A retreat is a meeting that is typically designed and organized specifically to facilitate the ability of a group to step back from their day-to-day demands and activities for an extended period of concentrated discussion, dialogue, and strategic thinking about the organization's future or about specific issues. 2 Getting-to-Know-You Icebreaker Games for College Students 2.1 Alphabet Freeze 2.2 Who Are You? 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. A Dozen Essential Activities to Include in Any Student Leadership Retreat, Planning a retreat for student organization leaders can be a daunting task. Then plan the menu and other activities to entertain the attendees. Classroom Advent Activities. When all is said and done, thank the students for attending the retreat and remind them to fill out a survey to help you improve future retreats. Know the length of the route before you start hiking. Hopping on for a tour near your campus will allow you to see your community in a new way, especially if you have a professional guide to teach you about the towns history and future. You can take a tour to fun places like museums, wineries, or even another city. After three-to-five minutes, have students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of the next student. Connect with us on Twitter @themoderncampus and @JustinTerlisner. A tightened fist represents a rock sign. Split up into teams, plop down with puzzles, and let the race begin! Breaks provide people a chance to mentally recharge, use the restroom, get snacks, and stretch. (Achieve), What is it we have and want to keep? Tell older children to divide a sheet of paper into three columns. !E5m)6PL3)by,p]hHK/)aQe^Xj1j@ 5OM'is/YA6"b`"nX0j3r\8^mMz'k"Lng`^(`uK08qkYK^653Z L'>yB.J7##J)W.EeSkr5(~p? They may decide to combine several ideas together. 2. Costume theme Activity for College Campus. This is a classic for a reason. Plus, this activity may serve as a test round for a future students Segway tour. You would want to avoid serving any food or refreshments at this time to avoid choking on both laughter and food. One-word story is an interesting game for groups in a retreat. Psychology researcher Dianna Raab, describes the benefits of centering like this, When we center ourselves, we bring calm to our emotions. 2 0 obj Consider having a licensed professional counselor available for the weekend for times of listening and encouragement. Next, pair peers up and encourage them to agree on a response. Fill in each square by asking students the, What is it we want and dont have? It is a good idea to divide a large group into small teams while playing to encourage full participation from all the group members. 60 Awesome Icebreakers For Orientation and Beyond, 100 Quick Icebreaker Questions to Keep in Your Back Pocket, 24 Virtual Icebreaker Activities Thatll Help You Build Community via Video Call, One way to immerse students in the organizations mission, vision, and values is to create a. . Energize your college classroom and get discussions flowing. All they take is a class with at least one student who isn't too shy. Research shows that breaks can increase productivity by helping people refocus on workshop goals. Here are some icebreakers that you could use: A retreat is a great time to review the student organizations mission, vision, and values. You can also rent a karaoke venue like a club or private lounge without going through the stress of setting up the machine. A student organizations culture deck might include how they fit into the broader campus culture, what its like to be a member of the organization, and how problems are addressed. Pro Tip: Although Rock Paper Scissors is a zero-point game, you can customize yours to be different. Team-building activities can be broken down by their benefits into three types: These activities can fit almost anywhere into your retreat schedule! Ensure that you have prepared all the necessary gear, including food, water, shoes with good traction, and trekking poles. Many destinations of interest offer complimentary or low-cost tours, and there are also apps that provide free guides. The player with the highest points wins the game and deserves the winning prize. 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. These exercises aim to achieve the retreat's objectives, including boosting attendees' morale, team building, and motivating the group. For example, fishing, taking a tour, karaoke, and playing bingo. This discussion activity can help students connect course concepts by leaning on prior knowledge and other learning experiences. 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. Some of the best large group retreat games include volleyball, bingo game, and icebreaker games. that can help students identify their leadership styles are a good place to start. Then, either book a facilitated tour or design a self-guided tour. And it doesnt have to involve awkward activities such as a trust fall. Engaging, relevant team-building activities for students can energize your classroom and take learning to a new level. Group retreat activities are games and events that groups can partake in during a retreat. Or, if most people need to take (or retake) the test, set aside a half-hour for them to do so, ideally in a quiet, solo space that fosters reflection. students reflect on a learning experience objectively, describing what they did, observed, or read. Here is a template we made for your game: Alternatively, you can make your custom bingo cards with a free icebreaker Bingo card generator. , then the following ideas can help you with the nuts and bolts activity-wise. I, like many others, was forced to move a face-to-face college class to virtual synchronous meetings in Zoom. can be broken down by their benefits into three types: Communication and collaboration improvers, These activities can fit almost anywhere into your retreat schedule! 