Last week we breeched the taboo topics. I would like to continue that this week. I have worked at both secular and Christian camps. I am wondering what the view in the industry is about incorporating religion or even spirituality into their camp program. Is this something that should be done? Is the topic of religion to be avoided at all costs in a secular camp? Should it only be spoken about if campers bring it up?
How you do it:
In this activity you just pick a destination and go for it as a group. Sounds simple enough, but as you know adventure activity appearances can be deceiving! Materials for this challenge include a bag of balloons and a group of people willing to go on a trip. Pick up balloons of some substance, at least 12 inches in diameter inflated, minimal regulation size for this activity. Theme balloons can be fun, such as all smiley faces or Star Wars. If you can find a bag of fat elongated balloons, grab ‘em. We once searched eight party stores in vain for those suckers, which seem to be discontinued as per a marketing genius who determined that round is in, elongated is out. Go figure! Anyway, here is the set up for balloon trolley.
Lay out a course of travel with a difficulty level that relates to your program goals at the moment, and the nature of the group. One bunch may need to travel up and over boulders, while for another the challenge of just getting there without committing homicide may be sufficient. The task is to have a line of people, with a balloon held between each of them move from one place to another. Hands may not be used to hold the balloons in place, only bodies pressed together exerting pressure on them. The difficulty of this innocent task should now be coming readily apparent. As an initiative to illustrate the components of goal setting, this is a real winner.
Some thoughts around variations include allowing the group to determine what constitutes success. Does that mean no balloon drops, the fewest over three attempts, one, two? Empower them to determine the level of success they find acceptable. Now give the group some planning time before the trolley leaves the station, then let them have at it!
Disclaimer: I will attempt in the following post to use neutral language. I want to give no opinion on this issue. I have not heard it talked about in very many circles, so I would like to know what people in the industry think about this topic.
I had the opportunity to interview a camp counselor who is homosexual for a cabin counselor position. I began to wonder if this poses a liability issue. This person has taken a position with another organization, but the question still remains. Is there a boundaries/liability/legal issue with employing a person who is homosexual in positions where that person would be in a one-on-one with campers? Please let me know what you think. You can post anonymously if you would like.
All right. It is time. We are going to get into some prop heavy activities. Kits for all of the activities that we will talk about can be purchased from any of the major vendors or if you are very savvy, you can create them out of things you can find at your local hardware.
How you do it:
A terrific way to get people thinking about the values they’ve chosen to reside within themselves is to have those values cared for by the group. This nurturing of norms can be built right into your activity design. Your Toxic Waste kit should include the following items:
Lay out two circles of rope, a large outer circle, with a diameter of approximately 30 feet, and a smaller rope circle centered in the larger one, about 5 feet across. Call the group and ask them to give voice to the values they have carried with them throughout their group experience. Write each value they recall on masking tape, then attach each to a small diameter plastic ball. The balls should then be reverently deposited in one of the cans. Now, place one #10 tin can on a spot marker inside the smaller circle. Place the can containing the group values on the second spot marker just outside the smaller circle.
Arrange the group around the outside of the larger circle. Hand them the bag filled with ropes, inner tube, and other assorted retrieval items. Using these resources the group must transfer their values from the can “bobbing” in the sea of toxic waste to the blissfully serene can in the inner circle. It is imperative that no group values be desecrated by tumbling into the toxic waste during the transfer process from one can to the other. The group may not cross into the outer circle without risking their corporeal lives.
We have witnessed many solutions to this most challenging of initiatives. The inner tube figures prominently in the most common solution paths. If you are feeling particularly strict, blindfold any participant whose hand breaks the plane of the outer circle when holding onto a rope. She may continue to hold the rope but her movements must now be directed by a sighted helper. This strategy maintains the integrity of the challenge and will ensure that you are unanimously hated by members of the group, at least for the duration of this activity!
Camp Adventure -
While at camp, kids will challenge themselves and their friends through the
many activities offered during the week. They will learn about the outdoors,
teamwork, and personal responsibility, all while enjoying everything that
nature has to offer. Camp activities include: swimming, boating, fishing,
challenge course, high ropes, hiking, rock climbing and much more!
Staff Training Begins June 1 (May 27 if you are interested in Lifeguard
Training) and the summer goes until August 1.
We started the conversation last week about effective debriefing. As mentioned, one of the most important steps of debriefing is how you frontload an activity. Frontloading can include a wide range of things including how you set up the element, how you incorporate the Full Value Contract, and your goals for the activity. To demonstrate this, I will give two different set-ups to the Three Islands activity..
The Activity:
Three Islands
The group is challenged to move from the first to the last platform without the participants on the boards touching the ground.
Group Size
This activity is generally designed for 12 to 15 participants.
Set-Up
Inspect the boards and platforms for stability, loose nails, splinters and decay.
