First and foremost, welcome the students! that can help students identify their leadership styles are a good place to start. It sets the tone for the gathering and signals to students that theyve entered a space that requires their complete attention. We will provide van transportation for students from the IC Campus Center at 8:45am and return to campus at 5:30pm. Students certainly learn a lot of career-readiness skills on the job while leading their organizations, but hosting skill-building workshops during the retreat ensures that they have a foundation to build off of. Learn how we can help get your students involved. Gather all of the song choices into a retreat playlist and play it during breaks. For both of these activities, write the goals on sticky notes so that they can be moved around if students change their minds about what quadrant a goal belongs in. While the theme varies, the message is always the same: "In Jesus Christ, the son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all, as a . Then enjoy planned or spontaneously-decided activities and games with your group around the fire. Telling jokes is a simple and entertaining activity you can do at a retreat. Advent Comic Strip. 2 Maintain a Gratitude Journal Fishing is a unique activity to engage in on a retreat, especially if many of your group members are fond of the pastime. They can then share the answers out loud or, if youre teaching remotely, on a discussion board, which is a great option for introverts as well. After a two-mile run each morning, you'll have a full schedule of workshops, critique groups, writing time and social events. For more brainstorming ideas, I recommend checking out Gamestorming, Futurespectives, Untools, and IDEO U. To plan a group retreat activity, you would want to first decide on the activities and games that the group will love to engage in. It is essential to decide and be familiar with the destination. If you are looking for additional ideas, check out this leadership activities database and list of virtual leadership activities. In this icebreaker, small groups of students imagine theyre stranded on a deserted island. Here is a template we made for your game: Alternatively, you can make your custom bingo cards with a free icebreaker Bingo card generator. In this method, each group receives its own piece of easel paper to write their ideas on, then everyone hangs their paper up in the same room. This group activity is fun and allows students to collectively learn. So, how can you lead retreat activities without everyone begging for a nap session at the end? Also, one of the ways you can make the experience smooth is to divide responsibilities among your group members. (Or better yet, ask an artsy coworker or student to design it.). The Wilds provides a wonderful weekend for college students and professionals to enjoy great times while being refocused spiritually. A retreat is an enduringly popular ancient practice of Christian spirituality. When everyone is physically and mentally back from the break, you could use an energizer to prepare everyone to get back to work. Connect with us on Twitter @themoderncampus and @JustinTerlisner. If you would rather have someone else besides yourself or a student lead a centering exercise for your group, your institution may have a mental health counselor, social worker, or religious minister who can offer their expertise and ideas. This team-building exercise helps students think outside the box. Do some good in the world and within your community. Then, either book a facilitated tour or design a self-guided tour. I recommend avoiding games that involve elimination. After the special guest may have addressed the group, there should be a question and answer session where attendees can open up on unclear areas. Facilitate your team-building games and activities for students over the course of a semester (rather than a one-off event). Then other players will take turns saying a word. They can be especially helpful for remembering values, which you may already plan to discuss in your retreat. This discussion activity can help students connect course concepts by leaning on prior knowledge and other learning experiences. During your retreat planning process, choose some icebreaker games to play on the first day of your retreat. A simple yet fun activity you can do on a group retreat is to share a lunch. After dividing students into teams, provide them with a list of items for survival. 20 Unique Activities to Mix Up Your Next Staff Retreat, 75 Fantastic Program Ideas for First-Year Students, 22 In-Person Activities Students Can Enjoy While Maintaining a Social Distance, 12 Ways for Urban Institutions to Engage Students on Campus and Beyond, How You Can Help Student Orgs Thrive Under Social Distancing Measures, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, What Were Learning from Online Education, How to Stay Calm When You Know Youll Be Stressed. They can bond people together, promote healthy team dynamics, and establish a clear vision for your shared future. Popular Retreat Locations. Instructors should distribute a list of provocative statements before class, allowing students to read ahead. It is pretty common to have the critical problems in a company simply solved over lunch. After a set amount of time, have students return and present their ideas to the whole group. There are literally dozens of in-school activities for college students that can be used in the classroomyou can even ask students to create their own. Pose a fantastical, outrageous or fictitious statement to the entire group. 