Why Affinity Groups Should Have Snacks

When we go to our affinity groups every month, a lot of people aren’t especially… excited. It can also be pretty quiet and a bit awkward, as many people complain.

But part of the solution to that could be snacks! In a survey I sent out, many people said snacks would give you something to bond over, and make affinity groups both more fun and more engaging! Someone pointed out that that food is an important part of many cultures, so this could be a helpful and meaningful addition to our affinity groups. Not only are snacks loved by everyone, but they also let everyone connect more. Affinity leaders often tell us to be more vulnerable, and snacks would foster a more relaxed and comfortable environment, thus encouraging us to share more.

If you were here last year, then you probably remember that there were snacks, mostly during the end-of-the-year celebrations. But what might be even better than the rare snack is if we could have snacks more often; Out of the 92% of people who responded yes to thinking we should have snacks in our affinity groups, 70% of people responded that we should have them every time, 23% said oftentimes, and 7% said sometimes.

However, there is a bit of disagreement. One person said that it could get messy and would probably be some type of junk food, which is definitely a fair point. But a lot of answers also included making them cultural snacks, and there were even some suggestions for voting on the snacks, considering allergies, braces, etc.

Ultimately, despite a bit of disagreement, I think that to make affinity groups more engaging, fun, and help people connect more overall, we should have snacks!