Section 2 “Welcoming Your Youth Ambassador”
Your first meeting with your Youth Ambassador is crucial, serving as the foundation for the deep relationship you will build over the course of the year. Consider doing the following:
Offer a warm welcome. Your Ambassador will have undertaken a long journey before arriving at your home. Plan to meet them at the airport, and make it easy for them to find you among other travelers. Welcome signs are always helpful!
Be patient with communication. It is unlikely that English will be your Ambassador’s first language.
Be understanding as you navigate your first conversations together.
A good place to start is asking your Ambassador about their flight or mentioning a small fact you’ve learned about their country of origin.
Introduce your community. Showing your Ambassador around your home is one of the most exciting parts of this experience and will help your Ambassador feel grounded in their new environment.
Don’t be offended if they respond differently than you expect; they might be jet-lagged, and may need a nice meal and some rest before they are ready to engage.
Set clear expectations. In the first day or two, plan to have a family meeting to discuss the expectations of your home. Remember that your Ambassador is coming from a different cultural background; routines and customs that feel normal to you may be entirely new to them.
—From The Global Youth Ambassadors Handbook,
Section 2: “Welcoming Your Youth Ambassador”