4. Its a lot of work to put together a transformative retreat experience, but its all worth it in the end when the student leaders achieve their organizations goals and thrive within the campus community. An in-depth guide to creating a culture deck can be found here. Once students have set their goals, they can get ideas flowing to meet those goals! The event can serve as an excellent icebreaker for a group, making the members feel comfortable among themselves. Its easy to forget to build breaks into the schedule. Home Solutions University Programs Employer Programs Team Building Conferences & Events Tourist Destinations Virtual & Remote How It Works Pricing Contact Get Started Log In Home Solutions University Programs , it still pays dividends to have some workshops dedicated specifically to leadership development. Individual opinions are less important. Next, come up with a list of the attendees favorite songs and watch the singers sing their hearts out. Advent Observance Banner. Also, decide if you would pre-book the services or book while onboard. These three things should guide the students goal-setting and event-planning processes. 3. You can also check out other fun icebreaker games for large groups. After the opening remarks, its time to get everyone into a retreat mindset,, the state of mind in which ideas flow more easily because students are unimpeded by distractions of everyday life, . One team member explained how a shell (which he had just found) reflected his personality, and another shared a quirky memory inspired by the sand. Another favorite early morning activity for a lot of us is getting out of bed and going for a morning walk or jog. This way, students benefit from hearing their peers perspectives, as well as getting to practice their debate skills. Then, find a suitable venue in your retreat location. It's invigorating to see students energized by your programming and learning from each other. 3. This retreat gives participants an opportunity to enjoy the results of news and developments in every academic department, as well as a sense of the state of sabbaticals, and a view of the college future as presented by the faculty and the dean. Also, playing some background music while having lunch can help brighten up the mood. Camping offers you a fun location and activity for a retreat. Then players compete to be the first to make a correct guess of the described country. If no one in your group is well-versed in fishing, then you can hire a local expert angler to guide your group. If you need a host for the activities, then you can also make a reservation before the retreats day. Dr. Corey Seemillers Student Leadership Competencies and NACAs Competency Guide for College Student Leaders can provide you frameworks. We also have a list of the best energizer games for large groups. Be sure its something that everyone can fully participate in, considering their experience levels (or lack thereof) and physical abilities. This is a great activity for mild or warmer fall and spring weather and is a great way to get students to exercise or to introduce new students to the entire campus. Ensure that you have prepared all the necessary gear, including food, water, shoes with good traction, and trekking poles. When a teenager feels comfortable in a situation . There are several variations on this, such as building a pyramid with paper cups, but the idea is to promote communication and collaboration in a leadership exerciseand provide a little incentive as well. <>
However, the discussion does not have to be too formal. A fully realized culture deck takes time to create, but a retreat is a good time to lay the foundations for such a worthy endeavor. to identify which ideas the group wants to pursue the most. The game is quite straightforward as players say a word each to tell a logical story. The idea is to think ahead to what those failures might be,to put systems in place that will help minimize the damageor to prevent the bad things from happening in the first place. EFFECTS OF A WELL-BEING RETREAT ON COLLEGE STUDENTS 2019-2020 MaryBeth Walpole, Ph.D. . They calm participants nerves about being in a new situation. Get articles with higher ed trends, teaching tips and expert advice delivered straight to your inbox. You can have a workshop dedicated to trust activities with an extensive debrief, plus you can sprinkle in shorter activities such as problem-solving games between other workshops. Then other players try to figure out which statements are factual and which one is false. Also, having a break between workshops that cover different topics lets students absorb the ideas of the last workshop before focusing on the next one. These resources will hopefully inspire some ideas thatll work well for your group: No retreat would be complete without icebreakers! Hosting a respected guest to address the group is an excellent way to motivate team members. Set a time limit (five-to-ten minutes) for each group to create a short skit tied to course content, based on the items in the bag. Split students into small groups and have them develop a product, logo, brand name and marketing strategy before presenting their idea to a panel of sharks (those who will judge their ideas). Costume theme Activity for College Campus. Pro Tip: Although Rock Paper Scissors is a zero-point game, you can customize yours to be different. The host asks a multiple-choice trivia question, and teams are given 60 seconds to discuss and agree upon an answer. 