Greeters walk
A little history of Greeters
The Greeters concept is a movement that was launched in 1992. Lynn Brooks wanted to erase the negative image of New York as a scary, sprawling city. She wanted to show her city as she loved it. With the help of her network of friends, she offered tourists unusual walks organised by local residents in the districts of the Big Apple. The first Greeters organisation was born!
Today, the Greeters concept reinvents the meaning of hospitality based on meeting, sharing and reciprocal exchanges between tourists and local volunteers. In 20 years, it has become a worldwide ‘brand’. As the Greeters concept spread to other towns and cities, the various Greeter destinations decided to join forces and create an international network: the Global Greeter Network (GGN).
The Saint-Etienne Greeters are members of the France Greeters Federation and the Global Greeters Network, the international network that brings together Greeters from all over the world. Discover them all on the website www.globalgreeternetwork.info
I GREETER, YOU GREETER, WE GREETER... BUT WHAT IS A GREETER?
Greeters are volunteers who are passionate about their town or region and who enjoy welcoming visitors as they would friends. They give up their time to help people discover the places they love, tell the story of their neighbourhood or village and share their way of life.
A Greeter is not a professional guide. Their aim is not to provide historical information about the places they visit. The Greeter welcomes visitors into his or her living environment and explains it with passion. Come on your own or in a group of no more than six.
Here is the overall Greeter positioning of the France Greeters federation: https://greeters.fr/greeter/.
Meet a greeter
CONVIVIALITY, SHARING, SIMPLICITY, PASSION, EXCHANGE… WITH THE GREETERS OF SAINT ETIENNE!
Saint-Etienne’s Greeters are here to welcome you and help you discover their town through their eyes and perceptions, as part of a simple, open and sincere exchange… For the duration of a walk or a chat, these enthusiasts, who love their town, will plunge us into the heart of their daily lives, their neighbourhoods, and help us explore the region through their centres of interest. You can be alone with your Greeter or with 5 other visitors from your tribe.
The Greeters are passionate, real people from Saint-Etienne! And each Greeter has his or her own speciality for helping visitors discover Saint-Étienne, from the perspective of their choice. Select your favourite theme: Design, Football, Nature, History, Anecdote… and set off to discover the area with a qualified Greeter!
EACH GREETER REVEALS HIS OR HER VERSION OF SAINT-ETIENNE!
- Read the Greeters’ legal text to get all the information you need.
- Send an email to the Tourist Office team with as much information as possible about what you would like to discover.
- As soon as we have registered our request, the Tourist Office will look for a Greeter according to our expectations and availability.
- You will receive confirmation of your walk by email. Remember to check your spam
Become a Greeter, the legal text
Join in the adventure!
Are you from Saint-Etienne or live in the Saint-Etienne metropolitan area? Are you passionate about your town, your neighbourhood or your region? Would you like to share your passion, your daily life and meet new people from all over the world? Join the Saint-Etienne Greeters network and share your Saint-Etienne experiences.
To become a Greeter, first read and accept the Greeters Saint-Etienne legal text, then contact us directly by email using the contact button below.
Contact us Download the legal text
Oh yes, you also have to meet certain conditions to become a Greeter:
- You must want to share your town or region with others on a voluntary basis.
- Be aged between 18 and 180.
- Be prepared to give a few hours of your time a year to really nice people.
- Have a taste for sharing and meeting people.
- Send us an email with your motivations.
And then…
- We’ll get back to you to answer your questions and find out more about your motivations.
- We’ll explain that you don’t need to have studied art history to show people where you live, because everyone in Saint-Etienne and the surrounding area can be a Greeter.
- Speaking a foreign language is not compulsory, as many visitors speak or understand French.
