[Ansteorra] maybe an answer to recruitment problems

[Franchesca Bush]

I know that I would have (and maybe still would) attend some sort of
gathering.  I would love to discuss learning opportunities, maybe go over a
contact list, general questions I should be asking, how to know I am
missing something.  You know whatever I should know, could know, and might
want to know.  I would like the opportunity to try things that I might not
be able to afford to try.

Bryn Gwlad has a new Largesse Guild and it is great.  We made coifs,
leather pouches, and will be doing pewter soon.  I like that we have lots
of different things we worked on each time.  It's like getting your feet
wet.

On Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 10:14 PM, Zach Most <clermont1348 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> There's wisdom in this.  My take on it is that different levels of initial
> exposure work for different personality types.  Some folks are easily
> overwhelmed, and they're far better off with the little bite size exposures
> of a practice, or guild meetings.  Some folks want to dive right into the
> sea and get to swimming.  They might take a few gulps of brine along the
> way, but that's part of the fun in a way.
>   My first event was a little feast that happened to be about a mile from
> my house.  I wore a maile shirt I'd made, and won a little riddle contest.
> I thought it was cool that I could wear my weird stuff around these weird
> people and they dug it, and I got recognized for doing something good right
> away.  We're well advised to remember that early good impression on new
> comers.  My second event was Pennsic, and that's what really set the hook.
>   My recruitment route was kind of odd- There was always a demo in my area
> held the same weekend my high school held graduation.  I was a gamer geek,
> so I got excited every time my mom pointed it out in the newspaper, but I
> couldn't go because I was in the band for the graduation ceremony.
> Consequently I didn't get started in the SCA until I was in college, and it
> was because of a demo I've still never attended.
>
>   Gaston
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Jeffrey Clark <jmclark85 at gmail.com>
> To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 6:21 PM
> Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] maybe an answer to recruitment problems
>
> Greetings all,
>
> I'm going to jump back a few discussions (sorry, classes just started and
> it has been a *very* busy week).
>
> I disagree that the first thing a newcomer should do is attend an event; I
> was lucky in that when I first came to an event I had the advantages of
> being A) a very social person, and B) possessed of a mundane life that
> causes me to practice the viola da gamba and the recorder 3+ hours a day.
> It's quite easy to fit in when you already have a period knowledge or skill
> from the get-go.
>
> On the other hand, most people are not quite so fortunate. My wife has been
> to a couple of events, but never has gotten that involved because she both
> works weekends, and cannot really find any local activities that she is
> interested in and that fit her schedule.
>
> I think that an event should be a newcomer's goal, not the starting point.
> Get someone in, get them invested in the local groups, get them settled in
> SCAdian culture and knowledgeable about our ways and traditions, and get
> them to where they have friends in the SCA beyond just 1 or 2 people, and
> then get them to an event.
>
> I still maintain that the focus should be on local groups and local
> activities rather than the ONE BIG EVENT, especially for newcomers. Younger
> people -- especially in this economy -- just can't afford trips to events,
> and all of the associated costs. Being local gives people time to build up
> their skills, hobbies, wardrobe, circle of friends, and knowledge before
> being "thrown to the wolves".
>
> --Alessandro Zorzi
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