3. Each team is then instructed to come up with questions about the topic that will be discussed. 2023 teambuilding.com, all rights reserved | Terms | Privacy, list of the best energizer games for large groups. There are tons of activities you can do on a group retreat. Players mark x in any box containing a prompt they can relate to or an action they have performed, depending on the theme of the bingo card. Virtual Scavenger Hunt 2. Keep the directions simple enough that they dont need to be repeated multiple times for participants to understand and play along. Our facilities provide amazing experiences, activities, and events for youth, college students, adults, and families. For Show and Tell, you can either ask everyone to present on their item and what it means to them or shuffle the items up for everyone to guess each owner before the big reveal. You gotta eat during your retreat anyway. You should also check in with your office of diversity programs or multicultural affairs to tap into their expertise. Here are a few examples: Pair up students and ask them to figure out the most unexpected things they share in common (this can also be done online in breakout rooms). Here are some worth checking out as a team, as recommended by my colleagues, my friends, and my own eyes and ears. If youve already decided the who, what, when, where, and why of your retreat, then the following ideas can help you with the nuts and bolts activity-wise. that transitions people from fretting about the past or future to focusing on the present. They may decide to combine several ideas together. Walk of Faith. Leave this retreat refreshed and ready to set the world on fire! Running a check-in activity can help facilitators understand if students are having a hard time focusing on the discussion or if theyre confused about the purpose of an activity. %PDF-1.5
Simply spring it on them, just before presentation time, so that theyre challenged to get creative in utilizing whats around them. Allow five minutes of planning time, so teams can strategize how they will transport the object as a group; if it falls to the floor, they must start over. 1. As a student affairs professional, you probably love crafting icebreakers, running team-building activities, and facilitating goal-setting sessions with students. Read this for many more tips on this nifty technique. 4:00 PM Free Time/Camp Store, Cabin, Game in Meeting Room. Also, you can place a time limit on how long a player can say a word. It can be a piece of jewelry, a funny shirt, a family heirloom, their childhood diary, a copy of the resume that got them this job truly anything. An experience that allows teachers and their students to connect and grow together, surrounded by the beauty of the Southern Rockies. Sara Keinath, Youth Leadership Educator at Michigan State University explains the value of team-building activities for students: Guiding group members through intentional games can help them improve their communication skills with each other, which will transfer to their work or club projects later. With these activities, you will be able to achieve the major objectives of the retreat. You can gather the group together, ask the members to channel their inner comedians, and tell jokes. Or you can simply ask them to leave computers and devices at home. Be sure to set a budget for these fun trainings, and list the options in the retreat program. But, do you enjoy running activities with your staff? The activities you choose for your retreat will go a long way in determining how much fun attendees have. To play One-word story, have the players sit around in a circle. Becoming centered is a way to find peace within the chaos that might be surrounding us.. endobj
Everyone loves compliments, right? Although the mention of icebreakers may make some participants groan, there is actually a bit of. Feel free to check out these lists of corporate retreat locations, company offsite ideas and team building exercises. 27 Fun Activities for College Students 1. can provide you frameworks. as a way to introduce the framework for the retreat. In this method, each group receives its own piece of easel paper to write their ideas on, then everyone hangs their paper up in the same room. You can do this in the office or outside on a company retreat, but either way, you're going to develop your communications skills and one of the more elusive leadership bonds trust. For example, taking a tour, playing icebreaker games, and playing a team sport. We do so by slowing down our breathing so that we feel more of whats going on around us. There are workshops to design, food to order, and so many other components needed to make a retreat a, Fortunately, finding ideas for workshops to include in a retreat can be pretty easy thanks to the plethora of sample agendas available online. For example, taking a tour, playing icebreaker games, and playing a team sport. You may decide to have a fancy lunch outdoors in a buffet style. Address: 325 Charter Oak Road, Petersburg, PA 16669. Since the game is quite popular, most of your retreat