A smile opens the door to hospitality.
”How can the first day help the ambassador feel expected, welcomed and already somewhat at home?
Preparation is coming to an end. The encounter is beginning. The first day is unique.
It is the day when two strangers begin to become close.
A few hours are often enough to create a climate of trust… or to allow misunderstandings to take hold that will take weeks to dispel.
The aim of this day is therefore neither to show everything, nor to explain everything, nor to organise everything. Its true aim is much simpler:
To make sure the ambassador feels expected, welcomed and already somewhat at home.
An ambassador's first memory will probably be neither the house, nor the club, nor even the scenery.
It will be the look, the smile, the availability and the attentiveness of the people who welcomed them.
Before being an ambassador, an athlete or a student, the young person is, first and foremost, a person.
Having sometimes travelled for many hours, they arrive tired, sometimes anxious, sometimes overwhelmed.
The first welcome should therefore be simple. Take the time. Smile. Listen. Do not try to explain everything straight away.
The first message they should receive is a silent one: “You were expected. We are glad you are here.”
The first day is not about performance. There is no need to introduce them immediately to the whole family, the whole club, the whole town or every partner.
Let them have time to breathe, to look around, to ask their questions, and to discover their new surroundings gradually.
A welcome is not a demonstration. It is an encounter.
Once the first emotion has settled, a few simple points of reference are enough:
A few pieces of information well retained are worth more than a multitude immediately forgotten.
One begins to feel at home upon discovering that one already matters to others.
A room made ready. A place at the table. Their first name spoken naturally. A club kit. A photograph. A short welcome note.
So many simple gestures that say, without words: “You are already part of our community.”
The first day should not be filled with activities. It should offer a first shared moment.
A meal. A walk. A visit to the club. A conversation. A light training session.
What matters is not what is done. What matters is beginning to live together.
OSE SMILES OPERATION
“A smile: the finest of passports.”
Every OSE community is invited, according to its means, to organise the OSE Smiles Operation.
Host family, OSE Country representatives, club members, teammates, friends… Whether there are few or many matters little.
A warm welcome. A few smiles. A photograph. A first shared meal. The form is free. The spirit is not.
From the very first seconds, the ambassador should feel that they are entering a community glad to welcome them.
The OSE Smiles Operation is the first visible act of OSE hospitality.Before discovering our country, an ambassador first discovers the place we have prepared for them in our hearts.
A sheet is not meant to be read. It is meant to be lived. Take the time to talk it over before deciding.