If you’re not already familiar with it, WITH ME is a local Canberra-based charity that is taking meaningful steps to combat loneliness through community driven activities.
Founded by Zak Pino, WITH ME was inspired by the growth and success of his first initiative WALK-W-ME, which launched in January 2021. Originally created as a mental health initiative for people to walk and talk, it has grown into a space for meaningful conversations without pressure.
“Since witnessing the growth of WALK-W-ME, I wanted to explore whether other activities or communities could be built around the same core values; community, connection, and activity”, Zak says.
From this, YOGA-W-ME was born and has been met with just as much love. With every session selling out over the summer since it’s launch, YOGA-W-ME has become one of Canberra’s largest outdoor yoga sessions.
We all know how important it is to move our bodies, but what we love about Zak’s approach is how holistic it is. It’s not just about exercise – it’s about nourishing your mind, building connections, and embracing overall well-being.
When asked to reflect on how his initial vision has evolved into what we see today, Zak shares, “I started this for people like me and my friends, but as the community has grown, it’s attracted people from diverse backgrounds and for different reasons.” He continuously adapts the events to meet the needs of the community, believing that “if you want to learn anything, it starts with giving it a go.”
While the YOGA-W-ME sessions have wrapped up for winter, WITH ME isn’t slowing down any time soon as he plans to launch COOK-W-ME this winter. It will involve gnocchi making classes for groups of 35-40 people, with the idea being to cook together and then enjoy the meal as a community.
Stay tuned for future WITH ME events on their socials here.
