While not commonly spoken about, young people leaving college and entering the workforce often have one struggle in common: how do you make and keep new friends as a working adult? Add in the global pandemic that has been ebbing and flowing in its intensity for the past two years, and this problem complicates itself even further. Many young people who were entering or had just recently entered the workforce when the age of COVID-19 began are now trying to figure out what their social life in a post-college, post-COVID-19 society could look like. Sure, they can do their best to keep up with old friends online from the seclusion of their bedrooms, but what about the time spent enjoying city life and meeting new and interesting people that your 20s and 30s are meant to be about?
Enter The Shaka Club, a new kind of social club for people in their 20s and 30s in New York City. When you hear the term “social club,” many people are bound to think of an older group of individuals meeting in a fancy clubhouse and paying exorbitant fees to do so. The Shaka Club has set out to change this misconception.
After twin co-founders Kelly and Caitlin Stefanick graduated from college in 2017, they moved back to their hometown of New York City to start their professional careers. Then, they began to notice the lack of avenues for people their age to connect with each other the way they used to when they were in college. With all of the spaces like clubs, sports teams, musical groups and Greek life that people use to make friends in college suddenly removed in post-grad life, where were they supposed to look for unique new social connections beyond their few immediate co-workers?
As they continued to run into this problem over the next three years, they then faced the even larger obstacle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experiencing the isolation of the pandemic for so long sparked the sisters’ determination to really make a difference in the social lives of their peers by creating The Shaka Club.
They found inspiration for the club’s name in the shaka: a hand signal used to share and symbolize love, compassion, friendship and respect that is used in both Hawaiian and surf culture. With these values in mind, the Stefanick sisters officially launched The Shaka Club in September 2021.
So what does membership in The Shaka Club really entail? After being accepted and setting up a membership fee payment plan, members can then register for fun and engaging events, which take place on a weekly or semi-weekly basis. These event tickets cost $40 to $60 and can accommodate 10 to 50 people at a time depending on the venue for the event. Because The Shaka Club does not have a single location as a clubhouse, their events take place at cool and unique locations all around New York City, giving their members special access to the hottest spots in town.
Some of the club’s past events include a private cabana and open bar at Pig Beach; a private section and open bar at The Wayland; a private room and open bar at the historic White Horse Tavern; a full buyout of the Club Car at the McKittrick Hotel for a holiday party co-hosted with Instagram influencer “Overheard on Wall Street;” private golf simulators with bar service at Five Iron; a three-course brunch at Ainslie in Williamsburg with food and drinks included and a comedy show with Brooklyn Underground Comedy at the Roost.
If all of that wasn’t tempting enough, there is also, of course, the club’s main promise: the opportunity to connect with other 20- and 30-somethings living in the city and working in a variety of fields, including but not limited to art, entertainment, tech and finance, who have a variety of passions and hobbies. The Shaka Club encourages its members to pursue whatever kind of connections feel most authentic to them, and is open to members forming business, platonic or romantic connections with other members as they see fit.
To apply, there is no application fee, and a quick and simple interview process to determine your acceptance. Overall, The Shaka Club is focused on admitting members that are authentically and enthusiastically interested in engaging with the city and with their peers. While the club does attract many young professionals, there are no specific requirements related to having received a college degree or landed a corporate position to be admitted.
There is also a The Shaka Club pop-up in the works set to appear in The Hamptons this summer, with details coming soon!
To start your application process, visit theshakaclub.com/join.
