Camp Adventure Still Needs Counselors

Our summer camp - Camp Adventure – Is still looking for 3 male and 1 female
staff for our summer program.  The info about Camp Adventure is listed
below.  If you, or anyone you know would be interested in working with
At-Risk and Financially disadvantaged youth this summer in a residential
camp setting, please have them contact me at 248-628-2561 ex 248.  Thank you
in advance for passing this along to as many people as you can think of.

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 serve at-risk youth dealing with A.D.D./A.D.H.D and other such issues.
We would with a wide variety of organizations such as Youth Assistance,
C.H.A.D.D, DHS, Easter Seals, and many more.  If you would like more
information about the program, please visit our website at
www.adventure-center.org.

 

Thank you very much.

Front Loading

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

• Participants may not jump from platform to platform.

• Caution spotters to be aware of the movement of the planks.  The board can move sideways.

• Spotters may be needed for participants on the platforms.  Assess the group and use spotters as necessary.

• Do not allow participants to hold the planks in their hands while someone steps on it.

• Make sure the person who is traversing steps on and off the board stays in line with the board so that it does not move sideways (that means, don’t step off the end of the board, this causes the board to move to the right or left).

• Do not allow participants to jump off the end of the board.

• Make sure there is always enough counter weight on the board before participant steps on it.

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.

Games Day – Post Cards Debrief

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.

The Art of Debriefing

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:

• Leadership and Followership
• Communication and Feedback
• Recognition
• Teamwork
• Planning
• Reaching Goals
• Devaluing and Discounting Behavior
• Fear (Physical and Emotional)
• Risk-taking
• Group Support and Trust
• Peer Pressure
• Efficiency
• Competition
• Adhering to Safety
• Sexism

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.

Games Day – Whampum

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.

New Camp Director for Camp Adventure

Stay tuned for a story from our new Camp Director.  He has started as of Thursday.  Once we get him settled we will start pumping him for stories.