Surrey Girlfriends group grows to 2,200+ women in 3 years
Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Surrey Girlfriends has enjoyed impressive growth in just three years.
Cinthia Barrera launched the social group in 2023 after moving here from Mexico City. Employed in IT and alone in a new city, she found it difficult to make connections in Surrey.
“I was a newcomer and working from home,” Barrera recalled. “I didn’t have any friends or family here and I started looking for ways to socialize, but I noticed that most events were in downtown Vancouver. I thought, Why are there not more things going on in Surrey? So I started a little Facebook group and encouraged women to join.”
Surrey Girlfriends membership has since ballooned to more than 2,200 women. Close to 50 in-person events have been held, with more to come, and in December the group registered as a nonprofit.
On Facebook the group is described as “a welcoming community for all self-identifying women in Surrey, BC. We offer a safe and supportive space to connect, learn and grow through social events, activities and meaningful conversations. Join us to build friendships and find support among like-minded women from diverse backgrounds.”
Surrey Girlfriends was built differently, Barrera insists.
“What makes this story interesting isn’t just the growth (of the group), but the problem it’s addressing,” she told the Now-Leader. “Many women, especially those balancing work, caregiving or adjusting to a new city, struggle with social isolation and lack of accessible, local opportunities to build real connections. Most events are centralized or one-time experiences, which makes it hard to form lasting relationships.”
With Surrey Girlfriends, “the focus is on small, repeat, in-person gatherings within the community, things like creative workshops, wellness sessions, and networking circles, etc., designed specifically to help women build ongoing relationships, not just attend events.”
On May 24, a “Breathe & Bloom: A Breathwork Experience” gathering is at Surrey City Centre Library. By-donation tickets can be secured on zeffy.com.
Other coming events include “Create & Unwind: Mirror Decorating with Clay” (June), monthly stretching sessions, a DIY Piñata workshop (September), making handmade soap (October), monthly Book Club meetings and more.
“This is a nonprofit and we always try to make things free, but sometimes it’s not possible,” Barrera noted. “But if it’s not possible to make it for free, then we ask for a donation. People can donate just $1 or more, if they can, it’s OK.”
Most events take place at Surrey City Centre Library and in condo/apartment building amenity rooms of group members.
“We go to South Surrey, Newton, Guildford, Cloverdale, we cover all of Surrey,” Barrera noted. “Everyone is welcome as long as they are willing to come to Surrey for events. We have people coming from Coquitlam, Langley, even from Vancouver.”
Barrera said she and others have made many friends among Surrey Girlfriends.
“I really have no other way of meeting people here, so this is my source of friendships, connections, networks,” said the Guildford resident.
“At the beginning I was surprised by how it was growing organically so fast. But then I started noticing how many of the women were new to Surrey, newcomers, or their lives had changed because they are now mothers, things like that, and they lost connections and were looking for connections again. Everyone wants to connect with their community, so now it makes sense.”