[Ansteorra] attracting and keeping new people

[Elizabeth Blackthorne]

I will answer that, as it was my quote.  I did not say they should be prevented from serving, there are MANY ways to serve without holding an office or being in charge of something at an event.  I have seen newbies run out by the politics of having an office thrust on them.  I had been playing 1-2 months and was made the hospitiler of our group.  At that time, I didn't have enough time invested in discovering the dream, to care enough to do the job.  Yes, the regional fired me because I didn't report.  Years later, I got involved again.  I kept myself out of offices by not having a membership for about 2 years.  I was able to play and live in the dream.  Found some service I LOVED doing.  Got a membership and became an regional officer.  I found that I didn't want us to lose our shire standing, so I took another office.  Then, I decided when the co-autocrat for one of our events flaked out, this job needed to be done by somebody.  No one was stepping up, I wanted the event
 to go well, so I stepped up.  Then mundane issues had our seneschal unable to continue in the office.  Once again, no one wanted the job.  I didn't really "want" it either, but I didn't want our shire to fold.  I took the job.

The point to all this is, I learned that I truly wanted to be a part of this by taking time to just play.  I found the dream, so I became willing to bear the burdons to keep it alive.  If I hadn't taken that time and just had offices continually thrust upon me, I would have walked away again.  Before I found the dream, it seemed like there was more work in my hobby than at my job.  When I took the time to find the dream, the work was necessary in order for me to keep it, which made it worth it.

Please do help the newbies find ways of serving so that they are invested.  You can show them waterbearing, feast serving, feast prep, hall decorating, field heralding, and countless other things so they can find that niche.  Just because you are not an officer, or not in charge of running something does not mean you are not serving your group, region, kingdom, and society.

Elizabeth 

Carl Chipman <cchipman at nomadics.com> wrote: Ok, you lost me.  How does preventing them from serving (one of our primary distinguishing traits) help retain new people?

Or are you quoting someone else, and the formatting got messed up?

JP

Carl Chipman
Nomadics, Inc.
http://www.nomadics.com
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From: gail young [mailto:gwynethb63 at yahoo.com]
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." [mailto:ansteorra at ansteorra.org]
Sent: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 11:16:51 -0500
Subject: [Ansteorra] attracting and keeping new people

  
In my opinion, No One who has been playing less than 2 years should be allowed to hold an office at all. Someone should also have just attended at least three events before being put in charge of something at an event. Maybe this way we could keep the newbies we attract.

This may be true for some, but I've known losts of new people who really didn't feel a part of things until they were given a job and some responsibility.
  I think the key is providing them with the support and encouragement they need to succeed.
  gwyneth

		
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