When stranded on a remote island it is important that individuals pull together and work as a team in order to survive. This metaphor is apparent throughout this session as teams are required to build a boat out of cardboard that will carry two of their members through rough water to save the team. Teams must use their ingenuity and spunk when they have to appease the native islanders who are looking for a laugh.
Working on many different levels, this activity pulls a variety of people together to work through a common problem for which they need everyone’s cooperation and teamwork to solve. Island Rescue is an active, challenging, competitive way that it also provides you with a very fun and memorable session that people will be talking about for months to come!
Process:
The situation is set up for the participants something like this...
“Your group has been shipwrecked on this remote island. You must work together to build a boat which can carry two of your group to safety and bring back help for the others. You have limited resources with which to build the boat. On the island are some natives who can keep you from leaving unless you entertain them. You must come up with a creative and fun way to ensure that they will let you launch your boat. Good luck.“
Each team is given a section of beach or pool area where they find the materials they have to build their boat: cardboard, plastic, tape and a boat blueprint.
In addition to materials, tools, and instructions to build each boat, groups will be decorations which they can enhance and decorate their boat.
Teams need to work together on building their boat, as well as creating a presentation or skit that is very entertaining and fun (this is in case the native islanders arrive).
Each team presents their skit before the Tribal Council where they will be judged for humor, quality, and overall impression. After all of the skits are done the boats are paraded down to the water to be raced.
Teams conduct final checks on their boats as they prepare for the Great Escape Race in which two members of the team must navigate their boat around a predetermined course while racing against the other teams.
This fun, exciting and memorable experience is the capstone of the event! The crowd cheers on the teams and laugh as boats float or sink. Teams respond to the challenge and develop a strategy to work from, delegate out tasks, and work together in order to complete this task in time. The teams that typically win this event often look beyond the obvious and focus on the outcome to design a unique boat and skit that take the other teams by surprise.
Insights:
This event is a fun way to get everybody engaged and working together.
Team members bond as they build their boat and conduct their skit.
The metaphors of sinking or navigating through uncharted waters are very clear.
Team members really get to know the people on their team and share in a great event!
Rave Review
“I’ve participated in a number of team building events during my business career. This was by far the most fun and rewarding.”
When stranded on a remote island it is important that individuals pull together and work as a team in order to survive. This metaphor is apparent throughout this session as teams are required to build a boat out of cardboard that will carry two of their members through rough water to save the team. Teams must use their ingenuity and spunk when they have to appease the native islanders who are looking for a laugh.
