It’s all fun and games until – well, there is no until. The fun doesn’t stop at the Club, even for the staff! The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming (BGCCW) staff spent the day revamping their training of Club activities and games. This day course was offered for experienced and new staff members to inform and educate them on new activities for all in attendance.
Staff were introduced to forty activities and through “playing” developed team-building experiences and ways to modify and adapt the activity to their groups. Each lesson incorporated leadership skills and increased member engagement by using ice breakers and trust-based games.
“Sometimes it’s challenging to try new activities based off of articles found on the internet,” said Amanda Montes, BGCCW Academic Outreach Coordinator, “Playing and experiencing the games first-hand helps me, as a staff, understand how to facilitate them with our youth.”
Some of the activities played were: Challenge Circles, Mess of Handshakes, Chicken Baseball, Where IN the World, Monarch Tag, Emotional Race, Welded Ankles, Rope Unscramble. There were some funny moments throughout the course that encouraged everyone to step out of their shell and experience the same fun as their Club kids.
Zach Powell, BGCCW Gym Coordinator, expressed how great the training was. “The training gave each staff a new set of tools to use, and it was a great team-building environment. My favorite part? Being able to step out of our comfort zone and laugh at each other.”
At the end of each game, there is always a lesson to the theme, one that the staff reflected and discussed as a group.
BGCCW staff practice what they teach: team-building skills, good character & citizenship, respecting others, and getting moving. These activities are more effectively shared with Club kids because the ones implementing the lessons have experienced each lesson first-hand. Club staff can help a child boldly play a charades game in front of others because they know what it’s like to be in the spotlight.
The Club’s Youth development professionals are eager to share this experience with their Club kids. “The training was incredibly fun and I learned a lot, but my favorite part was team-building with the other youth development professionals,” Amanda Montes beamed, “And I believe our Club kids will be just as excited to learn as well.”
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