We’re Turning 200

Two days ago over 90 dorks decided to join #dorkdancing for mental health on the beach. How did this happen? How did we get here? Well a few days have passed, and now it’s official: we are now over 200 days old. This is a time to take stock and reflect some on the journey; to evaluate progress and celebrate the wins, both big and small. 

Rewind the clock, and we were celebrating our 100th day. It feels like years ago. In reality, only 3-4 months. So much can happen in such a short period of time. Here’s our opportunity to catch up on all the good things that have passed. 

“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” We want to go far, so we are going together. In our next 100 days, we have come closer. Here’s a laundry list overview of documented progress (as shared in our blog):

• Thai became a Dork Dancing Host

• We held a Dork Party for World Mental Health Day

• We experimented with a Dork Art event

• We danced in the rain

• We danced online with “disabled” Vietnamese women

• Dorks in Denver & Ho Chi Minh City held a couple #dorkdancing events

• The community reached out to us for help in times of mental health crisis

• Dork Dancing was covered in Vietnam News

• We experimented with a “Dork Dating” event

• Dork Games launched as a routine event for the community

• Dork Sports launched as a routine event for the community

• VEGAN Dork Dinners continued to grow

• Bence became a Dork Dancing Host

• We experimented with a Dork Trips event, traveling to Ho Chi Minh City

• We helped launch Mental Health Da Nang and now sustain its efforts

• We launched Resilient Dorks Workshops & Meetups as a routine event for community

• We published a Resilient Dorks Personal Growth, Wellness Workbook

• We dork danced into 2021 together on New Years Eve

• We said Goodbye to Lan & Goodbye to Mily (they moved!), two BIG dorks in our community

• We restarted digital #dorkdancing, dancing online twice on Monday’s

• We launched a new Digital Dork membership

• We experimented with an emotional support group event

• We launched Dork Cycling as a routine event for the community

• We launched Dork Improv as a regular event for the community

• We started #dorkdancing online 5 times/ week

• Trâm became a Dork Dancing Host

• We started a documentary project to capture our growth

• We held our first ever BIG Dork Dance event

• We danced another 100 times together on the beach

It’s been amazing to witness the growth of this community and how dorks everywhere are giving back. Our community has more than doubled.

On Day 100, community size = estimated 215 Dork Dancers.

On Day 200, community size = estimated 535 Dork Dancers.

With this, we have already surpassed the bottom threshold of our one year goal (at least 500 dork dancers). Thanks to dorks’ engagement and interest, we now host an ecosystem of Dork events, all of which are providing some kind of value for dorks and their mental health. 

We are tremendously grateful for this progress. Today, tomorrow, and the remainder of this week, we will try to sit with that — and enjoy what we have shared together. We sit. We dance. We appreciate. We grow. Far. Together.

Dork Dancing is a grassroots mental health initiative, campaign, and community effort. We depend entirely on charitable giving to inspire impact. We hope you may consider supporting by donating.