Kyle Kellams: Inviting people to come together can be a great way to make people feel welcome, and it seems right now is an especially good time to make people feel welcome. Another way: volunteering. This fall's Welcoming Week in Northwest Arkansas paid great attention to both creating a welcoming atmosphere and emphasizing the value of helping others.
At one Welcoming Week event at Springdale High School, juniors and seniors offered their thoughts.
“My name is Olivia Sims.”
“My name is Michael Rodriguez.”
“Veronica
“Izella.”
“Joshua Dominic.”
“My name is Javier, but I go by Junior.”
“Kyle.”
“I'm Noelle.”
“What makes me feel welcome is probably just being very one on one with people. If I'm in an environment like this and there's a lot of people around, like how we're having a one-on-one conversation, I think that's very welcoming. I don't feel welcome, probably, if, I don't know a lot of people. It's very overwhelming. Very overwhelming to be around so many people all the time.”
“Being a minority, seeing people that are like me around me and people that are similar, in similar positions to me, can make me feel welcome in a community. Especially since I'm from out of state, right? And so seeing more people like me and having similar backgrounds to me does help me fit into this local community.”
“I feel like being accepted, feeling like you're part of it and everything. People actually including you and making you feel like you're not different.”
“I kind of agree to that. Making sure it fits you, to include everyone, not just your friend group or something, but everyone is included around you.”
“It's events like this—you know, just get together with people and having them talk to you. Introducing yourself to new people makes me feel welcome, sometimes.”
“When people just include me without me having to include myself.”
“My friend Chris, he actually came from Florida like two months ago or a month ago, and I welcomed him into our soccer team because he came and he didn't know anybody. And I've also been moving—from Texas, North Carolina. And I went to school in North Carolina, and I didn't really feel welcomed. But then I met some people and they welcomed me. So I felt good.”
“Well, I used to be a counselor aide, and what I've done is I introduced the student to the school grounds. I look at their schedule and then I walk them around to show them where their classes are and how to leave, like if you go by bus or by car.”
“Probably say hi first, try to understand them a bit and then probably help them with information, like he said beforehand.”
Springdale High School students recorded at a Welcoming Week event this fall. The amazing Casey Mann produced that piece for Ozarks at Large.
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