Frequently Asked Questions

Curious Souls Café is a third place (a social environment, separate from home and the workplace) where people gather to engage in thoughtful conversations centered around meaningful questions. It's designed to foster a sense of community, encourage self-reflection, and explore different perspectives on life.

• Safe and Non-Judgmental Environment: It is designed as a safe space where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and vulnerabilities without fear of judgment.
• Beyond Small Talk: The café focuses on meaningful, deep, and introspective conversations that go beyond superficial topics.
• Casual Philosophy and Psychology: It aims to be non-academic and casual, making it accessible to everyone.
• Fostering Connection: The event serves as a platform for strangers to connect on a deeper level and form bonds.

Curious Souls Café was founded to bridge the gap often created by online communication and personalized feeds, which can lead to social bubbles and isolation. We aim to restore genuine human connection by facilitating face-to-face conversations. We believe in the power of in-person interaction to foster deeper bonds and understanding that online exchanges cannot provide. Our core mission is centered on the invaluable experience of human connection in real life.

Curious Souls Café differentiates itself by its focus on fostering meaningful bonds (curious ‘souls’) rather than academic or debate-style discussions. While other groups might involve small talk or specific activities, Curious Souls Café centers on structured, deep conversations on personal and universal themes.

In our context, the word "souls" reflects our primary focus on people—human beings with depth—rather than just concepts, absolute truths, or academics. Specifically, it represents:

• A People-Centric Approach: While attendees can still discuss philosophical or scientific ideas, the overarching priority is the people themselves.
• Connection and Bonding: It signifies the importance of building genuine, mutually supportive relationships among participants.
• A Non-Combative Environment: This focus on "souls" acts as a key differentiator from debate clubs or standard philosophy cafes. Instead of scrutinizing assumptions or arguing over who is right, the environment encourages listening, giving feedback, and connecting kindly with one another.

Our sessions are designed to explore universal human themes—such as connection, resilience, purpose, and personal growth. To ensure our gatherings remain a unifying "third place" for everyone, our official curations and community guidelines focus on our shared humanity. While we welcome diverse viewpoints, we steer clear of partisan or sectarian debates, choosing instead to share personal experiences and listen to understand.

Yes. There is no cost—our public events are free and run as a community-driven initiative. We don’t charge admission or membership fees. You’re responsible only for your own food and drinks at the venue.

Note: Official Curious Souls Café events are always free of admission charges. If you encounter a group asking for entry fees, please contact us at [email protected] to verify.

Since events are often held in cafes or restaurants that graciously host us, participants are generally expected to order a drink or food. This ensures we support the venue's business and allows us to return for future events.

Our events are primarily conducted in English across all our global hubs to promote inclusivity for an international audience. Facilitators ensure that everyone—including non-native speakers—can participate fully in the conversation.

Yes. Curious Souls Café events and digital tools are designed for a general adult audience. All participants must be at least 18 years of age to attend an event or use our online submission tools.

While many find our gatherings supportive and cathartic, no, this is not a group therapy session. Curious Souls Café is a social community designed for meaningful conversation and peer connection, not a mental health support group.

Our volunteer hosts are community peers, not licensed counselors or medical professionals. We are here to listen and share as friends. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact local emergency services or a dedicated mental health hotline.

Generally, a session is structured into two rounds to balance structure and spontaneity.

• First Round: Participants use question cards curated by our facilitator to explore a topic.
• Second Round: This optional round invites participants to write and discuss their own questions, focusing on the most engaging topics decided by the group.
• Moment of Truth: The final 5-10 minutes are for sharing key takeaways and feedback.

While it is helpful to come with a question for "Round Two," it is not strictly required. Facilitators often provide blank paper and pens for you to write down a question on the spot, inspired by the earlier discussion. If you're stuck, you are welcome to use questions from our web app or card decks as a backup. (Note: For events where we only focus on preset questions or other areas, there is no need to submit a question.)

When the group size exceeds our "magic number" (typically 7 people), we utilize specific formats to manage the crowd while ensuring intimacy is maintained.

For Big Groups (7-12 People): We use a "Breakout to Big Group" format.

