Frequently Asked Questions

The Basics

  • For our regular weekly events? Nope - just let a community leader know you’re coming and then show up. Check the events page for the meeting point and time, and that's it. Some of our events do have limited spaces and require bookings, but we’ll always communicate this clearly on the website and in our WhatsApp group when this is the case.

  • Most events we run are either completely free or low-cost (i.e. the cost of a movie ticket or a koha/donation). We know a lot of people are struggling financially, and we try to make things as accessible as possible, while still respecting the time and effort that our workshop facilitators put in.

  • Each event listing on our events page has a specific meeting point. Our community leaders share the details in our WhatsApp group ahead of the event too, so you can DM them if you're unsure, or check the events page closer to the date.

  • Our events go ahead rain, hail or shine — even the outdoor ones. Being outside is great for our mental health — especially when it’s raining! So if it’s raining lightly we’ll still go out. If it’s heavy rain, wind, or there’s lightning about, we just go indoors instead. Updates are posted in our WhatsApp community so it’s a great idea to be in there so you know what’s happening on the day.

  • Head to our Join page and fill in your details — you’ll be emailed the details on how to join our WhatsApp community. There, you'll get access to event reminders, last-minute updates, and a space to connect with other members between events.

The Personal Stuff

  • Completely okay — and most people feel exactly the same before their first event. Our community leaders make a point of welcoming people who come solo (which is most people!)

  • Not at all. You can share as much or as little as you like. Some people come to several Project Sunrise events and never mention what they're going through — they use it as an opportunity to take their mind off things for a bit and enjoy the movement or the company. Others want to share and let things out, and find that conversations naturally go somewhere honest. Whatever you need on the day is completely okay.

  • We're so glad you're here. Project Sunrise is a peer support community — we're not a counselling or crisis service, and we don’t pretend otherwise. If you're struggling and need something a bit more than community, please reach out to a professional. Our Resources page has helplines, crisis contacts and other services that can help.

  • Yes! You don't have to say a word. You're welcome to just be present, walk (or sit) alongside people, and take what you need from the experience. There's no pressure to contribute, share or perform in any way.

Our Events

  • Absolutely not. Rise 'n' Stride is for all paces — walkers, joggers, slow runners, people who run for 2 minutes and walk for 5. There's no minimum pace, no expectation, and no pressure to keep up. We move for 30mins and we start and finish together. The ocean plunge after the 30mins of movement is entirely optional (though we find that after a week or so of watching from the beach, most people come and join us - it’s too fun not to!)

  • You show up with a hot drink from home (or grab one from the cafe), and then we walk and chat. Along the way, your community leader might stop and facilitate a casual group conversation that is optional to participate in. That's really it - a nice walk with some friendly faces. Some furry friends might come up to say hi along the way too! Sometimes the conversation will get deep, and sometimes you’ll be laughing the whole way. It all depends on how you’re feeling on the day.

  • While Project Sunrise started with a focus on professionals and business owners, our community has grown to include people from all walks of life — different ages, industries, backgrounds, experiences and life stages. The only thing people have in common is that they want connection without pressure. If that’s you, you’re welcome in our community.

  • Absolutely. Come to as many or as few as you like. Some people come to one event a week, some come to every single one. Others dip in and out as their schedule allows. There's no expectation either way, and you don’t have to apologise for not making it!

  • Our community was founded by three friends who all live on Auckland’s North Shore, and we all volunteer our time to run this community on top of our full time jobs/businesses and other family/social commitments. We cannot be everywhere all at once, unfortunately, so we run events based on what we can manage and the resources we have available from other volunteers. If we get reliable and committed volunteers who want to set up events in other parts of Auckland, we absolutely are able to offer more options, but it is entirely dependent on others putting their hands up to help. So, one day there may be a Sip ‘n’ Stroll in every suburb, but right now we’re making do with the capacity we have (because how ironic would it be if we started a community to support people navigating burnout and then burnt out ourselves?)

  • Same as above. We all volunteer our time to run this community on top of our full time jobs/businesses and other family/social commitments. We run events based on what we can manage and the resources we have available from other volunteers. If we get reliable and committed volunteers who want to set up more events, we absolutely are able to offer more options, but it is entirely dependent on others putting their hands up to help. Right now we’re making do with the capacity we have (because how ironic would it be if we started a community to support people navigating burnout and then burnt out ourselves?)

  • You’ll need to become a Project Sunrise Community Leader. We require all events to have a minimum of 2 leaders in order to go ahead, so that there is enough support in place should someone be sick or away. We also have a level of expectation and responsibilities of everyone who runs one of our events, and we only agree to add more if it feels right. If you have an idea we’d love to hear it, but be prepared to put your hand up to help!

The Community

  • We have community guidelines that cover how we look after each other — both in person and in our WhatsApp community. The short version is: be kind, respect what's shared, no promos, and remember we're not a professional support service. We don’t mess around with these and we remove people and posts from our WhatsApp community and in-person events if they breach these guidelines.

  • We love hearing ideas from the community. The best way to bring an idea to us is by contacting our co-founders directly via WhatsApp community or in person at an event. We do have a process for evaluating new events to make sure they're the right fit — but we always love a conversation. If there’s an event you want to go to outside of Project Sunrise and are looking for friends to go with you, you can share it in the WhatsApp group but we just ask that you gather interest and then take the conversation to a separate chat/platform to continue the logistics and planning there.

  • We often need help running our regular events or setting up new ones. We source from within our community first - from people we know and trust. So if you’re keen to volunteer your time, come along to some events first before talking to us about it. Get a feel for what we’re all about, start to become a familiar face, and then let’s have a chat! All our community leaders are expected to be reliable, good with people and welcoming, and bonus points if you’re organised and great with communication. No specific experience is required, but it’ll help if bringing people together is your thing.

  • You can, but it will be challenging, as. we use WhatsApp for all our event communications and Announcements. We recommend downloading WhatsApp if you want to be a part of Project Sunrise as it’s the best way to stay in touch with others you’ll meet and get updates.

    • General Chat (open to everybody): For miscellaneous, non-event-related chat, e.g. finding people to go with you to an activity or external event, asking questions, sharing ideas, connecting with others.

    • Resources (open to everybody): Where you can share any books, films, podcasts, websites, apps, or tools that have helped you mental wellbeing.

    • Event chats (closed): We have a chat for each of our events which are just for the people who go regularly. These are spaces for those who only want to get notifications about the events, share photos and chat with people they already know, and are more private and less overwhelming spaces than the larger chats.