5:00 PM Dinner. To host this party, decide whether or not the party will have a theme. Ask them to write down a list of questions about the source material they are viewing or respond to a discussion prompt related to the course material to generate conversation. <>/ExtGState<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/Annots[ 15 0 R] /MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> Download 45+ Team-Building Activities for College Courses and build community in any classroom. Dont forget to, What are some of your favorite retreat activities? 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. Retreats are famously (or infamously, depending upon who you ask) used for setting goals. Camping offers you a fun location and activity for a retreat. Download, Online (synchronous or asynchronous), in-person, Online (synchronous or asynchronous), blended, in-person, 45+ Team-Building Activities for College Courses, Fun leadership activities for college students, Community-building activities for college students. About the author: Justin Terlisner (he/him) is a student affairs professional who focuses on helping students thrive through dynamic leadership education and inclusive supervision practices. Also, add refreshments, including cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages for attendees who do not take alcohol. Jennifer Gonzalez broke down a few reasons why. Its easy to forget to build breaks into the schedule. Course type: Online (synchronous or asynchronous), in-person. You can award a prize to the winner. Everyone loves compliments, right? Fortunately, finding ideas for workshops to include in a retreat can be pretty easy thanks to the plethora of sample agendas available online. Staff can either pick their own favorite episode to spotlight or you can issue assignments. That way, everyone can be part of the friendly competition the whole time. 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). Go along with a first aid kit. Next, come up with a list of the attendees favorite songs and watch the singers sing their hearts out. When their time is up, a spokesperson can present their ultimate solution to the rest of the group or to the class. Ask students to repeat this process for several rounds to help familiarize themselves with a variety of standpoints. (Sorry, fellow Floridians; youll have to ignore this suggestion.). We have 30+ experiences to choose from, and thousands of five star reviews. . Rather than watching and debriefing full talks during your retreat, assign a different video to each team member a few days ahead of time. While many types of retreats may not be appropriate for boards, a well-planned working retreat can be an effective way for trustees to: (1) really get to know one another and the backgrounds, skills . Icebreaker games are one of the best group games for retreats. The closing of the retreat is just as important as the opening. Practice public speaking and presenting skills through leading interactive activities for the entire group. The Wilds provides a wonderful weekend for college students and professionals to enjoy great times while being refocused spiritually. For one, the icebreaker might ask students to share information that is too personal too quickly, resulting in students being more closed off later in the retreat. After a few minutes, combine rooms to form groups of four. Start by setting up stations or posters in a few locations around the classroom (like on the walls or on tables). Although the mention of icebreakers may make some participants groan, there is actually a bit of. The general purpose of a retreat is for participants to take time to pause and step outside of one's daily routines and practices, in order to reflect, rejuvenate, and gain new perspectives on one's relationships and life. During lunch, the group can discuss some work issues. Youll keep repeating the exercise, giving everyone a chance to do at least one round of tapping, until you run out of unique statements. When not writing curriculum or working with students, youll find him enjoying a book, hiking or baking. This activity will get everyones heart rates up while helping you release energy and embrace your silly sides. Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person. 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. For menu inspiration, check out this list of conference food ideas. A final debrief activity to extract the key learning points and a commitment activity to identify action steps can wrap up a retreat nicely. #wd88?W. Check out these team-building activities for college students to try in 2021! This group activity is fun and allows students to collectively learn. When everyone is physically and mentally back from the break, you could use an energizer to prepare everyone to get back to work. Or, to really mix things up, one team can represent student affairs staff and the other can be academic staff, who all shock the system by working together to score the most total points. Facilitate your team-building games and activities for students over the course of a semester (rather than a one-off event). Not sure what topics to cover? She's a proud graduate of Emory University, where she majored in Creative Writing, and of Nova Southeastern University, where she earned her master's degree in College Student Affairs. Sometimes, we as facilitators get so caught up in designing the activity that we forget the original purpose. Youll literally jump for joy. Hosting a respected guest to address the group is an excellent way to motivate team members. Open-ended questions. 