• Color-Coded Teams: Participants are split into small sub-groups (Red, Blue, Yellow) of 3-5 people.
• Team Breakout: Teams work collaboratively to choose one question to discuss intimately amongst themselves.
• The Reunion: All tables merge back into one large group to present their questions and discuss collectively.

For Massive Groups (12+ People): We shift to a continuous sharing format.

• Quick Warm-Up: We start with everyone answering a rapid 60-second prompt to keep the energy high.
• Continuous Deep Dive: The massive crowd is split into trios or quartets (max 5 people). Groups collectively discuss the first person's chosen question. When finished, they move to the next person's question, and so on.
• Rapid-Fire Reunion: We bring everyone back together for a quick closing where a volunteer from each group shares personal learnings or insightful takeaways.

While we use a base structure with rounds of questions, we intentionally avoid rigid adherence. There's a strong emphasis on adapting to the group's vibe, with flexibility to skip rounds or introduce fun elements like the dice with meaningful challenges. This creates a comfortable atmosphere where participants feel free to engage authentically.

In some sessions, a special dice with striped sides is used. If rolled, the participant (or team) must complete a meaningful challenge (e.g., "Write a thank you note to someone") instead of just answering a question. This adds a gamified, bonding element to the discussion.

Anyone with an open mind! Because our events connect a global community, attendees are incredibly diverse. On any given night, you might sit next to a mix of locals, expatriates, and travelers from various professional and cultural backgrounds.

The only prerequisite is a shared common interest in meaningful conversations.

The format is designed to accommodate both introverts and extroverts. For introverts, the turn-taking format offers a clear framework, easing the pressure of spontaneous conversation. Extroverts benefit from the opportunity to openly share and engage. The focus on genuine sharing ensures a meaningful experience for everyone.

The facilitator guides the discussion, sets the tone, introduces questions, manages time, and encourages participation from all members. They ensure everyone gets a chance to speak and are mindful of sensitive topics, steering the conversation if necessary to maintain a safe and harmonious group dynamic.

After the formal discussion concludes, there is sometimes an optional dinner or gathering (e.g., going to a nearby restaurant). This "Round Four" allows for more casual, unstructured socializing and bonding, distinct from the structured deep talk of the main event.

Personalized touches are highly valued. The practice of incorporating questions written by previous attendees makes events feel more unique and reflects the collective insights of the community.

This commitment to personalization and evolution aims to keep the experience fresh, relevant, and deeply resonant for participants.

Absolutely not. We operate with a strict "Right to Pass" policy. If a question makes you feel uncomfortable, or if you simply prefer to just listen during a specific round, you can always choose to skip your turn without any pressure or judgment.

Facilitators may take a group photo to commemorate the session, but participation is entirely optional. We respect your visual privacy: we default to anonymity (applying blurs, stickers, filters, or other methods) for any public posts, and we will only share unaltered photos where you are clearly identifiable if we have your explicit consent. You can always let the host know if you prefer to step out of the frame.

We use a variety of platforms to organize events and engage our community:

• Meetup: Our primary platform for organizing events. A list of our groups is here.
• Zoom: Online events, hosted to help global community members reconnect.
• Digital Tools: Our web app offers virtual question cards to facilitate discussions, virtual dice roller to decide who starts, break ties, or engage in meaningful challenges, action prompts to spark gratitude, kindness, and inspiration with randomly presented creative tasks. Additionally, it includes a deck builder, and a live session board.

The initiative began in July 2024. Our events are currently held regularly in Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, and Groningen. Other locations include Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Macau, Bangkok, and more. As of September 2025, there have been more than 100 sessions globally.

No. Curious Souls Café officially operates only in cities where we maintain a dedicated Meetup Group base (e.g., Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul and Groningen). We do not maintain local chapters, or a permanent presence in any other region.

While our facilitators from these hubs may occasionally host casual pop-up gatherings in other cities while traveling, these are informal activities.

While our digital conversation tools are available globally for anyone to use for personal or private gatherings, any event occurring in a location not listed on our website is an independent initiative and is not officially conducted or supervised by Curious Souls Café.

We have local community chats (WhatsApp or Line) for regular members. To keep these spaces safe and focused, invite links are typically shared in person at the end of our events only. We do not share invite links via email or other public channels. Please beware of unoffical links or groups that are not officially supported or maintained by Curious Souls Café.

