Countryside India

Ankles Away: All team members are linked in a line by having their ankles tied – effectively forming a ‘worm’. The task involves the whole team ‘walking’ a route led by a safety person. The complexity can be increased by having the two ends also being tied off…
This activity serves well as an ice-breaker and is quite exciting, helping in setting the tone of the programme in a fun way

Relevant themes:Advantages and drawbacks/problems of working together in an organisation; and is it easier to work when we ‘come together’ (which happens when the two ends are tied off), care & concern, etc.

Trust games: These proceed in stages, incorporating a few or all of them.
The whole group forms a circle and holds on to a rope the ends of which are tied off to each other. Individuals are asked to gradually lean back without leaving the rope to an extent where they are being held upright in a tilted position only because they are leaning away with the rope in their hands.
The next stage involves people leaning inwards, then alternate people leaning inwards and outwards, etc.

Discarding the rope, the group is split into pairs. One person supports his/her partner who takes a ‘dead fall’ in a pre-determined direction.
The next stage involves one person standing in the middle of a circle of 4-5 persons and taking a standing ‘dead fall’ in an undetermined direction with the circle preventing a fall to the ground. These two stages help people understand how to take a dead fall, which prepares them for the last stage.

The ultimate stage involves a team of at least 8 people. Three pairs stand next to each other with the partners facing each other in a formation with their hands and feet in a defined position. One person stands at one end of this group of pairs and co-ordinates the fall of the last team member into the hands of the three pairs from a height of at least 3 feet.

Relevant themes: Trust, Team work, Overcoming of real risk
Feelings & emotions like fear, anxiety & sense of achievement.

Medium Intensity Exercises Top ^

Cobweb: The ‘cobweb’ is of ropes built between two supports, with the number of spaces in it equal to the number of team members. Objective is to have the whole team cross from one side of the web to the other, within certain operational constraints.

Relevant themes: Formation of team, strong bonding, Communication, Emergence of roles, Operating within constraints, Resource utilisation
Management processes (planning, organisation, ….)
Personal attributes like assertiveness and initiative

Raft - building:Two or three teams build rafts from available kit (bamboos, tubes, strings) – this can be conducted variously involving planning, delegation, etc. Objective is to prove water-worthiness of each raft by doing a route in the water.

Relevant themes: Teamwork, Project management, Leadership, Creativity
Trust, Emergence of roles, Overcoming of risk, Sense of achievement, Fun!

Blind Intent

Team of 5-7 people is supposed to pitch a tent with there being only one sighted person (the rest blind folded); and the sighted person operates under the constraint of not being to touch anything or anybody.

This exercise can be offered in many forms: e.g., all team members first understand the tent before getting blind folded, or only the sighted co-ordinator is shown the tent while the others are getting blind folded, or there could be two co-ordinators,…

Relevant themes: Task clarity, Constraint clarity, Role clarity, Leadership styles, Initiative & responsibility, Resource management, Planning, Delegation

High Intensity Exercises Top ^

Rappelling (Abseiling): Rappelling is coming down steep (rock) faces with the help of ropes & other equipment. Very simple & safe method, but with a very high perceived risk factor.

Relevant themes: Personal performance, Feelings: intense fear, overcoming of same, intense joy, sense of achievement, Self-confidence, Self esteem,
Self-awareness, Tackling stress, Trust (on partner, on operating systems)
Issues of organisational support and responsibilities

Map & compass navigation exercises:Generally spread over an area of 4-5 sq. km or even more. Could involve night operations, climb to a destination (like a fort or a hill-top temple) or camping out in tents.

A lot of planning of operations goes into this (on the part of the participants). The whole group gets split into a few teams. Each team does an independent task, which fits into a larger picture. Drawing a parallel to the organisational set-up, teams can be needed to collaborate. Complications like crises, the need for negotiations, etc. can be designed. This exercise could well develop into a miniature, intense model of a simple organisation.

Relevant themes: A very ‘comprehensive’ exercise, delving heavily into team dynamics and management processes.

Project management, Single objective perspective, Team dynamics,
Communication, Leadership, Emergence of roles, Resource management
Interpersonal relationships, Physical & mental stress, Sustained stress
Sense of achievement, Crisis management

Note the safety aspects during the programme Top ^

Any programme conducted in the outdoors for novices does not allow a place for risk. A development programme relies on perceived risk to play the desired role. Every high intensity activity incorporates two mutually independent safety systems. Only high quality equipment is used for these activities (latest designs, high breaking-strengths, etc.).

Participants have the option to drop out of an activity, though every effort would be made to encourage them to experience the programme to the full. This should not preclude a person from joining the programme - the programme design offers several roles for a participant who chooses to stay out of physically doing an activity. Countryside organizes for, & sponsors many of its outdoor leaders to undertake a refresher course & first aid course every year. Though any government authorities do not recognize these courses, it helps our team to update with latest techniques & knowledge.