Ball Talk is the Danish version of Soulpancake's "Take a Seat - Make a Friend?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHV4-N2LxQ ).

It seems that in Denmark more than in other countries, one encounters a lot of difficulty when trying to make friends after a certain age. Danes have childhood friendships that they lovingly cultivate for a lifetime. But how do we make room for some meaningful conversations with strangers without too much awkwardness?

Easy! By having a Ball Talk. Ball Talk is the opposite of small talk, the genuine answer to the too often thrown around "How are you?".

How does it work? You need an adult size ball pit that can fit two people, fill it up with the most colorful balls you can find and come up with a set of questions and tasks you write on some of the balls, which challenge both introspection and empathy (e.g. : "Give each other a heartfelt compliment!"). You place the pit ball in a busy area of the city such as Norreport (the biggest the variety of the passers by, the better ) and wait for the magic to happen. You can repeat the process in different locations.

Ball talk creates an accessible space of escape back into childhood when presenting ourselves followed by "do you want to be friends?" was daily routine. Ball Talk hopes to bring out the child in everyone and take the anxiety off of approaching a stranger when seeking meaningful interaction.

Why should this be done in Denmark?
- Denmark has the highest rate of lone dwellers
- the number of international students is high - they are the majority of those who lose contact with their family and close friends and have nowhere to go to share their inner struggles
- more than 50% of people own a smartphone, therefore reducing face-to-face contact and encouraging isolation

Ball Talk aims to bring people together, make the transition from friendly to intimate and meaningful in daily interaction and strengthen the sense of community in Copenhagen and its surroundings.