Design Lab, and the co-creator of podcasts Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and The Real Question. He lives with his husband in Brooklyn, NY.
Nearness is just in English for now—but with a number of participants for whom English is their second language. In the future we hope to have Nearness groups in many different languages!
The only data Nearness collects is from your intake form, which we keep safe and secure, and for our own use only. We will never share this information.
Nearness uses Mighty Networks as our community platform. You can read their robust privacy policy here.
Great. Please feel free to reach out to us with questions at hello@nearness.coop!