Virtual Coffee Chat​
How the Pandemic Started a Movement
Foreword by Carrie Hall, Founder
I'm asked about how did I come up with the idea behind the Virtual Coffee Chats? Well, as they say, there's always a story behind the story.
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It's also about the only in-person event that I wasn't able to attend, and it was also the very last one. I felt that this photo of women drawing on pieces of paper on a round table is frozen in time. The "aerial" photo was shot by one of our original co-founders, Cassandra Musgrave.
This was weeks before the COVID lockdown, when everything changed, overnight.
From Then Until Now
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, we gathered regularly at various San Francisco libraries and even held our last in-person event at Peet's Coffee in Oakland. However, as the pandemic unfolded, we swiftly adapted by initiating Virtual Coffee Chats as a way of connecting with our members.
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Initially, these virtual gatherings served as informal check-ins to support each other through the early days of the pandemic that alternated between evenings and Saturday morning sessions. The format evolved when a member proposed introducing themed discussions. The first themed session focused on Autistic Masking and took place towards the end of 2020 as an open group discussion without a formal presentation.
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Responding to positive feedback, we introduced a structured format in February 2021, starting with a presentation on Autistic Burnout. This combination of educational presentations followed by group discussions resonated well with our members. Since then, we've successfully hosted monthly sessions on diverse topics, each comprising a presentation and a subsequent discussion, all within the same Zoom call. This format has proven to be very popular, building AWA member loyalty through the past five years. Of all of the events we’ve done, this has been the most popular