Note: To verify the legitimacy of a group, please contact us at [email protected].

The "global citizenship" mindset is one of the core tenets of our community, fostering an environment which is considerate and inclusive of individuals from all cultures and backgrounds as the events use English to attract a wide, international audience. Our discussions touch on universal human experiences, offering a sense of belonging for those who may not feel fully at home in a single country.

Because our events are hosted in various third-party public venues (like local cafes, restaurants, or parks), we cannot guarantee that every location will be fully wheelchair accessible or sensory-friendly. We highly encourage attendees with specific accessibility needs to reach out to the Volunteer Host via the event page prior to attending so we can answer any questions about the specific venue.

Our custom-designed web app is a companion tool used during events to spark conversations. Participants can scan a QR code to access virtual conversation decks on various topics. Features include generating random questions, saving favorites, using a dice roll to add a playful twist to discussions, and action prompts that use creative tasks to cultivate gratitude, encourage acts of kindness, and spark inspiration. Additionally, it offers a deck builder and a live interactive board.

No installation is required. The Curious Souls Café Web App is a browser-based tool. You simply scan a QR code provided by the facilitator to access the conversation decks directly on your smartphone's browser.

In sessions where the digital approach is unused, physical question cards are normally provided to facilitate discussion.

Because it is a browser-based tool, there are no heavy system requirements. You simply need:

• A Modern Browser: Up-to-date versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge on your smartphone.
• JavaScript Enabled: This is turned on by default on almost all devices, but it is required for interactive tools like the virtual dice to function.
• Basic Connection: An internet connection is required to initially load the page and to use real-time features like the Live Board. However, core features like the question decks can function offline once the page is loaded.

Because our app runs directly in your browser without requiring a login, your saved questions and notes are stored locally on your specific device.

Important Note for iPhone/iPad Users: Safari has a strict privacy feature that automatically deletes website data if you don't visit the site for 7 days. To prevent losing your saved items, we highly recommend:

• Add to Home Screen: Tap the share icon in Safari and select "Add to Home Screen." This protects your data from being auto-deleted.
• Export Regularly: Use the "Export" button in the app to back up your notes locally.

While the Curious Souls Café web app remains completely free to use, there are certain locked features meant specifically for our meetup members and facilitators.

If you have joined an offline meetup anywhere in the world, feel free to reach out to your local facilitator for the Pro (Power User) passcode to unlock these additional features. Please note that the Host (Facilitator) passcode is reserved for official event facilitators only.

We’ve designed our tools to serve everyone in the community, with three distinct access levels:

• Guest ('The Explorer'): Completely free with no login required. You get full access to all curated conversation decks, action prompts, the dice roller, and the ability to run or join live boards and save favorite questions. You also get basic access to the Deck Builder.
• Pro ('The Power User'): Free for anyone who has attended at least one official offline meetup. This tier unlocks advanced personal tools, including a journaling feature, data backups, and the ability to create instant QR codes or print cards for your custom decks.
• Host ('The Facilitator'): Reserved strictly for official event facilitators. This unlocks live board moderation tools, allowing hosts to manage voting, hide inappropriate cards, and direct the flow of the session.

For a complete breakdown, check out our full feature comparison table.

Yes! We believe in the power of peer-powered communities. Our "Global Curiosities" deck is 100% crowdsourced. If you want to contribute a question, you don't need to know how to code—just use our Submission Form! For developers and creators, the raw data is also available as an open-source text file on GitHub under a non-commercial license so you can build your own custom games with tools such as our Deck Builder.

• Submission Form
• GitHub Repository (Global Curiosities)

No, we do not accept donations. Curious Souls Café is strictly a grassroots, volunteer-run initiative. By keeping money out of the equation, we ensure our gatherings remain focused purely on genuine human connection, shared curiosity, and equality among peers.

Because we are entirely community-driven and do not solicit funds, please beware if anyone asks for donations on our behalf.

If you are ever in doubt or approached for money, please verify with us immediately by emailing [email protected].

To share your feedback with us, please fill in our anonymous feedback form.

You are also welcome to email us directly at [email protected] if you have any additional questions.