how penelope jordan launched "first timers club" for curious grown-ups

According to science, the simple act of trying something new triggers the happy chemical, dopamine, to flood into our neural pathways and make us feel all types of lovely. Penelope Jordan understands this high all too well, describing herself as somebody who’s “always waiting for the next big adventure”. Following a six-month trip to Italy, she set her sights on organising a community of similarly adventurous adults who share her love of getting out there and doing new things when she returned back home to Melbourne/Naarm. Thus, the First Timers Club was born.

Penelope’s stint overseas plus the prior stay-at-home COVID lockdowns were the driving forces behind the genesis of First Timers Club – though the group’s first outing in December 2023 only had two attendees: Penelope and her best pal Rosie. “We both decided we wanted to try papier-mâché, which is just a bit bizarre,” Penelope says, “but we were both certain in our heads that papier-mâché would be the next big thing for us.” It wasn’t until the following March when First Timers Club began to take off on Instagram, where the account (@firsttimerssclub) grew from a few hundred followers to a whopping 15k. “That basically happened overnight,” she says.

Penelope reckons that after lockdowns, more and more people are keen to get out in the world and try something new, allowing First Timers Club to flourish. “Even though it’s been a couple of years, we’ve all been stuck in this COVID period, and it seems like everyone has got this big energy and wants to do things – to get out and meet people – and to have that travel experience without having to travel,” she says.

“I think people are really excited to try new things, but they’re more excited about the meeting-new-people element of it.”

When we asked Penelope about her favourite events hosted by First Timers Club, she listed off a bunch of examples: a natural dye workshop, burlesque, beach swims, bouldering and even a “community-organised bike ride, which ended up being a bit of a rave”. She isn’t too picky about the kinds of activities the group decides to try, though. “We never really set up any parameters. It just happens so organically; it’s very much just us wanting to try something new.”

The process of planning group activities is also pretty democratic – Penelope tries to ensure that everyone’s keen for whatever event comes next. “I’ve done a few polls and it’s been good, because some of the things we chose weren’t necessarily the things that I thought people would find interesting,” she says. One specific activity in particular seems to be at the forefront of everybody’s minds: “There is a really big demand for craft clubs in Melbourne!”

While there are a couple of dream events that Penelope would love to run – including oil painting, choir singing, footy and scrapbooking – she’s quick to tell us that her biggest goal for the club is to introduce it to a whole new audience. “This could be really valuable in aged care homes, since they don’t necessarily get the opportunity to try new things. There are always new things to try, and I think it’s helpful for older people to remember that.”

All in all, Penelope is proud of how quickly First Timers Club has grown since her initial two-person hangout, but it’s the connections she’s made with other people that have been the club’s biggest achievement. “It seemed like it was just going to be me and my friend, and I was scared. I had no idea how it was going to go, but so many people were willing to put themselves out there and have that bravery to show up and meet strangers,” she says.

“I think we feel those feelings of anxiety. So, being able to push past that fear means realising how good it is to accomplish something new and knowing that everyone else is feeling the exact same way.”

This interview was featured in frankie issue 122. To get your mitts on a copy, swing past the frankie shop, subscribe or visit one of our lovely stockists.