For all the lonely people

There appears to be an epidemic of people asking how to make friends on this sub so I thought I’d post a few suggestions that may help.

First off, some advice for neurodivergent people:

You might think that the usual advice of using Meetup is a total no-go for you if you’re autistic, but there are specific Meetups for Autistic people

For dating there are special sites that help you find someone who will understand you and not turn their nose up at neurodivergent people

The National Autistic Society also have a forum where you'll find other people like you if you're interested

New Horizons is great for those who also suffer from mental health issues (which is 90% of us), they do courses on self-improvement, communication and anxiety management alongside practical courses like gardening, IT, English and maths qualifications. If you're interested, you will need a referral from your GP or mental health professional.

Youth Matters offer services for young people with disabilities and autism

For the shy:

There is help out there for you, you just need to find your tribe.

Small forums that are tailored to someone with your interests are a good place to start.

Meetup also have groups that help lonely people meetup or talk online.

The Belfast friendship club helps people of all walks of life meet up.

For those with a higher education, there's Friends forever who help people reconnect with old university pals.

Boo is a site that has subs for most interests

For those with mental health issues

New Horizons as I mentioned before is a great place to start for those who suffer from mental health issues, they do courses on self-improvement, communication and anxiety management alongside practical courses like gardening, IT, English and maths qualifications. If you're interested, you will need a referral from your GP or mental health professional.

Mindwise helps those with mental health issues connect with other people

Rethink has local support groups

There are lots of Mental Health forums out there, if meeting in person is too much for you

For young people:

Discord is a voice, video, and text chat app

Northern Ireland youth forum is a forum for young people

Meetup has a young adults section

Northern Ireland Young Walkers for those who like the outdoors

Queens Film Club has a youth group

For anyone:

Community NI is a good place to start

Cara friend is a place for lgbt+ people

For bookworms there are local bookclubs

Joining a local college of further education is a good way to learn new skills with people with the same interests

Boo is a site that has subs for most interests

Please feel free to add anything that I haven't put above, especially helpful personal experiences that might be useful to others.