Day 2: Can you handle it?

Atlanta Challenge was here today at Lullwater Park, working with campers from Camp Ayandeh to help them with teamwork in a group situation.  Campers were separated from their counseling groups into random groups, where they were asked to complete many team building games for points. Collectively, the campers had to come up with solutions to the problems they were faced with in order to succeed. The campers cooperated within their groups to overcome challenges and identify their strengths and weaknesses.



One particular activity that the campers found challenging was "The Cube," a game which was based around a large cube frame.  Though seemingly simple at first, campers soon found that they were required to figure out a way to send each person through the cube without repeating the same path twice.  Additionally, if the cube was touched or knocked over, the campers were required to start fresh. This created frustration, requiring groups to be patient and communicate with each other to complete the trust-building task. The Atlanta Challenge presented a wonderful opportunity for the campers to get to know each other and lay the foundation of friendship that will only grow further throughout the week.

For returning campers, this year shows a slightly different set-up of activities. The day was slightly less structured, which allowed campers to decide on each activity and how to succeed in it, rather than having guides or leaders who would facilitate.  This represents how campers are trusted and expected to achieve goals independently, and reflects the Camp Ayandeh curriculum's emphasis on building leadership skills. 

After spending a hot morning participating in the Atlanta Challenges, the campers cooled off in the chapel with their counseler groups.  Then they proceeded to partake in various communication activities including "Cool to be Square" and role-playing.

"Cool to be Square" involved putting triangular shaped pieces together in order to create four squares of equal sizes without verbally or physically communicating.  These limitations resulted in an irritated group of campers at first, but this slowly faded as campers found a way to complete the task without talking.

The role-playing exercises helped in teaching campers about listening blocks such as rehearsing, dreaming, and identifying--things we do unintentionally. Campers saw how they can identify when they are doing this and how to improve and become better listeners.

Later on, campers paired up into their mentor-mentee groups and got to know each other.  The mentees, the younger bunch of the crowd, found it to be helpful to hear from the older campers about school and what they can prepare for their near and more distant future.  At the same time, the mentors got the chance to act as young counselors and talk about their own experiences.

The campers took a quick break to play soccer and mingle with other students. Afterwards, they met up with their "Club" groups to learn about different aspects of Persian culture and society.  This included activities ranging from Persian games, cooking, public speaking and debate.

Overall, the students spent the day meeting their fellow campers and learning new leadership skills through fun activities.  It was a fantastic first day, and a wonderful preview of the rest of the week!!