Last year I joined a community choir.
At the start, every Tuesday, I turned up on time, took my seat, and simply sang.
As the weeks rolled by, things began to change. I started waking up on Tuesdays genuinely excited about the evening ahead. I arrived earlier and left later. I got to know people and shared with them the joy and ordinariness of our lives.
Now it is more than a choir and has become a vitally important part of my life.
What I didn’t realise at first was that this experience and this place have a name. It is called a Third Space.
Soul Song Choirs is a fun, inclusive and accessible place for singers of all ages and abilities to discover the joy and transformative power of group singing. (Image: Soul Song Choirs)
The original concept of a third place was developed by American sociologist, Ray Oldenburg. In his 1989 book, The Great Good Place, the third place was an informal gathering place, separate from home and work, where people regularly come together for conversation, connection, and community life. In recent years, it has been extended to the broader concept of a third space, which includes physical, social and sometimes digital spaces.
There are eight defining features that make up a third place, including neutral ground, a leveller, conversation as the main activity, accessible and accommodating, has regulars, a low profile, a playful mood, and ‘a home away from home’.
So why are third places and third spaces important?
Loneliness is a simple idea, even if the consequences are not. It’s the feeling that you want more social connection than you currently have.
In recent years, it’s been recognised as more than a personal issue. In 2022, loneliness was described as one of Australia’s most pressing public health priorities. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports that around 15% of Australians were experiencing loneliness in 2023.
In 2022, loneliness was described as one of Australia’s most pressing public health priorities.
Social isolation is slightly different. It refers to having very little or no regular contact with other people. In 2023, the AIHW estimated that about 15% of Australians aged 15 and over were socially isolated.
When loneliness and social isolation take place together, the impact can be significant. It can affect both mental and physical health, as well as overall life satisfaction. These figures point to something simple but important – that too many people want more connection than they are able to find.
Third spaces are an opportunity to address both social isolation and loneliness. They can be as diverse as a community garden, a service club, a library book club, a Men’s Shed, even a choir.
(Image: Soul Song Choirs)
I take for granted that I can seek and find social connection in many third spaces in my community.
In my role at Castle, I have a particular interest in the role that third spaces play for people with disability. The AIHW reports that nearly 3 in 10 (29%) people with disability aged 15–64 experience loneliness compared with 17% of those without disability. This is even higher among people with severe or profound disability. Similarly, people with disability aged 15–64 are twice as likely (19%) to experience social isolation as those without disability (9.5%).
...people with disability aged 15–64 are twice as likely (19%) to experience social isolation as those without disability (9.5%).
At Castle, we work to connect people to employment and support people with community engagement.
But for many people with disability, social isolation isn’t caused by lack of support. It’s caused by lack of places where support isn’t the point. A service or a program is not the same as a place to belong.
Third spaces don’t ask people with disability to be a participant. They simply leave room for them to belong.
Fortunately, there are organisations in our community turning this idea into practice to ensure that people with disability have access to third spaces in our community.
One of those organisations is Community Disability Alliance Hunter (CDAH), whose Peer Groups and Catch-up Crew are shaping third spaces for people to connect and engage with each other, and with their community. There is more information on these programs at Peer Groups - CDAH.
Another organisation is Hunter Circles, whose ‘Community for Everyone’ initiative is connecting volunteer social connectors with people with intellectual disability who share similar interests. They have accessed third spaces such as Landcare, Hunter Wetlands, Park Run, and Ukestra. There is more information on how to get involved with Hunter Circles at Join Our Community and Create Lasting Impact.
Third spaces are important to every single one of us. If we believe in inclusion, we have to build places where inclusion can actually happen.