Belgian new ambs kit
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Belgian New Ambassadors Welcome kit
So glad you joined our team! Please read the information below, you might find this very helpful. A suggestion: find yourself a printer and print it out, so you can read it whenever you have the time, oh for all I care, you can keep it even in the toilet or use it as bedtimestory!
Starting position
Well, now that you have your yellow flag you may be struggling to answer the simple question, "So what exactly is a city ambassador? Here we go!"
Description
Ambassadors promote the values that embody the Couchsurfing Spirit. City Ambassadors are also the voice and ear to their local community, and source of information for all the members of their local community.
Responsibilities
Most City Ambassadors contribute at least 10 hours per month but this varies greatly from person to person. We want to make sure all Ambassadors love what they do. Please always feel free to ask for help, ask your other city ambassadors in the group or send a private mail to your country ambassador.
The role of the Ambassadors is to be of service to CouchSurfing members and to be of service to the global community. Ambassadors are volunteers committed to helping others. As travelers, hosts, surfers, and volunteers, Ambassadors strive to:
- Promote respect and tolerance for individuals and cultures
- Promote cultural diversity and awareness
- Promote equality, inclusiveness, and friendship
- Promote honesty and fairness
In addition, in our role as volunteers Ambassadors strive to:
- Promote personal and professional integrity
- Promote the pursuit of excellence
- Promote teamwork
Ambassadors Code of Conduct Our behavior as travelers, guests, hosts, and volunteers is a direct reflection on CouchSurfing. Therefore Ambassadors will be held to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. Ambassadors must agree to the following code of conduct:
- I will promote CouchSurfing's stated mission and values.
- I will be of service to members and the global community.
- I will uphold CouchSurfing's Terms of Use.
- I will be a model surfer and host, and maintain positive references by that means.
- I will treat my supervisors, fellow Ambassadors, and fellow members with equal respect.
- I will communicate in a calm and compassionate tone.
- I understand that if I violate this code of conduct, I may be asked to resign.
- I understand that if I don't perform my volunteer duties, I may be asked to resign.
You can contribute in many ways according to what interests you the most. The essential duties that City Ambassadors should participate in are:
- New Member Welcome- Once you become a member of the New Members Welcome group you can use the greetings page to greet new members. You can greet members from anywhere in the world. Be sure pay special attention to the new members in your area and Belgium especially. You can tell them that you're a local City Ambassador and tell them about the city group and why they should join. Don't forget to mention the local meetings.
- Contact Us Answers- Members frequently use the Contact Us page to ask a wide range of questions to the site. A team of volunteers answers these questions. You could be one of them, maybe not right now, but later on when you've got lots of experience on the website. If you are interested contact Brie and tell her you want to be on the CUQ team. The CUQ team is handling all kinds of questions going from verification issues to member disputes, from email problems to bugs in the system.
- Local Events Organizing- Couchsurfing isn't just for backpackers through European capitals. As a City Ambassador you should create activity and the development of meaningful relationships in your local community by organizing or helping to organize local events. This can be done through your local group.
- City Online Group Moderation- If you are not already the moderator of your local city group then you should ask the current moderator to add you as a co-moderator.
Groups
If you are not a member of these groups, contact the moderator and ask to be added. This is not done automatically and sometimes new City Ambassadors aren't added to a group they should be in.
As you can see you are already a member of at least three groups. It is expected that you will periodically visit these groups as they will provide updated info to you whilst your City Group might need your input in terms of moderation of response whilst the CS Organisation BELGIUM group will hopefully encourage you to participate in setting a direction for CS BELGIUM.
You should also, at some point familiarise yourself with the text in the FAQ page and Freq Questions answered as the information there is possibly the best to answer any questions you might have asked by new members. Additionally you can always direct them to the CS Tips page.
In the Ambassadorial duties you might see * Verification processing as one team you could join. Ambs aren't required to participate in the verification processing group. This will be changed soon.
Tips for meet ups & activities
No doubt your City already has a structured Meeting arrangement under the direction of the existing Ambs. Ideally you should contact them to find out what they have in mind.
There is additional info in The How to make a good meeting Wiki and have a look at this as a great example of communicating a formal meeting
Be aware that if you are promoting CS there are cards that you can have made (or make yourself). Simply down load a file from here and print out your own.
Who are the Others??
Your other Belgian colleagues can be found here: Belgian Ambassadors and this page will also lead you to our ambassador meetings we had in the past: Amb meetings Please read all the meeting minutes, they contain valuable information!!
Dealing with security issues and problem resolution procedures, etc.
VERY IMPORTANT before posting ANYTHING linking to a member read this one: Reminder about user privacy
Basically the approach to any problems you might have would be to directly contact your Country Ambassador or a member of the Leadership Team using the standard Contact Us form or if you know them mail/call them directly. DON'T USE THE GROUPS!!! Most often a member of the Contact Team will then advise you of the next steps to take or of the answer you need. Familiarise yourself with the contents of the "Contact Us form" including familiarity with the range of items in the pull down menu lable "Communication Type".
- Dealing with crimes such as: theft, abuse, and/or any forms of harassment. What are the official procedures, whom do we contact, and in what order?
- Be prepared! Read the Tips for Surfers and Hosts
- If necessary contact the local police / ambulance USE YOUR COMMON SENSE!!
- If other couchsurfers are involved contact the Safety Administrator through the Contact Us form. Tell them as many details as possible about your experience. CouchSurfing will investigate and determine the best course of action. If necessary leave a negative reference.
- Dealing with Dating requests: see Handling Dating Requests
BURNOUT for Ambassadors and 5 ways to Avoid Burnout
Yeah I know, it's all volunteering... How can you burn out? Haha, just wait and see! You are part of a larger family of Belgian Ambassadors. If you are feeling burnt out raise you hand and share the load. We are here to help you and will do so any way we can.
1 Do what you love. Volunteering is meant to be fun. If greeting turns you on, greet. If you love to host, host. If you enjoy taking people out and about, do that! Whatever floats your boat: every contribution counts!
2 Recharge your batteries. If you start feeling drained, take a break.
3 Network. Share ideas, thoughts and frustrations with other CSers you get along with.
4 Portion Control. Basically, don't bite of more than you can chew. You might get a nasty case of indigestion!
5 Participate. Join the discussions and make your voice heard.
More, more, MORE!
Ok, I could go on and on and put loads of information, but hey, I had to find this out for myself too in the beginning and there was no one to send me a Belgian Ambassador Welcome kit before!!! So, surf around, get your nose into things, ask around, find some answers! If you are unsure, contact US!
Keep an eye on the groups, and I hope to see you soon on some meeting or at the next ambassador meeting! Looking forward to work with you!