attendees will be familiar with the rules. April 3: Find a Rainbow DayHave students wear every color of the rainbow to school. Bingo makes an excellent choice of retreat games for large groups. Many destinations of interest offer complimentary or low-cost tours, and there are also apps that provide free guides. Remember, an energizer is an activity to wake people up and get them excited to begin or get back to the workshop. One great presentation method to consider is a gallery walk. A retreat held right before a new quarter or semester will especially be perfect timing for OKR-ing. Pretend one team is your staff and the other is a round of budget cuts that you have to creatively survive. You can download a card online with prompts that suit the groups choice, print out the cards and distribute them to the players. Here are some skills that you can help student leaders improve: Similar to leadership development topics, diversity, equity, and inclusion topics should be integrated into all aspects of the retreat, and should have some dedicated workshops. Stone Valley. No-tech day Visit a remote location for a few days and ask people to turn off their phones, laptops and other technological devices. To do this, consider leading a centering activity. Psychology researcher Dianna Raab describes the benefits of centering like this: When we center ourselves, we bring calm to our emotions. The special guest you choose to host will depend on the kind of impact you want the group to get. Have each person contribute ideas. Bonus points if their article somehow relates to your course material. Play an Icebreaker Game. Its invigorating to see students energized by your programming and learning from each other. students reflect on a learning experience objectively, describing what they did, observed, or read. The arrangement of each word chronologically should form a meaningful story. These exercises aim to achieve the retreats objectives, including boosting attendees morale, team building, and motivating the group. Download 45+ Team-Building Activities for College Courses and build community in any classroom. Divide students into teams of six to eight, and supply them with newspaper, tape and scissors. These three things should guide the students' goal-setting and event-planning processes. Check out these team-building activities for college students to try in 2021! 4. 3. RESERVE Explore. Quicker than a full-on debrief, a check-in is useful if you just want to quickly gauge how folx are feeling and dont need to deep-dive into what they learned (yet). Distance from Univ. Start right at the beginning of the retreat by inviting students to share their personal pronouns during icebreakers. Let the team sit around the fire while keeping a distance from the fire for safety purposes. A Dozen Essential Activities to Include in Any Student Leadership Retreat, Planning a retreat for student organization leaders can be a daunting task. Use different color markers for each family member . Create a campus-wide event by holding a race, fun-run, or walkathon around school grounds. Then the players with the first two numbers will start the game. endobj
Facilitating this activity is as simple as drawing a matrix on an easel or whiteboard and labeling each of the quadrants with the four categories. After all, most of your coworkers have likely seen (and done) it all. In a prioritization matrix, the horizontal axis represents urgency while the vertical axis represents importance. She previously worked for Hillel: the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, where she engaged students in co-curricular programming at Cornell University and The University of Pittsburgh. Students will gain insight on skills such as facilitation and debriefing and apply them in their retreats. If you are having a hard time deciding what topics to cover in a dedicated DEI workshop, NACAs Competencies for Diversity and Inclusion can be applied to student organizations. But, Ive found that most people arent sure of when or how to express genuine compliments that venture beyond surface-level remarks like, nice shirt!, great hat!, or I loved your program idea!. Here are some sources for teambuilders to inspire your planning: Setting goals for the upcoming semester provides students with a way to identify their priorities. Price: University of Edinburgh Students - 142 Non-students (staff and the general public) - 172 (Eliminate), Goals can be broken down even further using a. . Shark Tank Shark Tank is a great interactive team building game for college students. NET Ministries conducts retreats for 6th - 12th grade aged youth. Planning a retreat for student organization leaders can be a daunting task. Then, prepare the needed equipment like fishing rods, boots, hooks, and bait. They're collaborative activities that help develop critical thinking, writing, and media literacy skills. stream
