Connection Matters
Connection is the glue that holds societies together. Its absence can cause the collapse of a community.
Social groups give us identity and meaning, aligning us to a set of values with which we live our lives. Being connected improves quality of life and boosts mental health, whereas a lack of it can cause a loss of identity, drop in self-esteem and even serious medical harm.
In a world which is constantly pushing us into isolation and where loneliness is on the rise, we believe that feeling socially and physically connected is more important than ever, and we have a part to play in that.
Build Belonging, Find Purpose
Positively and compassionately connecting with like-minded peers, develops a sense of belonging. And by setting even the simplest of goals and direction in life we seed the beginnings of a growing purpose. Purpose can be private, public, big or small… but we all need it.
Everyone has their down days. We are not here to pretend that everything always goes well, but rather, to provide a safe environment and encouraging community that can support everyone along that uneven path. Catching people as they start to fall and giving them a reason to keep pressing forwards, throughout life’s ups-and- downs.
Grounded on Maslow's motivational theory of a Hierarchy of Needs, we firmly believe that combining the core human principles of connection, belonging and purpose, with a shared commitment to each other and the tasks at hand, will help us achieve our full potential. And as the meaning of the name Allegra reminds us, attaining joy and happiness along that journey.
Rely on Human Behaviour
The way we communicate is vital to human existence and Allegr believes in safeguarding the positive patterns of social interaction that have been proven for thousands of years.
Online technology has brought about tremendous recent changes in how we communicate with a huge psychosocial influence on mental and physical well-being due to its ability to change mood, attitudes and behaviour (Cheol et al., 2017). But Prof Robin Dunbar’s world-leading research has shown that over centuries our social capacity has remained fairly constant.
We believe in modelling Allegr’s social structures on these age old principles of human interaction and the scientific benefits of in-person, shared experience. We want to avoid larger public online forums that have a tendency to polarise and prevent open and honest dialogue, and instead promote trust and compassion. Creating initial close support groups is a key part of our approach, but when you do meet someone new from outside your group, it should be based on a foundation of shared passion and interest, not uncertainty.
Challenge Technology’s Ethics
Invisible and unethical factors are shaping the way we spend our time, creating addictive and unhealthy tendencies and spreading divisive and polarising media content. Many of the major social connection platforms are fundamentally driven by advertising and not human best interest. It is time to take a stand against this!
Communities deserve Tech they can Trust.
From the outset Allegr seeks to keep its data anonymous and secure, and only used to ethically and transparently support our communities and members. Our tech will not deviate from our core social purpose, keeping our members’ best interests at heart.We believe that technology should be modelled as a catalyst for activity, movement, camaraderie, rather than a ‘smartphone based’ solution.
Remain Humble, Support Others
The great thing about aiming for something that is so important for society and community is that there are already so many talented people and inspirational organisations heading in that shared direction.With a big dose of humility and a desire to stop and listen, we are modelling ourselves around existing best practices in proactive mental fitness to medical research.
Allegr’s approach to every aspect of our thinking is one of teamwork. If you bring the most creative, passionate and driven people into your Crew or Troop, you will go further. Our collaborative vision is to provide a community and tech platform to partner with and leverage the brilliant work being undertaken by an existing network of charities, support communities, health services, and academic institutions.
We have no intention of re-inventing the wheel but instead being a voice for our communities and the CONNECTIVE TISSUE to bring best practices together and shared-purpose organisations together.
A Pledge to Communities
At Allegr we believe in supporting communities with a positive social purpose who's members will benefit from digital and in-person connection. These may be communities that share a passion in reducing the impact of loneliness, improving mental and physical wellbeing, or supporting those suffering from stress and loss of identity that comes from a change in circumstances.
Allegr will help its community members support others through physical connection, a word of encouragement, or fundraising for a cause through the App. No matter how big or small the commitment, whether an individual, project or charity, we strive to provide the platform and assistance to make it possible.
