Welcoming a new member | Activities

You’ll need

Pens or pencils
Scrap paper

Joining a new group or section can be quite overwhelming and scary for any age. This is why it’s important we try and make our new members feel welcome and comfortable.

Before you begin

There are lots of things you could do to welcome a new member to your group. Check out our advice on welcoming Beavers or welcoming Cubs into your group. We've added some ideas below to get you started:

Introduce them to everyone - who are the leaders, other members and new friends?
Find common interests - new people are new friends! Find out a little about them, their hobbies, interests or favourite games.
Make sure they know where everything is - let them know where they can put their things like bags or coats, where they can get a drink or where the toilet is.
Let them know how you run your meetings - what are your favourite games to play when you meet, what's a lodge or six, how do you start your meetings and any other important information.
Give them space - new members might need their own time and space to make new friends and talk to other people.
Make sure you regularly check in on them and ask if they are okay.

Making people feel welcome

You could run a game or team challenge as an icebreaker so that everyone can get to know each other. We've added a couple of ideas below:

Packing up

Take the lead before you leave by teaching everyone a new game (or an old favourite).

Try a new game

Virtual guess who

Turn your online meeting into a game board, then narrow down your options before you guess who.

Play virtual guess who

New tricks

You’ve learned a lot so far, so it’s time to pass it on and help others learn a skill.

Teach someone a new trick

Reflection

Ask for feedback - it’s important to think about what went well, and what we could do better next time, to make sure that any new members that join our group feel welcome and have fun! The person leading the session should ask any new members (and everyone else) how they found the session.

What did they enjoy?
What are they looking forward to?
Is there anything they didn't understand, or want to find out more about next time?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.