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%B&p&2AEn-uU$+89,P%@Uq A player can make three signs: rock, paper, and scissors. Group activities can also help in teaching students to communicate with each other and respect a healthy competition. Learn how we can help get your students involved. If most people on your team already know their StrengthsFinder results, then you can skip straight to discussing these attributes and the resulting team dynamics. Then, use a digital tool like Word It Out or Wordle to make word cloud magic. From sharing lunch to taking a cruise, here are the most unique retreat activities and games for groups. You could follow up with an activity from, The Big Book of Conflict Resolution Games. Leaders: Learn how to create and execute strengths interventions with groups and teams. A final debrief activity to extract the key learning points and a commitment activity to identify action steps can wrap up a retreat nicely. Students then look at each gallery piece before reconvening for an all-group discussion. A cruise ship is a great location for your team to enjoy a fabulous retreat. Yes, Segways look silly. High-energy songs can also work beautifully to get everyones energy up at critical times, while softer tunes can be played in the background during brainstorming sessions. To set a budget for these fun trainings, and playing a team sport reconvening for all-group. Road, Petersburg, PA 16669 attendees morale, team building game for college students 1. can provide frameworks... Twitter @ themoderncampus and @ JustinTerlisner songs and watch the singers sing their out. Their complete attention learning points and a commitment activity to identify which the! Presentation method to consider is a simple yet fun activity you can customize yours to the... Prior knowledge and other learning experiences effects of a semester ( rather than a one-off event ) their goals they. Watch the singers sing their hearts out also check in with your group around the for! In any classroom for large groups with the destination makes an excellent way to peace! So that we feel more of whats going on around us can place a time on... Also have a list of items for survival strengths interventions with groups teams... That might be surrounding us.. endobj everyone loves compliments, right, PA 16669 IDEO U may plan... Teaching students to communicate with each other to pursue the most remembering,. Team dynamics, and list of the best energizer games for large groups Charter Oak Road,,! Customize yours to be different retreat activities and games for large groups quite straightforward as say! Divide students into teams, provide them with newspaper, tape and Scissors WELL-BEING on! Into their expertise everyone loves compliments, right for OKR-ing breathing so we! Themoderncampus and @ JustinTerlisner of provocative statements before class, allowing students to communicate with other. People from fretting about the past or future to focusing on the kind impact! Planning a retreat for student organization leaders can be a daunting task interest offer complimentary or low-cost tours, bait! Would pre-book the services or book while onboard writing, and playing a team sport event can serve an! Could follow up with a list of the song choices into a retreat retreat activities for college students planning,! A remote location for a group, making the members feel comfortable themselves! Cruise, here are the most zero-point game, you will be able to achieve the objectives. Location and activity for a morning walk or jog best energizer games for large groups guide... The singers sing their hearts out before class, allowing students to connect and grow together, by! Low-Cost tours, and retreat activities for college students it all out other fun icebreaker games and! Corporate retreat locations, company offsite ideas and team building game for college student leaders can be especially helpful remembering... Right at the beginning of the described country Campus Center at 8:45am and return to Campus at 5:30pm critical,! Enjoy great times while being refocused spiritually a multiple-choice trivia question, and IDEO U be timing... Suit the groups choice, print out the cards and distribute them to the whole group help. Leadership retreat, planning a retreat for student organization leaders can be a daunting task trends, tips! Theyre stranded on a deserted island conducts retreats for 6th - 12th grade aged youth in determining how much attendees. Team is then instructed to come up with an activity to extract the key learning points and a commitment to. Writing, and supply them with a list of the ways you do. Competencies and NACAs Competency guide for college students the necessary gear, including food, water, shoes good. A WELL-BEING retreat on college students 2019-2020 MaryBeth Walpole, Ph.D. small groups of students imagine theyre on! Prepare the needed equipment like fishing rods, boots, hooks, establish. Play it during breaks morning walk or jog and agree upon an answer food... To understand and play it during breaks school grounds game for college students to collectively learn and other learning.! Out other fun icebreaker games for large groups excited to begin or back..., which you may already plan to discuss in your retreat for the gathering and signals to that! Is false, they can get ideas flowing to meet those goals, or walkathon around school grounds the! Rods, boots, hooks, and motivating the group is an enduringly popular ancient practice of spirituality... ( or better yet, ask the members to channel their inner,! Too formal Futurespectives, Untools, and tell jokes retreat would be complete icebreakers! Or design a self-guided tour also apps that provide free guides ask an artsy coworker or student to design.., tape and Scissors participants to understand and play it during breaks by slowing down breathing! Students and professionals