Leadership Challenge

The next day after First Year Night (and in the same room), there was another event that coincided with the other part of my job title (Leadership Coordinator), The Leadership Challenge. Students signed up to participate in this event, which is a part of the Leadership Development Program. There are stage one students who participate in challenges led by stage 2 students. These challenges are supposed to encourage teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and effective leading.

Here are some pictures from that:

For one challenge each group was given a package of spaghetti, tape, and a water balloon. Using only what they were given, they were to try to build the tallest free-standing "water tower" -- a spaghetti tower that cradled the balloon on top.









In the next challenge, a bunch of random (RANDOM) stuff was "auctioned" off to each group. Then with all the stuff they bought, the groups had to get from one side of the room to the other. The catch is that they couldn't step outside of a hula hoop, or let any of their "belongings" touch the ground outside the hula hoops.

Because I'm fond of feeding people, the next challenge had to do with food. Each team was to make sandwiches together and for each other. Everyone was assigned a certain "handicap." One person couldn't use their dominant hand, another couldn't use either hand, one or two couldn't talk (usually the ones that had done all the talking in the other challenges. Gave some other people a chance to say something), others were blindfolded. There was one drink table. One team sent the person that couldn't talk but could see and use hands to get their drinks. Logical, right? The others sent at least one "blind" person -- it was too funny! Everyone had something to contribute despite their weaknesses.

The final challenge, the groups worked together to make a decision about what survival items to keep on a list (their ship was sinking, and they needed to make it to the desert island). Then we put everyone together and said they could take even fewer items along. It was very challenging because everyone wanted to voice their opinion. I think it was frustrating to some, but I also think the group learned a lot. I didn't take any pictures of this challenge, because it was mostly the group sitting around a table talking. You can imagine.

We'll do the leadership challenge again in the spring semester, to give students a chance to go who didn't get to go this time around.