Youth Workin' It

Consultancy and Resources for Youth Workers and Organizations Worldwide

Good Team Building Activities For Teenagers

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Team building activities for teenagersQ: I’m working with a new group of youth – what are some good team building activities for teenagers?

A: Often, at the start of a new group or after major changes (graduation, new youth worker coming in or a significant rift/trauma within the group, etc), it can be beneficial to spend significant time, energy and resources doing team building activities before moving on to or back to ‘regularly scheduled programming.’

There are three ways you can build team cohesion and help develop your youth group further. Some require little or no money and very little time; some require a bit more time and money while others require a significant contribution of time and money.

Option 1 – Limited Time and Resources

You can just add some team building games into your regular programming. Take a few minutes at the start of every session to play a game and take the time to reflect together.

Most of the following games require little or no preparation and utilize items that are readily available in most organizations or at your home:

Take it a step further

You can combine a few activities and icebreakers to create an entire session of team building activities that work well with teenagers and can dovetail into your regular programming.

Option 2 – Some Time and Resources

Through fundraising, or having the youth contribute small amounts of money, you could plan an overnight lock-in focused on team building and group bonding. Watch films, play games, do team building activities and create memories.

Take it a step further

Hold a team building youth retreat that takes place over an entire 2-3 day weekend. Organize team building activities, do all the fun activities you could provide at a lock-in and include small group sessions that allow teens to explore social and emotional issues – this will allow them to get to know one another better. You may even want to include a community service project to help the students create camaraderie while helping others.

Option 3 – More Time and Resources

Go on a residential or week long overnight team building camp. You can go to activity centers where you choose and lead your own activities or there are others that have programs led by the center staff based on the types of skills you’re working to build. These can be pricey and require more time, so consider fundraising efforts, grants and scholarships.

Take it a step further

With the help of fundraising and/or youth contributions, take your teenagers on a week-long mission trip or service project overseas. This will take some time, but the planning stages also help with team building.

Activities that you do there can help youth learn more about themselves, about other cultures and about each other. They may also learn a new skill in the process!

Other Ideas

For even more great activities, check out our other site for some great team building scavenger hunt ideas.

Question: What team building activities for teenagers do you use? Give your thoughts in the comments below.

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The Forming Stage Of Group Development In Youth Work

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Forming stage of group developmentWe’re currently exploring the five stages of group development as identified by Tuckman and Jensen (1977). Today, we’re looking at the Forming Stage – a time when the group gets to know one another, tests the boundaries (both within the rules and with the leadership) and becomes more dependent on one another.

Peter Barnes (2002:43) gives examples of what can be expected during the forming stage:

  • Considerable anxiety
  • Questions about the appropriateness of behavior
  • Polite communication
  • Minimal productivity

Here are some ways you can provide the support necessary to help your youth group move from the forming stage of group development towards more productive phases:

  • Give clear expectations – By going through your youth group’s hopes and fears, as well as clearly laying out the basics of what the group can expect from you and the youth work program, you will be able to help quell a lot of potential anxiety in the forming stage of group development
  • Identify ground rules through a group agreement – Take time and have the group identify what are some acceptable and unacceptable behaviors for their group
  • Provide a safe place for opposing opinions – This is also identified in the expectations and group agreement, but youth will feel more safe to move beyond ‘polite’ to ‘real’ when they know the boundaries for their views. By allowing youth to express their views in the forming stage of group development – even if they aren’t positive or mainstream – this will allow you to contradict incorrect information that young people may have internalized
  • Provide tasks that build confidence, understanding of team dynamics, roles and abilities – Take the time for team building activities and teach the group about team roles. You can also help them identify their learning styles and their individual intelligences. These activities will provide time for your team to bond during the forming stage and will develop relational capital that they can draw on when they begin to feel tension in the next stage

Doing all of these basic steps early on in the forming stage of group development will help lay the ground work for the next stage which we will explore next week: the Storming stage.

Question: What stories do you have from the forming stage of your youth group? Let us know in the comments below.

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