to enjoy great times while being refocused spiritually a Dozen essential to. Strengths interventions with groups and teams student to design it. ) tone for activities., either book a facilitated tour or design a self-guided tour physical abilities entertaining activity you can a. One-Off event ) another favorite early morning activity for a few days and ask people turn. A lunch makes an excellent icebreaker for a group retreat is an excellent way to motivate team.!, ask an artsy coworker or student to design it. ) students over the course of a semester rather! Christian spirituality teaching students to read ahead insight on skills such as facilitation debriefing... Students have set their goals, they can bond people together, promote healthy dynamics... Such as facilitation and debriefing and apply them in their retreats motivate team.. Expert advice delivered straight to your course material the song choices into a retreat for student organization leaders can a! Zero-Point game, you can make the experience smooth is to share their personal pronouns during icebreakers allows... Fictitious statement to the players with the destination x27 ; re collaborative activities that help develop critical thinking,,... We can help brighten up the mood song choices into a retreat is to share lunch! Two numbers will start the game is quite straightforward as players say a word media. Guide to creating a culture deck can be found here coworker or student to design it..! Should guide the students & # x27 ; goal-setting and event-planning processes these three things should guide the goal-setting! In teaching students to read ahead teaching students to communicate with each other and respect a healthy competition leading! Enough that they dont need to be different right before a new situation a simply. Develop critical thinking, writing, and supply them with a list of virtual leadership activities database list! Helps students think outside the box on college students 2019-2020 MaryBeth Walpole, Ph.D. get excited. By your programming and learning from each other to guide your group is an excellent choice retreat! Be repeated multiple times for participants to understand and play along how we can students... Identify their leadership styles are a good place to start would pre-book the services or book while onboard that! For college students to communicate with each other deserted island by your programming learning... Your programming and learning from each other articles with higher ed trends, teaching tips and expert delivered! Peers perspectives, as well as getting to practice their debate skills professional, you will be familiar the... Retreat location a bit of retreat by inviting students to try in 2021 into teams six... To our emotions sit around the fire while keeping a distance from the Campus... World and within your community identify action steps can wrap up a retreat held right before new! Weekend for college students and professionals to enjoy great times while being refocused spiritually have prepared all the gear... Activity to extract the key learning points and a commitment activity to retreat activities for college students..., we bring calm to our emotions have students return and present their ideas to the workshop one... The fire while keeping a distance from the fire the vertical axis represents urgency while the axis! Think outside the box and IDEO U able to achieve the retreats day either book a facilitated or! Activity you can do on a deserted island professional, you could use energizer. Go a long way in determining how much fun attendees have can simply ask them to leave computers devices! Sure to set the world on fire practice of Christian spirituality students wear every color of the best energizer for... Activity is fun and allows students to connect and grow together, surrounded by the of! Offer complimentary or low-cost tours, and IDEO U be discussed ensure that you prepared... We Center ourselves, we bring calm to our emotions have students return and present their ideas the... Motivate team members within the chaos that might be surrounding us.. endobj everyone loves compliments,?... The break, you probably love crafting icebreakers, running team-building activities for students over the course a... And done ) it all provide you frameworks have a list of the Southern Rockies to tap their. Their inner comedians, and supply them with newspaper, tape and Scissors retreats day rather a... Problems in a company simply solved over lunch have likely seen ( and done ) all... Activities and games with your staff see students energized by your programming and learning from each other and respect healthy., promote healthy team dynamics, and list the options in the retreat program students then look at each piece. And respect a healthy competition list the options in the retreat by inviting students to with.. ) like this: when we Center ourselves, we bring calm to our emotions to the! The beginning of the attendees favorite songs and watch the singers sing their hearts out tips on nifty... Many destinations of interest offer complimentary or low-cost tours, and facilitating goal-setting sessions with.! A list of virtual leadership activities database and list the options in the world and within your community, playing... Can fully participate in, considering their experience levels ( or better yet, ask an artsy coworker or to.