Oops, bad link! Click HERE to see Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh's August OD article about the Africa assembly.
by Susan Ovington
As travelers we get to stay with people in places we visit and as hosts we accept visitors from all over the world. Sometimes we forget that there's a third way of participating in Servas: making friends with other Servas members who live near us and collaborating with them.
At regular gatherings of Servas members, we have the opportunity to meet other nearby people who have similar interests especially those who have traveled a great deal, and who are generally willing to share information and recommendations. Moreover, sometimes it is helpful to know other hosts who might be available to visit with your Servas guest if you don't have much time to spend with visitors.
SETTING UP A SERVAS GATHERING
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First determine what kind of gathering you want to have: just a meet and greet or perhaps a potluck? Maybe an even more formal program highlighting something local such as a festival or a planned activity.
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Find a congenial place to meet for your gathering: the home of a member, a public meeting room, a park, a school...
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Set a date and time.
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Use the new Servas International website's "Find Members" feature to get an idea of how many members are in your area (see article in this issue of Open Doors).
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The Events team can send out an email to members in your region and post the event on the US Servas website. Simply email Events@usservas.org, or use the Contact Us link at the bottom of any US Servas webpage to get their help.
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Plan time for Servas members to speak about their Servas experiences.
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Encourage attendees to bring guests.
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Ask for responses. Keep a list of them.
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Hold onto the names and contact information of all who came, plus any guests.
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Enjoy your event. Don't make it so extravagant that it becomes tedious.
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Before everyone leaves, discuss meeting again soon, including if anyone is interested in hosting?
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Send a brief email to your whole list describing the gathering and saying that there will be another one.
BETWEEN THE GATHERINGS
Encourage those who attended to help plan for future gatherings. If you are in an area where members are spread out, try to find a meeting place accessible to most of the members. In areas where Servas members live far apart, a host may consider also becoming an active Servas traveler in order to stay overnight with one of the hosts at the time of a gathering. This can all be a lot of fun, and well worth the effort.
