Future Friends Concert Series is Combating College Loneliness

Students at college campuses across the nation are struggling with loneliness, anxiety and other mental health challenges that counseling centers can’t solve alone. Cue Future Friends, a new campus concert series that points students toward mental health support on campus as they build new connections.

The two-day events pair live music with phone-free social gatherings, wellness activities and mental health resources, partnering with campus counseling centers, student life teams and organizations like NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) to staff information tables on site.

Future Friends officially launched yesterday at the University of Wisconsin, with activations to follow next week at the University of Michigan and at Indiana University later this month. The goal is for students to have fun building real connections with support close at hand. The events are deliberately nonpolitical, said co-founder Harris Schwartzberg, so students can find “a safe space where they can meet new people.”

“It’s about creating community and empathy,” he added. “We encourage students to come solo and be open to walking away with new friends. We want students to understand they don’t have to be a trained psychologist to help their friends, they just need to be able to listen and show up for one another.”

Student ambassadors and volunteers plan and promote each event, which is free for students to attend, with the exception of the concert, which asks for a $20 donation to a mental health nonprofit selected by the campus. Students or schools interested in hosting Future Friends can email info@two-bridge.com to get the ball rolling. Events can run anytime classes are in session, and spring 2027 visits are already in the works.

“A lot of kids suffer in silence,” Schwartzberg said. “All it can take to change this is picking up the phone or visiting a friend to check in on them and remind them, they aren’t alone.”