This resource has been created by the Scouts & Guides de France.

Welcoming someone means making a place for that person, playing the game of meeting them by asking a first question: "And me, how would I like to be would I like to be welcomed?"

A decisive first contact

The first few minutes of the reception are essential because they will determine what happens next. Presence, enthusiasm, and conviviality will be the key words. If a newcomer arrives and no one is taking care of him, he may feel that he is not expected. If they already know someone, that person will be able to help them make the most of their welcome. If he doesn't know anyone, make sure someone else is available to do so. Another young person, the same age and enthusiastic, for example.

Discover the guests
To ensure a successful welcome, it is important to take the time to get to know the guest: his or her interests, extracurricular activities, school, etc. This will help to foster bonds between young people. To do this, suggest a game where everyone can introduce themselves and discover the others.


Explain who we are
As Scouts and Guides, we carry a history. Just like our dress or our name, be careful that the person you welcome receives the keys to understanding:
-Take the time to introduce each other.
-Take the time to situate ourselves in the space (local or natural).
-Take the time to say what we are going to do throughout the day or the weekend
- Take the time to explain our scouting vocabulary (tribes, people, cape, experience, watch) to make ourselves accessible and understandable by all. This will reassure our guest.

Welcoming adults
Adults, like young people, need to feel part of the group, part of the team. Why not start by proposing a convivial moment between adults only? (meal, game, preparation of activities, etc.) This will be an opportunity to discover each other, to be interested in the person you are welcoming. It is important to be clear about what a commitment as a leader implies (investment, availability...) while expressing the joy that one finds in living this commitment. The notion of volunteering is not obvious to everyone. This commitment brings a lot to a young adult beyond "I give back what I was given when I was younger". The time of the reception is only a step, which you must succeed in if you wish to allow the person you are welcoming to join us. Then comes the time of loyalty. If your guest does not come back, analyze why.

Prepare the meeting
To live this meeting well, a good preparation is necessary. When welcoming young people following a partnership with an association, it helps to live the meeting in a benevolent way.
With the leaders, you can:
- Share what motivates you to welcome this audience, what you hope for, what concerns you. If the reception is the initiative of one person, it must become the project of all
- Discuss what constitutes your identity, individually and as a group. A better knowledge of yourself allows you to share who you are and to better welcome others.
- To question one's representations regarding the welcomed public. Being aware of our prejudices and understanding their origins makes it easier to overcome them.
- Getting to know the public better (meeting with a person from the association, the families...)
- Propose an animation to prepare the youth for this meeting.

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