SnakSammen, the Danish digital platform to reduce isolation

SnakSammen (TalkTogether), a collaborative initiative between the Red Cross and Boblberg, is an inclusive platform designed for adults seeking companionship and conversation in their daily lives. Facilitated through an online platform, participants have 1:1 video calls with dedicated volunteers from the Red Cross.

On SnakSammen, the volunteers and participants engage in everyday conversations, and there is room for a wide variety of topics, ranging from the lighter to the harder aspects of everyday life. While the platform does not provide counseling or therapy, volunteers offer valuable companionship and support, with conversations typically lasting 15 to 30 minutes at a time.

SnakSammen started as a small local activity and was made nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic arrived and we could no longer meet physically, the Danish Red Cross decided to facilitate online relationships through SnakSammen. Since then, they have discovered that SnakSammen has a unique quality and reaches a different target audience than some of our other activities. 

Most of the people using the platform are between 30 and 50 years old and a big part of the participants are living with mental or physical vulnerabilities which can make an online activity like this more attractive. That’s why the project was continued after the pandemic and continues to develop to make SnakSammen a better online platform for combating loneliness.

SnakSammen is a free service. To join SnakSammen, participants create profiles on Boblberg to use the service. There are no waiting lists or requirements for participants.

For both the volunteers and participants, the online service is very flexible and easy-to-use. The volunteers are screened, trained, and onboarded by the Red Cross but can participate from their own home. Through the system, the volunteers offer timeslots that suit their calendars, which then become available for the participants to book.

A key advantage of the platform is the safeguarding of personal information. They want to create a safe space where privacy is ensured, which is why all conversations on SnakSammen are confidential. The service is available on computers, tablets, and smartphones.

 

Participants have the flexibility to initiate conversations with different volunteers initially. Upon finding a connection, participants and volunteers can mutually agree to engage in more regular conversations, be it for an extended period or a specified duration. Periodic check-ins ensure that both parties are comfortable with continuing. Alternatively, participants can explore connections with different volunteers in their quest to find a regular conversation partner if wanted. Should participants require assistance in finding a consistent conversation partner, the Red Cross is available to help.

Danish Red Cross delivers the service nationwide in cooperation with a company called Boblberg, with whom Danish Red Cross has a formal strategic partnership regarding a citizen-to-citizen platform with 350,000+ users. Boblberg and Red Cross share GDPR responsibility and co-own user data. The Snaksammen-technology is developed by Boblberg and the Danish Red Cross and is built as an add-on service to the citizen-to-citizen platform.

SnakSammen was launched nationwide in March 2020, and by 2023 there were on average 300+ digital visits monthly. SnakSammen is still under development, and the platform will be scaled and marketed with new features and functionalities in an agile and user-oriented framework.

From a strategic point of view, SnakSammen is one of the components of the Danish Red Cross’ portfolio of digital services, which will enable them to meet the needs of a greater number of beneficiaries and engage volunteers in a new way.