[Ansteorra] Re: Newbies

prand at postoffice.swbell.net prand at postoffice.swbell.net
Thu Jan 3 14:55:33 PST 2002


Lady Vivianna,
I took no offence to anything you said, I was just adding my two cents to the
conversation.  I too am grateful for the many ideas and suggestions,  I am always
looking for more ways to make our newcomers feel welcome.  I have learned much
from others and hope to learn more.

It is frustrating to spend time talking to a new person, thinking you have
sparked an interest, and then never see them again.  It is hard to know what
makes a new person want to make the effort to get involved.  And yes I believe
there is some responsibility that lies with the new person too.  If they are not
willing to make the effort, then no amount of hand holding or mentoring can get
them involved.

I love my job as hospitaler, and I love the hard work involved.  The excitment I
see in a new person's face as you are telling them about the SCA, or when I watch
a seasoned SCAer sharing their Dream with a new person, or when I see the marvel
in a child's face as they watch us during a demo, all these are my rewards!

Thank you for all of your suggestions, comments and ideas.   I hope there are
others who will share.

Lady Catriona
Hospitaler for the Shire of Seawinds

Gormlaith4444 at aol.com wrote:

> --
> [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> Thank you for your thoughts Lady Catroina.
> I think you bring up some good points, one especially that has come forth in
> most responses to these postings.  New members are not the soul
> responsibility of the Hospitaler, nor the Nobility, nor guilds, household, or
> any one fraction of a shire or barony.  Perhaps I did not state that well
> before.  Many positions can be thankless, and major efforts can be
> overlooked.  Hospitaler is one of those positions.  It can be easy for people
> to over look the amount of work a good Hospitaler does.  It is true, I
> personally know of your efforts Catroina, and they have been many, over and
> above what most people contribute to the office.  And yes I remember the
> tablecloths, I remember the times we have spent together.  Those times helped
> to build close bonds between all of us, and I would not trade them for
> anything.  It warms me to know that these were activities that were
> instrumental in bringing you into the Society.
>
> Let me say this please.  It is my hope that no one has taken any comments
> written, as personal affronts.  I can not speak for others who have written,
> but I speak for myself.  I have written nothing that I meant to be as a
> personal attack on any group, subgroup, or person.  I wrote not to point
> fingers or blame, or to suggest who should take responsibility for what.
> Simply my thoughts and ideas of what might be helpful suggestions or
> solutions to a very old concern.  Perhaps I did not do a good job of putting
> my thoughts into words.  I wrote simply to bring to light some of the hurdles
> that people face when entering this wondrous game.  If we do not talk about
> the concerns  and issues that people face in the Society, what ever they may
> be; how can we ever hope to make things better for the next generation of
> members?  How will we ever grow?
>
> It is not that I feel anyone is doing anything "wrong."  I think we get so
> wrapped up in our own experiences and play that we forget what it was like to
> be new.  I believe that is the main reason, newbies fall through the cracks.
> We all know there are people out there doing miraculous things with their
> time and efforts.  Some are doing small things where they can here and there.
>  All this helps to build a better Society.  Some groups have found great
> solutions to newbie concerns.  Some people have great ideas that could be
> shared.  How will we ever learn about the solutions people have found or
> ideas they have if we don't talk about the issues; if we don't share
> experiences and solutions? Often issues and concerns  are not that different
> from group to group.  It is good to hear about these concerns and solutions,
> not bad, as long as we present and respond appropriately to them.
>
> I think Catorina hit upon one of those concerns when she said she doesn't
> know what else to do.  "That's" why it is important to talk and bring things
> out in the open.  Simply put, I meant to use my experiences to bring to light
> that I could have been a newbie that chose to walk away because the effort to
> become involved was laborious and sometimes emotional.  That is the important
> part I would like for people to try and understand in what I wrote; that it
> would have been much easier to simply give up and walk away.  Like many,
> eventually through persistence and finding things to get involved in, I
> became a member.  The point is, not everyone is that persistent, and if it
> becomes too much effort for new people to get comfortable, we loose them.
> There are many other organizations out there that we compete with such as boy
> scouts to civic organizations, not just reenactment groups.  Is it important
> to think about the amount of time or effort it takes for people to join other
> organizations compared to the time, finances, and effort it takes to become a
> member of the SCA?  What I am beginning to understand through these
> conversations is, that persistence seems to be the common tread among new
> folks that stick around and become members.  Is it not worth looking into,
> and figuring out what we can do differently, so people don't give up, walk
> away and find something to do with their time?  Again, I realize how many
> people out there are working their butts off to address this very problem.
> This is not an affront to their efforts.  I only wish and hope to generate
> ideas and solutions to help make the job easier for everyone, established
> members and new people alike.
>
> My apologies for offending anyone, it is not my intent.  However, to me this
> is one of those topics that is worth sticking my neck out for.  So I spoke
> up.
>
> Again, thank you for your time and responses, rather you agree or disagree.
> And a special thanks to those who have offered solutions, ideas, and their
> thoughts.  Believe it or not, I have enjoyed the responses I have received
> and have personally learned much them.
>
> Good life, and Good Dream be with you,
> Play well my friends,
> Lady Viviana
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