How to Host a Global Community Breakfast
To kick off Idealist Days, we’re inviting people around the world to a global community breakfast! By starting Idealist Days with a shared meal, you can easily brainstorm ways to take action later in the day.
Why this recipe matters
In a time when many people feel disconnected, small acts of gathering can have a big impact. By taking part in a global community breakfast, you can kick off your day by connecting with strangers or friends over good food and shared values.
Ingredients
- Idealist Days | Global Community Breakfast Information
- Accessible location
- Editable invitation templates for inspiration
- Editable planning checklist
- Breakfast items to share with attendees
- Any materials you need to complete a positive action after breakfast
- Conversation starters
- Editable social media posts
Recipe
1. Plan out the details of your breakfast event.
- If you’d like to host breakfast along with thousands of people around the world, remember that Idealist Days take place whenever the month and the day are the same number (8/8, 9/9/, etc.). Check out this information sheet to learn more about how people around the world are building community through positive actions on Idealist Days.
- That being said, pick a date and time that works for you and your community! Idealist Days can be any day. ✨
- Breakfast can take so many forms—for some people, it’s a simple coffee or tea in the morning. For others, it’s a meal. If you want to enjoy breakfast with neighbors, consider hosting it at a park or community center and asking folks to bring food potluck-style. You may also decide to partner with a restaurant to encourage folks to buy breakfast and support local businesses.
- Want to keep things smaller? Invite friends to your kitchen for a special breakfast at home.
2. Consider how this event will lead to positive action in your community.
- Perhaps hosting a breakfast to get to know neighbors better is the perfect activity for you. If that’s the case, try talking to attendees about the change you’d like to see in the world, and how you might be able to take small actions together in the future.
- For others, a shared meal is the perfect opportunity to gather with people before taking part in a positive action together. After breakfast, why not take a walk to a local park to pick up litter, or ask attendees to bring gently-used clothing for a clothing swap? Search Recipes for Action for more ideas, or brainstorm other impactful ways your group can take action during breakfast.
3. Invite folks to join you online, via email, or on social media.
- Post your event on idealist.org for free to spread the word and invite folks in your town or city to attend, or use another free tool like Luma or Eventbrite.
- Use our editable invitation templates to post your event on social media, or send email invites. You can also use these templates as inspiration for a hand drawn poster to put up in your community.
- For inspiration, check out how this one Idealist has invited people everywhere to a virtual, global community breakfast using Luma.
4. Prepare the materials you need to host breakfast.
- Around the world, people start their day differently—with coffee, tea, yogurt, etc. No matter where you’re located, use this Recipe for Action as an opportunity to gather with people in a way that makes sense for your community.
- Some hosts may decide to purchase bulk coffee items and donuts, while others will supply paper plates and cups for a potluck-style breakfast. If you are hosting breakfast at a restaurant, find out whether the restaurant can sponsor the meal or throw in some special items to support you.
- Clearly mark ingredients and possible allergens on every item of food that is going to be shared.
5. During the event, encourage conversation with strangers and brainstorm actions to take together.
- Have a few questions ready to get people talking to one another. Use Idealist’s editable conversation guide for inspiration, or print out a few copies to share with attendees.
- Ask folks what positive action they’d like to take in order to build a better world, and start planning how to make these plans come to life by the next Idealist Day.
- Don’t forget to take photos or videos of breakfast and the action you’ve chosen to do together!
6. After the event, share photos with attendees and with breakfast@idealist.org.
- Follow-up with attendees with a nice thank-you email, and consider making breakfast a recurring event on Idealist Day to encourage more positive actions in your community.
- Post photos, videos, and any reflections you have about the event on social media, and use hashtags like #IdealistDays and #GlobalCommunityBreakfast to easily find other events taking place around the world.
- Share your photos and videos with us at Idealist by emailing breakfast@idealist.org. We’d love to showcase how you took action in your community in order to inspire others around the world!
Finishing Touch
This breakfast doesn’t have to be a one-time event. Consider hosting a breakfast on every Idealist Day to kick off a day of positive actions with community members.
You can rotate hosting duties, or continuously meet at a community center for a morning potluck. If an Idealist Day happens to fall on a day when folks are busy, feel free to pick a new day and time that works best.