Organization

Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Challenge Course at Mountain Sky Guest Ranch (Emigrant, Montana)

Role

Challenge Course Facilitator (Summer 2018)

Skills

Design & Facilitation

Overview

I ditched the conventional idea of an internship between my junior and senior year of college and began cold calling ranches in the American west. Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Emigrant, Montana picked up.

The ranch had filled their traditional roles for the season, but they were looking to staff a new "hybrid" position - part ranch-hand & part ropes course facilitator for non-profits. There was just one problem. I had no ropes experience. They said, "We're willing to teach you and get you certified. Are you willing to learn?" Darn right I was. This was exactly what I was looking for.

Arthur Blank, owner of Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, provides challenge course experiences to non-profits free of charge to help them build better teams. We facilitated over 25+ sessions over the course of the summer.

To best depict what a normal day looked like, I'll highlight the design and facilitation work that went into planning one of these sessions.

Challenge

• Early in Forming Stage
• The group leader of the participants let us know in advance that, by the time they had arrived at the challenge course, the group would have only met each other 24 hours prior.

• The pre-assessment completed by the group highlighted the need to address "clear and precise verbal communication," creating community, and establishing trust.

Solution

• Early in Forming Stage -> Team Building Elements
• I designed the following afternoon using a challenge by choice philosophy - if team members didn't want to participate directly in the activity then they could take on spotting or coaching roles.
• Icebreaker - "Rescue the Animals" - group is given random materials to rescue a bucket of stuffed animals out of the middle of a roped-off area - requires problem solving and enhanced decision making
  
• Low Ropes Element - "Craig's Crater" - group has a rope that they can use to swing over a "crater" - requires effective communication and an understanding of the value of conflict
• High Ropes Element - "Dynamic Duo" - group splits into pairs to tackle a ~50ft high ladder with rungs each spread ~6ft apart - requires increased trust and goal setting
• Debrief - "Campfire" - group sits in a circle to discuss how they get out of their comfort zone - requires enhanced leadership skills and creation of community

Impact

• Early in Forming Stage -> Team Building Elements -> Increased Trust & Communication
• A few hours of pushing past your comfort zone with your team members can equate to days, weeks, or even months of forming.

• After returning to their office, group members reported strengthened relationships, increased trust, and new channels of communication amongst their team - all goals that we set out to accomplish in the pre-assessment.

Side Project in Design!

• Building Relationships Between the Ranch and the Challenge Course Teams
• The challenge course staff and the ranch staff rarely interacted because they were on opposite sides of the ranch.

• Given my hybrid role as both challenge course facilitator/ranch hand + my love for design, Whitney asked me to help put together a new bulletin board where other ranch hands could see it and learn about the challenge course!
  

Full PDF of the Bulletin Board Design

The Challenge Course Team

Challenge Course Featured in an Article