ES - Hospitaller stuff

[Tim Rayburn]

The following is my opinion alone.  I love the enthusiasm you are
displaying, but I think there is also a line that we should avoid crossing.

>1) Could we just give a simple t-tunic to new members to keep, just to get 
>them started?

I don't particularlly like this idea for two reasons.  The first is that we
have alot of newcomers that we never see again.  They just decide that it's
not for them, or whatever, but this would waste alot of hard work and
material on such people.  The second is that I feel that making a t-tunic
for yourself is a sign that you are investing in the group, and gets you
involved in all of the 'mundane' aspects of being ready to play out game.

>2) Going to a weekend event can be scary, if you don't know anyone. If it 
>wasn't for Phelippe, who graciously offered for me to camp with him, I
would 
>not have come to Springfaire. Could we somehow set up a group of folks who 
>would be willing to take a new person with them or allow them to camp with 
>them, if the Hospitaler can't make that event?

I will address this once the statement you said many times in your post
which was 'if the Hospitaler cannot make the event'.  I feel that the
Hospitaler, like all other officers, should have deputies for this reason.

As to whom these people should camp with I strongly suggest that they be
invited to camp with the rest of Elfsea. Right in the thick of things.  The
Hospitaler, or a deputy, should make sure this invitation is extended.

>3) Could we get volunteers to help stay with a new person when they attend 
>their first event, if the Hospitaler can't make that event? 

I feel that this will backfire.  While there are those that would welcome
this, there are also those that will feel like they are not trusted because
they have a babysitter.  Not everyone is uncomfortable with new situations
and many people thrive on them.  For those that would like a guiding hand,
by all means, but the presumption that all new people need them I would
avoid and scare away as many people or more than it helps.

>On a side note, Phelippe and I have been toying with the idea of starting a

>household or giuld whose main purpose would be to work closely with the 
>Hospitaler and help him/her with making the new person feel warm and
welcome 
>into our society. We were thinking that this household could do those
things 
>I outlined above.

I have seen this done before.  Clan Firefall, a group of exceptional people,
was very active in welcoming newcomers into their camp and eventually into
their Clan.  The most important thing to remember in this case is that not
everyone will want to participate, so it must be passive and not become
aggressive in any way.  Also you must remember that most new people will
outgrow that structure in time.  While they will retain fond friends, they
will find their path in our Society and set off to explore it.  Any such
group should encourage this, not discourage this, and this is very hard as
friendship with those in the 'family' is a quiet discourager to doing so,
because of the feeling of turning your back on those who helped you so much.


Timothy
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