Together, not alone  

It’s no exaggeration to say the situation is concerning: According to a 2023 Germany-wide survey on depression entitled the Deutschland-Barometer Depression, one in four adults feels “very lonely” and 53 percent even describe themselves as “in a depressive phase.” Over two years after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, young people are particularly caught up in social or emotional isolation. As a 2024 survey by the Bertelsmann Foundation points out, “Loneliness is a social problem, and requires communal solutions with the involvement of those affected.” The health consequences of this silent epidemic are devastating.  

 As long ago as 2010, researchers conducting a study at Brigham Young University in the USA were shocked to discover that chronic loneliness can be as damaging as alcohol abuse. Anyone hoping to improve their health and wellbeing is advised to get out of the house, join a club or society, and regularly meet friends and family for activities. However, loneliness has long ceased to be a marginal phenomenon; it is now a challenge facing growing numbers of people, who need support to find ways out of their isolation and places where they can reconnect with others.  

 Neutral points outside home and work known as “third places” are crucial elements for combating loneliness. They can be parks, local centers, or neighborhood cafés where people can meet informally, chat, and experience a sense of community. However, in many cities such places are in short supply.   

“By supporting meeting hubs, places can be created for people to meet, talk, and engage in communal activities,” explains Carsten Simon, General Manager of Mars Wrigley Germany.

Munich gives courage   

The Zusammen.Halt initiative set up by the family-owned international company Mars, Incorporated has come along at exactly the right time. The ambitious program is aimed at strengthening social cohesion in Germany and bringing people closer together. Its first step is a joint project with the Mars Wrigley Foundation to establish a community center in Munich that will serve as a meeting point. The opening is slated for 2026.  

Simon says, “By launching our Zusammen.Halt initiative, we will make an important contribution toward strengthening social cohesion in Munich and support a vibrant and future-facing city.” Meeting spaces like this are far more than mere physical places: They are social hubs. What might start as a spontaneous chat can be a way of overcoming isolation, enabling neighbors to get to know each other (better), and ideally even making new friends.  

Learning from life

Jardin Malinalli in Chicago is a standout example. The Mars Wrigley Foundation took its global Community Connection Grant program to local partners and enabled a patch of waste ground to be transformed into a busy community space. Young artists, neighborhood residents, and organizations created a stage for youth art and community events. The project reflected the overarching goals of the foundation to foster wellbeing, enrich lives, and spark moments of joy in the community.  

Commitment to collaboration is a essential part of the initiative. “We can only achieve this goal together, in all the ways that we live together, act together, and support each other, our fellows, our communities, and our environment. It all starts on a small scale, in all of our everyday lives, right where we are,” Simon points out.  

The initiative is part of the Mars Wrigley Foundation’s global engagement. Community connection projects have been implemented in various regions around the world, including a new computer center and basketball court modernization in Nairobi, Kenya; a children’s playground in Newark, New Jersey, and a community center in Querétaro, Mexico. Further exciting new projects are also underway in the USA, the UK, and India, demonstrating the organization’s ongoing commitment to fostering social bonds and creating vibrant meeting places.  

The diversity of the people and regions involved is matched by the clarity of the strategy: The project partners are local organizations that are most familiar with the challenges and potential at hand. This form of collaboration has proven to be efficacious; the spaces that receive support evolve into vibrant centers that provide new resources to meet the needs identified by the community, such as educational offerings, wellness courses, or simply interesting conversations.  

We are connected 

Researchers have long since proved the importance of social relationships for human health; scientists at the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education have shown that people with stable social bonds in their lives are less likely to suffer anxiety and depression. The high-profile Harvard study on adult development concluded that close social relationships are the most important ingredient for a long and happy life. Particularly in a time where face-to-face encounters are often sidelined by digital communication, the Zusammen.Halt initiative supported by the global Community Connection Grant program is embracing meeting places as catalysts of social interaction. At the same time, it is driving a trend that extends far beyond the design of physical spaces. Nothing can replace direct interpersonal contact when it comes to giving people a feeling of belonging and emotional stability. Munich is the beginning. The ultimate vision is a society where involuntary loneliness is a thing of the past. Of course, this goal can only be achieved with the involvement of sociable, outgoing participants that build neighborly relations. It’s up to all of us.