Visitors and groups require a Volunteer or Member to host them during their stay. Hosting is important work, with the host acting as the main connector between the visitor/group and the community. This page collects points important for a consistent experience, but don't forget to make it a personal experience 😊

Hosting individual Visitors

Before arrival

communicate unusual features of Kanthaus
- functional living
- dumpster diving
- no close buddying
- relative coldness in winter
- …
agree on date (and time) of arrival (and maybe departure)
put the visit in the digital calendar and inform Kanthausians about it on Mattermost and CoMe
reserve a sleeping spot for them for the first two nights, preferably a private room
find out what experience they have of collective living, if any
tell them roughly how many people there will be in Kanthaus and give a short overview of how the situation will be

Upon arrival

be there to open the door and welcome them
ask for urgent needs (toilet, water, food)
help them store their things (bag, shoes, jacket)
show them where they’ll sleep that night
let them know where to find a toilet, a shower, food and water
tell them about kanthaus-gast Wifi
ask about food preferences (ethics, allergies, etc.)
tell them if there’s any scheduled event the next day (like CoMe, power hour)
be available for a chat
make it clear that it’s cool to hang out in the communal spaces

First day

do a house tour (ca. 1-2h) with the visitor
explain the week plan and the food tasks sheet in the dining room
invite them to contribute to cooking and cleaning
encourage them to ask questions and try out things
point out that being criticized is not meant personally and happens to everyone here
ask them if they would like to be “left” by themselves to explore and observe or if they would feel more comfortable with being actively invited to participate
show how to open (and close!) the window in the kitchen
demonstrate using the door code in K22 and/or hand them a door tag
tell them about constitution and collective agreements

Once a week during their stay

schedule a longer check-in to give and receive feedback
post a summary of said check-in in ~vol-and-mem on Mattermost

Before departure

invite to write in the guestbook
remind them to check all the place they might have stored or left stuff.
ask them for their email address if they want to receive our newsletter in future

Hosting groups

Clarify the basics

communicate and find out the following:
- what is it that they are doing?
- how many people are coming?
- when will they arrive (earliest) and leave (latest)?
- which room(s) will they be using for day-time activities?
- which room(s) will they be using for sleeping?
- (when) will they participate in dinner preparation?
- will they bring food or help us recover it?
communicate to KH residents about the group coming
- make a Mattermost post in ~kanthaus and/or a CoMe point
- put it in the nextcloud calendar in the following format: Group name (n ppl) [host]

Before arrival

reserve the room(s)
keep KH residents posted about changes in group size, arrival time, room usage and/or duration of stay
check the room(s) you offered them for usability, cleanliness and clean them if necessary

Upon arrival

be there to open the door and welcome them :)
show them where they can leave their stuff
show them the room(s) they will be using
invite them to use the rest of the house as well
give them a key/tag and/or teach them the door code

During

give a house tour if wanted
regularly check in with them to make sure everything is fine
be available for questions
make them aware of the guest book and invite them to leave an entry

After

check the room(s) and leave them in a usable state
check privatizable storage areas and clear names if necessary