Operating Procedures
Fun/Recreation Front Load:
Welcome to the Three Islands. Imagine that are trapped on this first island. You need to make it to safety, on the third island. The only tools you have are what were left over from your plane crash. Those materials are whatever your group has with you, plus these two boards. Your group must figure out a way to cross the islands and make it to safety without any person or board touching the “water.” If a person does touch the water, they must swim back to the beginning and start again.
Keeping in mind that you are trapped on this island, what are some things that your group might need to do in order to make it to safety?
Adventure Therapy Based Front Load:
Welcome to the Three Islands. I want you to think of this first platform as where you are right now in your treatment goals. Think of the third platform as your release, or overall goal. Think of the second platform as a goal that you have while you are in treatment. The tools that you have to reach that intermediate goal and the overall goal of release are these two boards. What are two things that are going to help you reach your goals while you are here? That is what these boards represent.
What are some things that are going to keep you from reaching your goals? That is what the area all around these platforms represents. If any person, or any goal touches that area, that person must start over from the beginning.
You can see the difference between the two front loading methods. You can also see how easily this sets up a debrief. If you have properly front loaded the activity, then all you need to debrief on are the things that you set up. In the comments section, practice this: choose one of the scenarios above, and talk about how you would debrief it.
As promised, this week we are going to start looking at some activities that can be used for debriefing more effectively. I find that, working with at-risk youth, we get a lot of visual learners. The following activity is great for those that need a little bit of visual stimulation in order to engage the mouth:
Post Cards:
Compile a collection of post cards (Borders books is a great place to start). You can also purchase “I am about” Cards from Project Adventure or a game called Hoopla. The idea is to have a wide variety of images for your group to choose from.
Activity 1:
Ask your group to choose an image that relates to a specific question. Good questions to ask are:
Choose a card that relates to a time when:
1) Your group worked well together
2) You became frustrated with your group
3) Your group accomplished a goal
4) You felt good about something that was happening
5) Your group made you smile
6) You assisted another person
Activity 2:
Have each member pick a card, then arrange those cards to tell a story. The story can be about how the group accomplished a goal, about how the team is interacting, or about how they solved the element.
Activity 3:
Have each person pick a card or two relating to how the group preformed on the activity. Have each person pick a partner and share out. Then, have each partner group discuss their observations with the large group.
As you can see, the options are limited only by your individual creativity. I have given you three here to get you started. Try this out, and in the comments section leave some more ideas for effective activities using Postcards.
To start our discussion of effective debriefing, I want to give you a list of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind as a facilitator, as well as some suggested debrief topics. Please remember that one of the most important steps to effective debriefing is effective front loading. How you set up an activity, a Full Value Contract, or a task will go a long way in processing it after. More about the idea of frontloading next week. For now:
When processing with a group, a facilitator should:
1. Accept individuals, but not all behavior
2. Self-disclose thoughts and feelings when appropriate
3. Invite others to self-examine by confronting them directly
4. Identify individual and human relations issues
5. Observe body language and draw accurate inferences from it
6. Create a climate of trust and safety by enforcing certain rules and norms
When processing with a group, a facilitator should not:
1. Attack the personal worth of a participant
2. Compare students to others
3. Lose his or her temper
4. Push people too far
5. Avoid a competitive or carnival atmosphere
Here is a list of debrief topics about that our facilitator group brainstormed. If you have any to add, please leave them in the comments section:
Until you get comfortable with debriefing, it is a good idea to fall back on structure. This is another topic that we will discuss in a future blog entry. Also, for the next two Mondays, there we’ll have information on activities that are helpful in debriefing. If you would like to improve your skills even more, I would recommend Project Adventure’s Debrief Skills workshop.
On April 30, a group of facilitators from The Adventure Center traveled to Renaissance High School in Clarkston Michigan. I will talk more about this group on Friday, but I played a game with them that I have not done in a long time. I forgot how much I enjoy playing this icebreaker. It usually always leads to people laughing and having fun. It can also give you a window into how safe your group is going to be that day.
WHAMPUM
Equipment-Props: Styrofoam “boffer” or foam noodle cut in half.
How you do it:
Have the group stand in a circle, with a spot marker for each person. There should be quite a bit of space on the inside of the circle. The player in the middle has a soft foam boffer 3 or so feet long (it must be soft). A person in the circle shouts, “Mary” (the actual name of a fellow player). The task is for Mary, who has heard her name loud and clear, to shout the name of another player before the player in the middle hits her BELOW THE KNEES with the boffer. So it goes, randomly around the circle until the player in the center successfully hits someone before he or she is able to say the name of another player in the circle (again, below the knees only). It is a fast game, and demands focus. As players get used to the game, and to each other’s names, it becomes more and more difficult to get out of the center of the ring. An easy out has someone yelling “switch”, where the last person who said a name takes the place of the center person, thereby relieving the pressure to perform.
Safety:
The boffer can be used to really whack someone, no matter how soft it is. A light to medium hit below the knees is acceptable. Nothing else.
