Question:
Ok...here's the deal! A friend and I are facilitating a leadership training session this summer, and we're looking for some team-building activities to use. Anybody have any good sources...? Our group will be mostly older high-school kids (seniors), so the little kid games aren't exactly what we're looking for Indoor games/activities, outdoor, whatever - we're not picky. Any suggestions would be really appreciated, thanks!
Jen <><
Answer:
Hmm. Duck, duck goose anyone... (just kidding) although sometimes things really random like that do bring a team together as it strips all of dignity.... (once again just kidding mostly) try some physicalm stuff first. Obstacle courses are good as you have to work as a team to do them. Mostly though it will boil down to your leadership and openness to a huge extent
Answer:
I was a resident assistant for a year and a half at my college, so needless to say, I've participated in so many teambuilders, it almost makes me sick to think about it. The things I found that generally worked best for me were the activities where people got a chance to get to know eachother. One of the things we did that really helped me was to get everybody together, and this works best later in the day, when people are relaxed, get into a dimly lit room (it's easier to be honest when people can't see your facial expressions as well). Then have everyone sit in a circle, and have either a list of questions that you ask and go around the room answering, or have a bunch of questions in a hat, and each person draws a question to answer. The questions are generally introspective things, or questions that speak about what a person is all about. "Who is the one person in all of history that you'd most like to meet?" "What would your ideal career be?" "If you could live at any time, what would that time be?" Those are a few of the questions we've used, but you could use a lot of different ones, or gear them more towards your specific group.
One more thing we did was at the beginning of the retreat, we would take small notebooks, like the ones that are about a quarter sheet of paper big. Then we'd decorate them with puffy paints, magazine clippings, or whatever the person wants. The idea is that the notebook is a reflection of something about you, or who you are. Then as the retreat goes on, or near the end of the retreat, have the notebooks available for people to leave little notes for the other people they've met. This works well, as long as the people are encouraged to leave notes for as many people as they can, it could become a problem if one or two people don't get many notes left for them. I've also done this with decorating a manilla envelope, and people can write notes on slips of paper and leave them in your envelope.
Those are a couple of ideas, I have dozens more if you'd like to hear them. There's always the good standby options too, like trust walks, relay races, obstacle courses, etc, etc...and I can give you some suggestions for that too, I just don't want to make this message too long.
Hope that's helpful for you.
Adam
Answer:
This maybe isn't exactly what you're looking for for a leadership training session, but when I saw the subject I had to post this. . . when my YG was preparing to go on a missions trip to Mexico this last summer, we were all split up into 3 teams. One night was dedicated to just getting to know our team members and stuff (even though we've all been together all of our lives pretty much). My team leaders decided to do something that will be imprinted on my brain forever - footwashing. They took us out in the country, we built a campfire out on some of our pastor's land. This was in the middle of April, it was fairly cold here, and the mosquitoes were horrid. But anyhow, we all sat around the campfire, and Nicky (one of our leaders) read about how Jesus washed his disciples feet as a sign of servanthood. So she and our other team leader got water and towels, and came to each of us, "washed" and dried our feet (they had each of us take off one shoe) and as they did they committed to serving us and being there for us. We were also encouraged to go around to our other team members and do the same. It was an awesome experiance that I will never forget. Friendships were healed, differences resolved, and servanthood bonds developed.
Answer:
What are they team-building in preparation for? (I have suggestions that would be good depending on what you're doing...)
Answer:
The program we're doing is the last step of a three-part training for counselors at our diocesan camp. What we're hoping to do with the team-building is help communication, teamwork, interdependence, problem-solving...you name it! They're older kids who have already been through the first two steps of the program, most of them together, as well as having staffed at least one week of camp. Thanks for any suggestions
Answer:
Here's an idea that will deal with Pride for any age group. It's usually the younger kids who figure it out quickly cause there's less Pride in their lives.
You get a rope (maybe an inch thick - something to really hold onto) that about 15 ft. You can either have three to four people holding the rope tight or tie it around poles and trees and stuff (the rope must remain tight. No one doing this exercise can see what your doing. They must be blindfolded and lead to the rope. It good to have 3-5 'blind' people on the rope at once at different places. They are to keep silent (strongly encouraged) and try to find their way out of the maze. Both hands are to remain in contact of the rope. You'll see them bump into each other and try to get around each other. It's quite funny. But all this is to be done in silence so no laughing. They must feel alone except for the others on the rope (journey) with them. They can not ask each other questions either. They can only remove one hand at a time to get around others or to lift it up so they can ask a question. When they lift their hand for a question, you go to them and have them whisper the question to you. If the question is anything other than a version of 'Please help me get out' you leave them there. If the proper question is asked, then you lead them a few feet away from the maze and take off their blindfold. They learn that sometimes.... you just have to ask for help even when you don't want to. As people get out you can bring others in to replace them but those who have gone through the excercise must remain quite about their escape. No talking can go on for you will start to see how people deal with frustration. Some will get upset, I've even seen someone give up near to bursting with tears cause they would not ask for help. When everyone's gone through the exercise, hold a group meeting and then ask what they learned and what it was suppossed to reveal about themselves and what they could work on. Let them do the talking, to each other. You just ask questions. They should end up encourageing each other cause the ones that were set free early will have seen how they looked by seeing people after them try to escape in vain. Compassion might even break forth from an exercise like this.
Hope this help. If you have any questions PM me.
Answer:
Whill, that's an awesome Idea, I'm going to remember that one.
Answer:
make sure that you state that they can only lift up their hands to ask a question for help or something like that. It's a hint that they can recieve help if they ask for it. Iforget how it's phrased though. Sorry.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Whill Here's an idea that will deal with Pride for any age group. It's usually the younger kids who figure it out quickly cause there's less Pride in their lives.
You get a rope (maybe an inch thick - something to really hold onto) that about 15 ft. You can either have three to four people holding the rope tight or tie it around poles and trees and stuff (the rope must remain tight. No one doing this exercise can see what your doing. They must be blindfolded and lead to the rope. It good to have 3-5 'blind' people on the rope at once at different places. They are to keep silent (strongly encouraged) and try to find their way out of the maze. Both hands are to remain in contact of the rope. You'll see them bump into each other and try to get around each other. It's quite funny. But all this is to be done in silence so no laughing. They must feel alone except for the others on the rope (journey) with them. They can not ask each other questions either. They can only remove one hand at a time to get around others or to lift it up so they can ask a question. When they lift their hand for a question, you go to them and have them whisper the question to you. If the question is anything other than a version of 'Please help me get out' you leave them there. If the proper question is asked, then you lead them a few feet away from the maze and take off their blindfold. They learn that sometimes.... you just have to ask for help even when you don't want to. As people get out you can bring others in to replace them but those who have gone through the excercise must remain quite about their escape. No talking can go on for you will start to see how people deal with frustration. Some will get upset, I've even seen someone give up near to bursting with tears cause they would not ask for help. When everyone's gone through the exercise, hold a group meeting and then ask what they learned and what it was suppossed to reveal about themselves and what they could work on. Let them do the talking, to each other. You just ask questions. They should end up encourageing each other cause the ones that were set free early will have seen how they looked by seeing people after them try to escape in vain. Compassion might even break forth from an exercise like this.
Hope this help. If you have any questions PM me.
Do you have any ideas for a men's retreat? The purpose for the retreat is to try to wake up some of the members and regular attenders that don't involve themself in groups or other church activity.