In talking with teachers, I often hear about how one of their greatest joys is when a former student comes back to tell how something you did impact their lives in a positive way.
We don’t work with the same students nearly as long as a teacher does, but we do get to feel a small piece of what that joy is like.
We met Catie Duhon at the 2007 NACA Nationals conference. She saw our leadership training session “Dance Floor Theory™” and got it right away. She understood the why behind the how. She understood why the activities we were doing such as “Free Hugs” and “Pin Tag” made a real impact on the total level of engagement at the conference. She got it all so well, she went back to her campus and made it happen at their orientation. Here is a reprint of her Facebook blog**:
[Bearkat Bash/ Orientation and the new plan for getting the freshman to interact… some new games we played this week and the fun we had… and the importance of interaction]
This note post-nutshell:
So How much do I love this stuff?…SO much… i love it so much!…
IT being lots of fun- the kind of fun that creates itself and is contagious- the kind of fun that makes other people want to have a little- the kind of fun that even makes the ‘”I’d rather just sit here and watch” kids decide its worth a shot!…
“Hey guys… Program Councils want to welcome you to “Bearkat Bash”… There is a bungee run, Velcro wall, jousting, basketball, dodge ball on the other side, custom wristbands and dog-tags in the corner, and don’t forget to bring your ticket to the table for your chance to win the prize!!! You guys have fun!”
It’s orientation season and that means FRESHMAN!!! Affectionately referred to as “the kids.” This year Program Council and the Orientation Office teamed up to try and make this year better than ever. At the end of the first night, there has always been a party called “Bearkat Bash,” which, until now, was held in the KatClub and included free pool, games, some music and that ever-so-classic awkward interaction… or lack thereof…
Now when ‘the kids’ get to the new Bash, they are greeted with the above “Hey Guys…” and then a mix CD playing loudly throughout the gym adds the final touch to the new concept…
What we were going for by bringing in interactive activities and games that traditionally guarantee a good time, was providing the students with a *LOW TENSION way to INTERACT* and GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER…Oh, and of course to have some FUN!
It isn’t perfect yet, but hey… things are really looking up and the morale of the incoming freshman seems to perk when they walk in and start enjoying the *fun stuff college has to offer!…
“And What,” you say “about the students who aren’t interested in any of what the Bash has to offer?”…
A Legitimate concern no doubt! One that I had myself from planning: Stage1…
This week we added 2 more activities that seem to have gone over quite well indeed….
“Tag! You’re it!” (A game I got from the wonderful guys over at SwiftKick) and “5-in-5” (a brand-new classic!) were given a test drive and the response was way better than even I had expected! (and I’m an optimist! :D)
We started out at the “Passport to Sam” (booths where the organizations get to inform and recruit) by giving ‘the kids’ clothes-pins that say “TAG!” on them. They had to walk around and pin them on people without getting caught, and if they did they were supposed to meet that person, and maybe strike up a convo. Right after that Bearkat Bash started and what was left of the 300 clothes-pins was gone in 5 minutes (so about an hour and 15 min total).
The thing that gets me really excited though is 5-in-5… not just because the game itself is near and dear to my heart, but because of what happened when we started to play!…
(quick note: 5in5= “5 pictures in 5 seconds”…a disposable camera and a random group of people… you have as much time as it takes to wind the camera to completely re-arrange/ re-configure/ re-pose and- ready or not- the next picture is taken… this happens 5 times fast and (usually) the result is some of the best ‘random’ pictures you’ve ever taken)
The main goal of playing this was to get the kids who were sitting on the walls or standing around in the middle to get up, get energized, and have fun… even if only for 5 seconds-ish. So how did we kick start the magic? Just running around and randomly getting people to play… naturally…
Like I said, even I was amazed at the results…The skeptics were convinced, students were watching across the gym and then coming to ask what was going on and could they play… even the Orientation Leaders couldn’t resist. The game snow-balled and there were freshman trying to get in as many rounds as possible, recruiting others to play, and one group even made us wait so they could go get more of the ‘sitters’ to play!…
The main objective of Bearkat Bash is to provide a place for the incoming students to interact and have fun– the lower the level of awkward tension and the higher the level of no-stress activities/ interaction, the more fun and interaction you see going around!…
I think being a part of or getting involved in SOMEthing is one of the most important parts of our college experiences! And even if it just begins with some random fun and a laugh, the knowledge that-being a part of an event or activity might actually be really fun is- a start! And hey… we gotta start somewhere!!!…
So thanks to EVERYONE who is a part of Bearkat Bash, Program Council, and the Orientation Team… Thanks to ‘the kids’ for taking a chance and having fun!… and thanks to anyone else who gets fired up about getting people involved and having some fun!”
And thank you Catie for passing the joy on to new students at your schools and back to us at Swift Kick 🙂
