Outdoor Education |Adventure FAQ

last updated November 14, 2007

Why ‘Team Challenge’?
IAWAH is very intentional about referring to its team and community building activities as ‘Team Challenge’ instead of ‘Low Ropes.’ There are two reasons for this. First, participants have frequently arrived for a program and looked around expectantly asking, “So, where are the ropes?” Second, Team Challenge activities are not a trip to the playground. Using the term ‘Low Ropes’ often conjures up a picture of boot camp-like obstacle courses, Fear Factor challenges, or an expectation that to really be challenged the group should spend the most time using the elements which could not be farther from the truth.

So what are ‘Low Ropes’?
Low rope elements, constructed with wood, cable, ropes and other materials, provide opportunities for participants to use the team skills they have focused on earlier in their Team Challenge sequence (e.g. communication). They can be anywhere from one foot (e.g. T.P. Shuffle) to eight feet (e.g. Ice Wall) off the ground and require ‘spotting’, a technique and mentality participants are instructed in before use so that they can use the elements safely and keep their team members safe as well. The more complex the challenge, the more skills required to complete it. All Team Challenge initiatives and elements are used under trained IAWAH supervision.

Can a group go straight to the low ropes elements?
Put simply, no. There are several stages that a sequence passes through: ice breakers, low complexity ground initiatives, high complexity ground initiatives, and off-ground elements. This sequence has multiple debriefing and transferral points (looking at how participants can apply what they have discovered when they go back home), and the sequence is very intentional. Ice breakers do just that, they break the ice and break down some of the barriers participants come in with due to nervousness, unfamiliarity, or a need to be ‘cool’ in front of a crowd. Ice breakers lead participants to relax, be themselves, be real, and enjoy looking just as goofy as the person next to them. Free to be themselves, participants can more realistically focus on their strengths and areas of weakness and learn how to work together as a group. The increasing complexity of the challenges means participants begin with their basic skills, discover areas to work on, and can focus on measurable areas of growth and success. If a team has demonstrated their ability to work together and grow, taking care of each other along the way, the low rope elements are excellent for providing the next level of challenge. If they have not reached this point, being off the ground could potentially be dangerous and the IAWAH instructors will then choose initiatives that are appropriate for the group’s needs at that time.

Can you tell me the games/initiatives/elements we would be doing?
One of the great things about IAWAH’s Team Challenge is that you are not getting a ‘cookie cutter’ program. Each sequence is individually designed depending on the group’s needs, focus, dynamics, etc which have been discussed with the IAWAH Program Coordinator prior to a group’s arrival. Once the program starts, our trained IAWAH staff observe the group dynamics, successes and areas for growth and continue to tailor initiatives and debriefs throughout the experience. Games, initiatives and elements are tools for practicing team skills in a fun, hands-on way. IAWAH’s staff want to ensure that participants get the most out of their Team Challenge experience and will creatively use the tools available to them to do so. If you have specific requests please mention these to the Program Coordinator before your arrival.

Is high ropes safe?
There is perceived risk when a participant is 30 feet off the ground and looking down! However, part of IAWAH’s mission statement declares that safety is paramount in our programming. Physically participants are kept safe through the proper use of the equipment. Seat harnesses and helmets are worn by the participants, they are held securely on the elements by climbing ropes which run down to a trained belayer on the ground, and the elements themselves receive an annual professional inspection to ensure that the course is the best that it can be.

IAWAH also recognizes the importance of emotional safety and how detrimental an emotionally unsafe environment is. To facilitate a positive experience on the ropes course participants are not expected to climb to a certain height or distance. The level of challenge is in the participant’s hands as they practice “Choose your Challenge ”. No one is ever forced to go higher or farther. Participants who wish to come down are given encouragement if they are simply unsure or lowered to the ground. All participants at the course, whether climbing or on the ground, are encouraged to build up the people around them by giving helpful instructions and cheering peers on rather than teasing or using other negative comments, even if they are joking.

ACCT (the Association for Challenge Course Technology) outlines industry standards to which IAWAH is compliant. If you would like to know more about ACCT and the standards developed to serve the challenge course community on a global scale please see their website at www.acctinfo.org. Our course managers have undergone training and are certified Level 2 or Ropes Course Instructors.

If you would like to know more about high ropes and challenge course training please see the ACCT website or visit Challenges Unlimited at www.challengesunlimited.com or Adventureworks at www.adventureworks.org.

What is Conflict Resolution? What does IAWAH cover in its curriculum?

IAWAH covers the following items.

1. Ice Breakers. These are essential to helping the participants become more comfortable with each other and create an interactive environment. IAWAH staff do not lecture on points, but provide opportunities through role-playing and group challenges for everyone to see conflict and mediation skills at work and try them out.

2. What is conflict? What causes it? How do people react to different conflict situations? These questions are explored as well as which of five resolution types participants use. Participants take a look at their style and the strengths and weaknesses associated with it so they can begin to look at how they can grow in their problem-solving and conflict resolution skills.

3. Identify the problem and boil it down. Conflicts have the potential to quickly grow out of hand. Participants learn the four stages of approaching a person you are in conflict with; one-on-one, with a witness, going to someone in authority, and finally going hands off if the other person simply will not work towards a solution. Emphasis is also put on resources for help when a conflict is too complex or dangerous to deal with alone.

4. Peer Mediation. When asked to help in a situation, participants explore how to apply their conflict resolution skills to another person’s conflict.

Note: IAWAH’s Conflict Resolution is very closely tied to the Team Challenge program. Please see Team Challenge (Adventure & Leadership) for more information.

2007 IAWAH Outdoor Education Brochure