Creating Connections:
The DFW Young & Social Story

Howdy Everyone! My name is Marco Panama one of the Founders of DFW Young & Social. Below is a direct copy from a blog post I wrote about our story from September 2023. There have been many updates since I wrote this post, like acquiring a 4720 sq ft facility for club activities to name one! All that being said, a lot of heart from me when into that post and I would love to share it with you. Thanks for stopping by!

I want to share a story with you…a story of how DFW Young & Social came to be, where we are now, and the bright future that lies ahead. This journey isn't just ours; it's yours too, as you, our amazing community, have been an essential part of this adventure.

Founders:

Let's start with a bit about us. Alexi and I, along with our shared passion for creating connections and fostering genuine human interaction, are the driving forces behind DFW Young & Social. Our backgrounds are quite diverse, and that's what makes our partnership so unique.

Alexi is a student of human nature, and she's always been fascinated by the unspoken "rules" of social interaction. Her love for designing events that align with the way we live and think has led to over 100 successful events of all shapes and sizes under her belt. Her ultimate passion? Fostering genuine connections and inspiring joy in everything that life has to offer.
As for me, I've dedicated my career to developing professionals and helping them reach their full potential. My journey began at Southwest Airlines, where I served as a people leader. I then moved on to Ericsson, where I ran a Rotation and Mentorship Program. Throughout my career, one goal has remained constant: to empower people in my community to become leaders who strive to create meaningful and impactful change.

Our Vision, Our Passion and Our Goal.

The story of DFW Young & Social starts with a simple realization: meeting people as adults can be tough. We're all running in twenty different directions, building our careers, and planning our futures. Or, we're living like ships passing in the night, working from home, and moving from city to city, searching for ways to connect with others beyond the confines of bars and dating apps. Yet, even when we follow the standard advice for making new friends or finding romantic partners (think taking classes, attending events, going to lectures, or diving into the world of online dating), it often feels like solving an unsolvable riddle.

Connecting with others shouldn't be this complicated, right? But the truth is, most events out there just aren't designed to support the kind of meaningful connections we long for. So, we decided to change that.

Key Milestones and Evolution:

In October 2021, Alexi embarked on this adventure, launching regular meetup events. But it didn't stop there. In February 2022, Alexi introduced dance workshops, adding a whole new dimension to the community. Fast forward two months, and I joined the picture. I had seen what Alexi was trying to achieve and I was 100% for it. After living the reality of moving cities and job multiple times I knew there was true value in helping our community. So, I did what I do best. I project managed the heck out of it and push efficiency and growth.

The first move was to make sure we included Alexi’s passion for teaching social dance by kicking off a weekly Salsa class in May 2022. In addition, we pushed to create a broad variety of connection-forward outings like gatherings at the Art Museum, nature hikes, and different festivals.

Our first major milestones came in October and December 2022 when we hosted our inaugural Halloween Party and Masquerade events. We were thrilled to see attendance skyrocket, with 60+ and 75+ people joining the festivities, respectively. It confirmed that if we put in the effort to create an immersive experience with social forward activities people would enjoy each moment.

Fast forward to February 2023, and our dance community continued to spread its wings. We expanded to Plano, introducing Waltz & Swing Classes on Thursdays. Friendship was in the air when we hosted our first Valentine's Speed Friending event. And as the weather warmed up, we hit the trails with our monthly hikes in various DFW area locations.

By April 2023, DFW Young & Social had grown into a thriving community of over 3000 members and we threw a great beach party in July to commemorate the occasion. Expanding on the need for a more cohesive way to communicate and to give our community a virtual home, we launched the DFW Young & Social Discord server in July 2023.

To put a bow on it, last month we introduce 3 new monthly series of events. Our Move & Mingle Young Adult Mixer, the Relax & Rewind free movie night and a partnership with Swinging on a Star young adult dance group for monthly social outings.