We all like the idea of community, but what does it take to build one?

Everyone's lonely but nobody can hang out. That's how New York-based writer and speaker Amanda Litman felt at the start of 2025. 

Her answer: to host weekly dinners — inviting friends, acquaintances and strangers alike — as a way to build a community and combat the loneliness she felt. 

A year on, she reflects on building community in a world that is so often geared to convenience and individualism.

So what does it take, and what gets in the way of us doing it?