Why it's important to welcome new friends to 7 Cups

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Have you ever walked into a party and nobody said hi to you? You walked around the room, trying to make eye contact, just looking for a friendly face to connect with?

Weve all experienced this at some point. It is a very isolating and uncomfortable feeling.

Now, lets replay this same situation one more time but this time imagine you walked into the party and someone came up to you right away and said, hello, welcome to the group, we are really happy you joined us. What would this feel like?

You would smile and feel like you are wanted.

Being brand new to a group is always little scary. When we enter into a new place or group, we are outsiders and we dont know what to expect. These scary feelings can be compounded by the fact that people come to 7 Cups for the purpose of receiving support for a personal challenge. They may already be isolated or in pain.

One of 7 Cups core values is to create a welcoming and safe environment for all people to join in. When people feel welcome and included, they feel safe. When they feel safe, they are able to explore the new space or group with ease. They are able to open up to their listener or therapist with more sincerity. In essence they are able to get higher quality support.

Many of you have already started helping us welcome new members to the community! We are so thankful for your contributions and we encourage you to keep up the great work!!

But we still need more help in this initiative.

Here are the simple steps you can take to get involved (both listeners & members welcome):

Step 1: Check out this project intro thread to review welcome message templates & how to log your welcomes for bonus cheers/ growth points (members learn how to get get involved here & listeners check out this thread)

Step 2: Start Welcoming new members & log your work in this thread!!!

Step 3: Fill up this form to earn cheers for you work!

Are you willing to give members the gift of a friendly welcome? Hooray! Post to this thread and let us know youll be joining the team!