| Aim | The purpose of the activity is for the players to communicate and cooperate collectively, not only verbally but also physically by putting equal strength of movement/speed. |
| Trainee profile | Any. People with special needs can participate as long as they are able to express themselves. |
| Learning Objectives | To build trust and strengthen relationships between players for a common goal.
To enhance the feeling of equality of the persons acting like one To embrace the collaboration of the body and the mind To develop a healthy competition that leads to the value of cooperation resulting in victory or a decent effort |
| n° participants | At least 6 people |
| Duration | 45 minutes |
| Materials | n°1 eco-friendly balloon between every 2 participants. For instance, if the participants are 10 in the number, the balloons needed will be 8.
n°1 blindfold for each of the participants BUT the first one in line. n°1 chair. If participants are divided into teams, due to the high number, there should be one chair per team. |
| Preparation | Blow the balloons in advance and set the chair(s) at the far end of the room (at least 5 meters from the first person in the line). |
| Implementation | 1. Ask the participants to form a line, all facing one direction, that is the chair placed at the far end of the room (at least 5 meters away from the first in line). If did correctly, each participant should therefore face someone else’s back. The first one in the line will lead the team. If there is more the one line, these lines will be parallel.
2. Give out the balloons and have participants place one balloon between them, connecting someone’s chest with someone else’s shoulders. The balloons need to always stay up and participants cannot use their hands to hold them. 3. When participants are comfortable with the balloons, blindfold all participants but the first one in line. Share with them that the goal is to reach the chair, go around it and go back to the other end of the room (or their initial line position) without any balloon to fall. 4. Start the activity. If a balloon falls, the team must manage to pick it up again, reconnecting the line and keeping the other balloons from falling. The line cannot continue its walk until all balloons are up again. 5. When the team reaches its destination, the game has successfully reached its end. Ask for a round of applause as a shared gratitude to the whole group. |
| Tips and hints | If a participant drops the balloon, you may ask a co-facilitator to place it back on their chest.
In case disabled participants do not feel safe walking with the balloon between them, ask the group to implement the game without the help of the balloons, but by holding each other’s hand. |
| Safety measures | For safety reasons the game can be played by having participants touch/hold slightly the hands or shoulders of the person in front of them as to feel more secure. |
| Added value | All the participants will be equal, having the same movements and speed. In all the phases in our life we interact with people that have more experience or less in every subject. This activity makes us think that we all want the same things (to be better to ourselves and our goals, being respected by our individuals) and we must learn to collaborate to reach our goals. |
| Variances | You may also choose to run the activity without the blindfold. |