WHAT is a Jam? HOW does it work?

WHAT IS A JAM? A team building breakthrough…a uniquely designed, multi-tasking event, planned with individual AND group learning at the core, within an energized environment of collaboration and competition.

A community celebration! A connection convention … through fun and laughter, participants recognize and celebrate the diversity of strengths, validate talents, and try new things.

A leadership lab…players strategize to meld individual choices with group direction, while experiencing and appreciating diverse leadership preferences within their team.

A communication conversation…an experiential dialogue where actions speak louder than words, and become the basis for authenticity and integrity…do what you say and say what you do.

A staff training success story…fun and learning flow together toward inquiry, understanding, change, and appreciation of the interactive dynamics between self and others. Laughter is assured, learning is certain!

CampJam! or SchoolJam! is a 3 - 4 hour high-energy adventure in learning ideally suited for camp or school staff trainings, campers, classrooms, half way pick-me-ups, teacher in-services, or family camps. Through Jam! participants have an EXPERIENTIAL UNDERSTANDING of collaboration, communication, trust and support, creative problem solving, effective decision making, leading and following…all within an atmosphere of positive FUN! Activities are designed to offer opportunities for everyone to excel, using criteria from the book, Seven Kinds of Smart, Identifying and Developing Your Multiple Intelligences, including Word Smart, Picture Smart, Music Smart, Body Smart, Logic Smart, People Smart and Self Smart.

Suited for groups ranging from 8 to several hundred in size, CampJam and SchoolJam participants get to know, work, and play with a LOT of other people while having a blast! The safe, energetic, challenging, growth-full, fun activities parallel the ideal camp or school environment. As the adventure unfolds, participants are encouraged to observe their own feelings and behaviors while in action with their peers and colleagues.

HOW DOES IT WORK? A 36 page JamBook is the vehicle for moving groups of people through a 3 hour, largely self-directed, highly interactive, experiential event. Following a clear understanding of the goals, teams accomplish 25 well-defined experiential tasks in their JamBooks, within a set time. Each activity requires one or more of the “seven kinds of smart”. Teams find ways to manage time, work together, value differences, utilize resources and celebrate success. Groups of people become performing teams and identify what it takes to make a team Jam! More importantly, they are able to take the elements of Jam! and utilize them at camp or school. Teams gather points, working both individually and collaboratively with other teams. Important observations and insights are built into several activities and driven home during the powerful All Jam debrief at the end. Jams include Word Smart activities (recorded on wall charts) as an ideal vehicle for gathering information, ideas, and strategies to address specific in-house issues. The written responses are creative AND informative!