21 Team-Building Activities for College Students [Plus: Free List of 45+ Activities] | Top Hat Blog Educators Students Events Subscribe to the Top Hat Blog Join more than 10,000 educators. Chris Merlo: Open-ended questions don't take any planning. Have students put each goal in a quadrant then assign due dates. Also, find out if you will need a license to fish in the location of choice. For projects that make the final cut, the students could create a. to identify everyones roles and establish accountability. Course type: Online (synchronous or asynchronous), blended, in-person. Ask any first-year experience or orientation office, and theyll surely vouch for the fact that teaching skills to students early improves retention and development outcomes. For example, for activity no. Fishing is a unique activity to engage in on a retreat, especially if many of your group members are fond of the pastime. Divide students into teams and provide them with building materials, such as dry spaghetti, marshmallows, string and tape. A cruise ship is a great location for your team to enjoy a fabulous retreat. We will provide van transportation for students from the IC Campus Center at 8:45am and return to campus at 5:30pm. Other leaders blindfold all the youth and tell them that one at a time they are going to be lifted on the board, which will be about 3 feet off the ground, and see if they can walk across the board from one side to the other. You can decide on the number of categories they must fit the object into or let each team decide. Social justice projects' interdisciplinary nature helps students make important connections between history, culture, economics, and . 2. Find purpose throughout your life and create meaning through self-reflection and intentional discussions. He also sent us a summary of themes that . Group retreat activities are games and events that groups can partake in during a retreat. They should also stress that the retreat is vital to the success of the group for the rest of the year or academic term. Engaging in team games and activities during a retreat can be relaxing for small and large groups alike. that transitions people from fretting about the past or future to focusing on the present. The Plan 1) Lodging Where are you going to stay for your retreat? They give participants an idea of the facilitators leadership style. Then players compete to be the first to make a correct guess of the described country. 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, . But pick your activity thoughtfully. For instance, you can invite a motivational speaker for positive thinking and some form of encouragement. A culture deck is a slide deck that defines, in a visual way, how the organization operates and what success looks like to them. Becoming centered is a way to find peace within the chaos that might be surrounding us., Neil Fiore, a psychologist who specializes in productivity, recommends this. Winners can get bonus points for their grade on this activity or their in-class participation grade at the end of the school year. 4 0 obj We have some recommendations for you here, specific to higher education. , the foundation of relationships. Bonus points if their article somehow relates to your course material. When students are feeling anxious about an upcoming paper or test, taking deep breaths will help them calm down so they can focus on the task at hand. Divide students into small groups and have them rotate between each station together, performing some kind of task like sorting their observations into categories. It is an added advantage if you go along with a hiker who can perform CPR. So, how can you lead retreat activities without everyone begging for a nap session at the end? Stone Valley. Now that everyone is centered, the group can get to work! Retreats, which have been used by churches and corporations for some time, are currently being looked into by college presidents and boards of trustees as a means of training and problem solving. If you need a host for the activities, then you can also make a reservation before the retreats day. After all, most of your coworkers have likely seen (and done) it all. 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. Then connect with an expert host or a coach who will guide the lesson. Improvisational (improv) games encourage students to think quickly and step outside their comfort zone to connect with their peers. Online Office Games is a great way to entertain staff, foster team bonding, build skills, and stoke friendly rivalry during your next virtual retreat. 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Wineries, or read sent us a summary of themes that embrace your sides... Connect with us on Twitter @ themoderncampus and @ JustinTerlisner from fretting about the past or future to focusing the... Curriculum or working with students, youll find him enjoying a book, hiking or baking Scissors., how can you lead retreat activities are games and events that groups can partake in a! Culture, economics, and goal in a quadrant then assign due.! That groups can partake in during a retreat Dozen Essential activities to entertain the attendees closing! Or infamously, depending upon who you ask ) used for setting goals get back to work 2.1 Freeze... And encourage them to agree on a learning experience objectively, describing they! Along with a list of the pastime few locations around the classroom ( like on the present synchronous meetings Zoom... Your team to enjoy great times while being refocused spiritually favorite songs and watch the singers sing their hearts.. 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And dont have points wins the game and deserves the winning prize teams and provide them with materials. Final cut, the group can get bonus points if their article somehow relates your. And @ JustinTerlisner energize your classroom and take learning to a new level times while being spiritually... Fill in each square by asking students the, What are some of your favorite retreat activities everyone... Assign due dates yours to be different are games and events that groups can partake in during retreat. ; t take any Planning important as the opening may serve as a round.
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