Planning Stage:
With minimal amount of time, and the event to occur
on the fifth day of our stay in EMRS, the 3 team admins were informed that
there would be a team bonding session for the entire EMRS team. With that told,
we started planning and writing a proposal for the games that can be
played during the session. Initially, we planned some games such as Water
Captain's Ball, but was later rejected by the supervisors as we did not consider
some safety issues or personal issues. Secondly, there was also a game
called "HA HA HA", in which participants of the game would be
required to lie on each other's stomach and play the game. For this, we also
neglected the fact that some people would not feel comfortable with it.
However, we came up with back-up games to substitute the ones that are
rejected. We also tried to ensure that the games are not boring for the
participants.
Event Day:
4th March came within a blink of an eye and it was
event day.
Dog-and-Bone
We started off the team bonding event with our
first activity, 'Dog-and-Bone'. It was held at the open area near SBM
club. It was easy for peers to grasp the concept of the game as it is a
common childhood game. 'Dog-and-Bone' was the perfect activity to
bring the mood up as it promoted enthusiasm and competitiveness in our
peers. It also served as an ice breaker as peers were not divided according to
the usual Team 2, 3, 4 but instead mixed.
The flow of the game was smooth but unfortunately,
on of our members fell and hurt herself while chasing the opponent further
into the game. Thankfully first aid was provided and planned prior to the
event. The first aider (one of the admins) helped to her wound.
Although what could be improved on the team admin's
part was that we could have reminded and briefed the team that safety was
important and they should be careful and not be over competitive.
Human Knot
The second activity was 'Human Knot'. It was held
at the same area to prevent time wastage in moving from one area to another.
Human Knot was played respectively among Team 2, 3 and 4. The purpose of
this game is to ensure members communicate and share their ideas with each
other so as to arrive to a solution.
Captain's Ball
The third
activity was ‘Captain’s Ball’. We chose this game because we wanted them to be
more active and interactive. This game of ball catching would improve their
communication skills. Teamwork would also come into play in order to win.
The initial
plan was for it to be held at the outdoor Basketball court, but due to bad
weather, the Team Admins decided to carry the activity out at the Dome even
though there was limited space.
At the
beginning, the game seemed slow. The girls were quite reserved and did not want
to play and most boys were the ones enthusiastic and playing. We then came up
with a solution to have a match just between the girls.
Below is a
video of how captain’s ball was carried out at the Dome.
Conclusion:
After this
event, we’ve learnt that we should be more prepared in terms of planning such
as selection of venues to ensure the smoothness of the event.