Group Initiatives

Have you ever been on a small committee that had a specific task to do? That was a group initiative--a problem whose solution depends on the ideas and efforts of every group member. Our goal is to teach participants how to function effectively together.

Group initiatives are mental and physical challenges that teach practical applications of the basic body life principles taught in 1 Corinthians 12 and 13. Much like a coach uses drills to develop playing skills, we use group initiatives to develop living together skills. Be sure to let us know your goals. What your group learns in this session depends upon what the group needs to learn and is ready to learn.

Allow 2 to 4 hours for this activity. We will usually
break a big group down into groups of 6 to 15.

As with most activities at DM, whether the group has a great time or a miserable time is completely dependent on their individual attitudes and how well they work together.

We discovered traditional high ropes courses made group participation hard. So we have created high "group initiatives", which involve all the group members to facilitate the people on the ropes to get through the element. Basically, we have individual challenge elements 15 to 40 feet off the ground. Each element is a challenge for your group to accomplish together. Each participant on the cables wears a harness and is attached to a belay system.

We have plans to add more high elements every couple years or so.

As each individual conquers 3 or 4 obstacles, the group spots to protect from injuries in case of a fall. The physical challenge quickly turns into a mental and emotional challenge for all involved.

This activity is best tackled by a group of no more than 8. If your group is bigger, we will try to split your group into smaller groups; each group working on its own course. We presently have 2 courses

It takes 8 participants 3 to 5 hours to complete this course.
We can facilitate two groups of 8 at the same time.

Our 18 foot climbing wall has three sides which are designed to challenge every participant regardless of ability. A group of any size will enjoy watching and participating in this exhilarating activity. This is a 100% mental, physical, and spiritual challenge. There is no way words can describe the feeling of accomplishment participants experience when they conquer a climb that is at the far reaches of their abilities.

Many youth have already climbed indoor walls. What we offer is individualized instruction for climbing improvement, if desired, and dialog linking climbing to the Christian Walk. Discuss with the instructors when you want the debriefing time. After everone has climbed once is a good idea, but you have to keep your group together until debriefing as the instructors are intent on belaying throughout the activity.

One climb takes one person 2 to 10 minutes. The average person is worn out after 3-4 climbs. We can run up to 3 climbs at the same time. Usually, a group of 20 will take 2 to 5 hours. Good activity if you think you and your group are not up to going out for real rock climbing and rappelling.