team
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What positives do others see in you?
A personal game
Get some stones or similar. Put a large stone in the middle which represents the young person. Other smaller stones stand for the other people they know like family and friends.
First time round get the young person to place the stones in relation to how close these people are to them in real life. Second time place stones where they'd like people to be in relation to them.
Must be used carefully and privately. May be a bit babyish but it can work - be sensitive to this.
A teamwork game
Get people into pairs and have an obstacle course. The person blindfolded has to trust the other person to guide them through words or physically through the obstacles (chairs, tables etc.)
Another take on this game is to have a whistle and 2 teams. They have to guide one person through the maze using only the whistle. The purpose of this is to sort out a code so that the blindfolded walker through the maze understands. It can be fun!
A game... communication
Get people into groups of 2, preferably with someone they don't know that well and label them as either A or B. First A has 1 minute to tell B facts about themselves. Then B has 1 minute or so to repeat back the facts about A they have just been told. Then swap over.
A game... communication part 2
Get people into groups of 2 or 3, preferably with someone they don't know that well and label them as either A or B (or C).
This time A has 1 minute to tell B something about a problem - or make up a character and talk about their problems. B has to listen. After A finishes, either A feeds back or C feeds back on how well they thought B listened and why. Then swap over.
A fun game... an old classic
Get everyone to stand in a circle (get close - so leaders don't do this one!) then they have to sit down (basically onto the person's lap behind) so they all support each other. Then try to get the group to walk round in the circle.
A fun game... a new classic
Get 2 volunteers to sit on the floor back to back and get them to stand up. They have to support each other but it is possible. Then see how many people you can get in on this (i.e. people come in from the side, still facing outwards) and everyone tries to stand up. I have heard the record is 10 people.
Hint - they must lean into each other and support each other's body weight
The Army
Nope, don't enlist them or send for the press gang to beat them into joining up! Tempting I know..
Most Army regiments have a base where they do activities for young people. The Devon & Dorsets near us in Exeter run taster days where they even get teams from local schools to compete.
Could you organise a day with the Army with your crew doing team games to build each other up. Be warned you need to get a good balance of young people - so may need to enlist other willing young people too!
The Army are great because they're disciplined, rigorous and they don't stand for any nonsense..
