Dare to Date this February
Somethingyousaid.com’s Addy Fong explains how you can go on dates and be a charitable human all at the same time:
If you think dating is the process of categorising food according to when it expires then there’s a chance you’ve been single for FAR TOO LONG. February 14th is Valentine’s Day or the day before Singles Awareness Day as so many of us know. Sometimes, being single is hard, especially when a member of your family randomly asks you at an impromptu family gathering, ‘why you no boyfriend?’
Talk about awkward. No wonder almost 30% of Australians choose to meet people online and 50% of Australians describe dating as ‘tedious’ or ‘terrifying’. Relationships are hard. Dating is hard. The initial meeting. The awkward conversations possibly fuelled by a couple of drinks. The chewing. The shuffling of feet.
Let’s be honest, you probably only agreed to meet with them after you ‘accidentally’ swiped right on the image of that attractive human on your screen when in actual fact you were trying to wipe that pasta sauce off your mobile device (or so you say).
Like me, you probably find comfort in technology rather than actual human interaction. Socialising is tiring. No wonder you’re engaged with your device right now. Fascinating. Maybe I shouldn’t keep you, so keep scrolling, as you were. Just remember to swipe right and double tap what you like.
It isn’t just that. Our fascination with these electronic devices extends to online dating which is basically the equivalent of having a poster of that guy with the nice hair from that boyband you once listened to stuck on your wall. You can dream all you like, you don’t actually know who he is beyond that side-swept hair. To get to know him you actually have to meet him. This is both exciting and terrifying because you don’t know where to begin.
This year, there’s the opportunity to get out of singledom by taking on the Five in Five challenge. The challenge is basically this: go on five dates in five weeks, from Valentine’s Day, 14th February to 21st March 2015 and raise money for charity whilst doing so.
Simply register online at www.fiveinfive.org.au, and ask friends and family via social media for recommendations of who to date or where to go. Next, challenge three friends by using the hashtag #daretodate to go on dates themselves or donate to a charity if they’re unavailable.
Personally, as someone who’s single and low on cash, I’ve never been more scared of hashtags in my entire life. I managed to avoid last year’s Ice Bucket Challenge by building a pillow fort in my bedroom. Ah, hibernation. Joking aside, last year’s Five in Five campaign raised $70,000 for charity helping non-for-profit organisations fight poverty, social disconnection and homelessness across Australia. So Five in Five is a pretty great challenge to get involved in.
However, if you’re like me and you shudder at the thought of human interaction, the Five in Five challenge also includes dating specialists who will hold your hand (so to speak) through the entirety of the dating challenge. Baby steps.
So this February, if you #daretodate who knows, you could find love or perhaps another place to eat. Just have a go or continue cataloging that food you have in preparation for hibernation.
2015 Five in Five Challenge
Visit and register at www.fiveinfive.org.au
14th February to 21st March 2015 #daretodate
Words by Addy Fong.
