Registration and Early Planning — Welcoming New and Old Shoalers
One of the most important ways we can help new people – of any background! – feel welcomed on Star Island is to make sure they arrive well prepared and knowing what to expect. Star Island is an unusual place that provides a unique experience. It is important that we all do a good job of being forward, thorough, and transparent about what someone might experience when they come to a Star Island conference. Too often key details have been omitted from conference welcoming kits leading to a situation where a new Shoaler comes to the island only to realize they are not totally prepared or did not bring the things they needed. In response, one could imagine an empathetic old Shoaler responding, “well, you learn these things after you have come here for a few years.” We want to eliminate that conversation. It is our duty as conference leaders to make sure all conferees arrive informed and prepared.
This topic is broken into three sections: