Orientation and Communication
After you arrive, a GW representative will be present to welcome you. Who this is will depend on when you are arriving. It could be an intern, the House Manager, the Director of Operations or some other designated staff person. We will let you know who you will be looking for. First they will show the group leadership where the kitchen facilities are and where your food will be stored. They will also show you the dorm rooms in which you will be staying. After that you can direct the group to unload and bring items to the appropriate places. If you are arriving around dinnertime, you can prepare the meal for your group. One of these individuals could be the intern designated to “Host” for the evening. This is a key, go-to person for your group. Each evening you are in the house, there will be someone assigned to generally oversee the activities of the house. Most likely, they will be the one to welcome you and provide an orientation for your group. They will also be available to answer questions about the kitchen, chores, the food pantry and Good Works in general. Please do not hesitate to seek assistance from this person. They are here to help you. After you get settled in, an orientation to Good Works in general and the Hannah House in specific will be given to the entire group. This will take 30-60 minutes, depending on your group and how long you will be with us. This is intended to be a welcoming of your community to our community. You will be introduced to those living in the house and we will go over some guidelines for living together for the week. (We would actually like for this to be a review for the members of your group. It is important that you go over the Participant Packet information with the members of your group prior to coming. This will prepare them for the event and gives them the opportunity to process some of these things before they get here.) During this time we will also give you the finalized schedule for your week with us which will be an update of the one previously sent to you. On Monday morning following the morning devotional time, an orientation will be done with you and the other leadership of the group. During this meeting, we will briefly discuss issues of communication and your expectations. This is also when we will take care of the volunteer releases and the requested donations. Please bring up any concerns you have at this time. Mid-week, we will have a check-in time. The intent is to give you an opportunity to discuss any problems that have come up. We will also share with you any concerns we might have. Our desire is to keep the lines of communication open and flowing freely. We have set aside these times to put into place a structure that will make sure this happens. However, we consider ourselves available to you as needed throughout your time with us. Please feel free to discuss with us any concerns you have. You will be heard and the problem will be addressed as best as we are able. Finally, on Friday an evaluation will be done with you, the group leader. This is your time to tell us about your experience during the week. There are several objectives in doing this:
It is our desire to give you a positive service experience while you are at Good Works. The purpose of the orientation and the communication structure is to do what we can to make sure that happens. Often the source of problems arise from unmet expectations on both sides. These times of talking with one another will help us to minimize the kind of misunderstandings that create avoidable problems. |
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This will give you a brief idea of what you can expect when you arrive with your group at Good Works and our communication with you for the week. We will speak with you about various issues and job assignments, which you will in turn direct to the appropriate members of your group.