Building Community: The OIST Welcome Club
OIST is growing fast, and every month new employees and their families arrive from all over the world to begin new lives in Okinawa. How do you help them adjust? How do you create community? This was the inspiration behind the OIST Welcome Club, a volunteer group of OIST employees and their family members which holds weekly language classes, welcome parties for new arrivals, potluck dinners, group excursions, and other activities to bring people together.
Founding members Yumi Vincent, Doris Albinsky, and Teresa Tsai describe the club as “helping OIST members and their families adjust to living and working here and creating a supportive community for everyone.”
The Welcome Club has gotten off to a successful start with two family-friendly events: a diving and snorkeling trip and a multicultural potluck dinner.
For more information about the Welcome Club and other community and family support at OIST, go to https://www.facebook.com/oistwelcomeclub.
