Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Gateway Volunteer Activity Pack Contents Page The Fieldfare Kielder Challenge 2 Challenge Calendar 4 Challenge Gateway Resources 5 Include Everyone 6 Approach and Assessment 7 Challenge Competition 8 Gateway Games 9 Contact Details 14 Volunteer Feedback Form 15
The Fieldfare Kielder Challenge is...... an inclusive national outdoor adventure event and competition, running for over 20 years. The Challenge is based on outdoor problem solving games, designed to test the skills of a team to communicate, plan, support, solve and evaluate their performance. The games aim to challenge skills in teams of 8 young people aged 13 to 16 (4 with and 4 without disabilities). All team members can play an active role in solving the challenges and the inclusion of all should be a key goal of the team. There are opportunities for teams to pit themselves against the Challenge games within the school or group environment, out in the countryside and, ultimately in regional competition heats and even a national final. There are opportunities to enter for teams from individual or paired schools, scouts, guides and other youth groups. Initially activities take place in or close to the team s school or base. Regional heats use nearby country parks as the venue for activities and the finals provide a two day residential opportunity in the Kielder Forest in Northumberland. Further information on the competition and progress through its various stages is provided on page 8. Schools, groups and teams can benefit educationally and socially. The Challenge helps schools and staff achieve their goals; many schools and teachers are already actively using it within the timetable to deliver a variety of curriculum targets. The Challenge is free to enter. It is managed by the Fieldfare Trust and is supported by trained and enthusiastic volunteers from HSBC. We are available to help teams enter, enjoy and benefit from the Challenge in whatever way they wish to take part. The Challenge can be entered simply as a means for schools or groups to gain support in running inclusive outdoor activities or, it can be the means through which competitive teams practice and prepare for regional heats and national finals. The Challenge Gateway is open Once we have received an entry form, the Challenge Gateway is open to the team(s). This means they can begin to use this activity pack and the other resources to which it gives access. The 4 disabled and 4 non-disabled youngsters in each team can now start working together. By getting to know each other and trying out the activity ideas in this pack they will begin to understand the basics of teamwork and the sort of challenges that they can enjoy through this event. They can start this process on their own or call on us to help. In most areas we can provide trained volunteers who will visit them to help the team have a go at its first challenges. They can agree with you how, when and where they d like to make use of the support. You might set up short activity sessions to help your team practice and develop planning, teamwork and evaluation skills to achieve inclusive success. What the team can expect Three simple ideas for activities are included in this pack. They can try these out with the team straight away or call in volunteers to set up some sessions with them. Volunteers will be able to arrange a time to visit in school, at their base or some other convenient location. They will bring along some basic equipment to enable the team to practice problem-solving in a inclusive team. The volunteers will help the youngsters understand the need to undertake the activities in a way that involves everyone. They will also run through activities in different ways so that the team members can learn how to adapt to each other and new problems. Page 2
The team leader role is to welcome our volunteers and introduce them to the team. They must supervise the team members as they work through the activities and, remain in loco parentis. They may have entered more than one team. We will provide Challenge Gateway activities for as many participants as we can. They may be able to get two, three or even more Challenge Gateway activity sessions. If they are in an area where lots of teams have entered, our volunteer leaders and volunteer teams can also work with them and neighbouring teams to select those that will progress to the available regional heat places. This may involve setting up a Challenge Gateway Event(s) at which teams get the chance to test themselves against further activities. They might be assessed against each other on a similar basis to the way they will be scored should they win through to a heat. The best teams from this sort of event will be allocated heat places. Teams that do not win through to a heat may still be able to get further Challenge Gateway Activity sessions until the end of the summer term. This year, 250 teams across the country will have the opportunity to take part in a regional heat, where five challenging activities will be set out in a countryside location within an hour or so s travel of your base. A consistent scoring system assessing how well the teams performed and demonstrated planning, teamwork and evaluation skills will used to identify a winner of the heat on the day. The scores will also be carried forward within the region so that at the end of all the heats, the top two teams can be identified and awarded their places in the Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Cup and Plate finals. The 2008 finals will take place on 24/25 (Plate) and 27/28 (Cup) September. The six teams in each final will face six very challenging activities that may include a tree-top ropes course or canoe rafting on Kielder Water. Though significantly bigger in scale, the challenges at the finals are designed so that all team members can contribute to the team s success. A heat game in 2007 The team completes the challenge Page 3
The Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Calendar December 2007 Challenge Gateway Opens A Gateway Resource Pack will be delivered Gateway Volunteer support can be requested Self-supervised Gateway activities can begin New Gateway Volunteers are trained January 2008 Challenge Gateway Remains Open Gateway Volunteers begin helping teams Challenge Heat entry recruitment is started More Gateway Volunteers are trained Begin to identify Challenge Clusters February 2008 Challenge Gateway Remains Open Gateway activity in schools and groups Clusters are structured and activities are planned Challenge Heats Schedule is confirmed Entry recruitment begins Games are designed March 2008 Challenge Gateway Remains Open Gateway activity in schools and groups Challenge Cluster events Challenge Heats Games are tested Volunteers are trained Team places are confirmed April/May 2008 50 Challenge Heats take place around the country June/July 2008 Heat scores are collated and Regional winners notified of their place in the Finals. Essential administration for Challenge Finalists. August 2008 Challenge Final games are designed and built Sept 2008 rd th 23-26 Sept - Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Plate Final th th 26-29 Sept - Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Cup Final Page 4
Challenge Gateway Resources So that schools and youth groups can benefit further from the Challenge, we have trained a large team of Challenge Gateway Volunteers who can bring activities and ideas to their school or group from January 2008. It has been developed to support teachers and leaders to give youngsters more opportunities to take on problem solving exercises, work together as a team, enjoy exercise in the outdoors and, prepare better for the Challenge Heats. It can also support new activities even where teams may not be seeking to progress to the competition heats. Challenge Gateway resources, including Fieldfare staff and volunteers, will be used to recruit entries to the Challenge Heats which take place in April and May 2008. Where there are more teams wishing to enter local heats than there are places available, we will work with individual schools and groups of schools to offer heat places. This process may generate a preliminary level of intra/inter school competition. Teams will know that Gateway Volunteers; have been trained by Fieldfare to bring simple, fun, problem solving games to them. can support them in activity sessions. bring activities and games for all abilities to enjoy. can bring all the equipment required for the games. can develop new games with them. can help them prepare for the Challenge Heats. have Risk Assessments for the games. will undergo Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks through Fieldfare. How Gateway Volunteers are engaged If we already have volunteers close to teams who request support, they will be assigned (in pairs) and make contact directly with team staff. You can then agree with the team the level of activity and support to be provided: depending on your availability, this may be just one occasion as part of an existing lesson structure or an event especially organised for the activities. Volunteers may be asked to offer their support within school time or outside school hours. If you recruit teams directly, we still need those schools or groups to apply for entry to the Challenge using the enclosed form. If you notify us of your own team recruitment we will endeavour to assign you to that team is possible. What we ask of team staff; Engage volunteers to support activity they d like to see delivered to young people. See this as an opportunity for all, including all their young people with disabilities, to join inclusive team and/or competition activity. Facilitate Gateway sessions. Support volunteers, as they will probably be operating in an unfamiliar working environment. That they retain their responsibilities in loco parentis. That they remain with volunteers throughout sessions or events delivered through the Challenge Gateway. Page 5
Include everyone...... the Fieldfare Kielder Challenge is open to teams made up of eight youngsters between the ages of 13 and 16 (years 8-11). Boys and girls can make up the team in varying ratios or teams may be single gender. Most importantly the teams should include four disabled and four non-disabled youngsters (not simply pupils with Special Needs Statements). The competition is about inclusion and integration and is judged mainly on teamwork and, how team members interact in working together to meet the Challenges. Anyone can be a team member including those young people who may have never previously represented a school or club in team competitions. The Challenges are designed to enable the eight youngsters to contribute according to their individual strengths and, are scored on the team s ability to recognize, value and support the efforts of all its members. In this way, teams that may include wheelchair users, or youngsters with other physical or sensory impairments or, those with learning disabilities can compete on equal terms. Where someone in the team may have difficulties in one aspect of a challenge task, there are likely to be other areas where they can contribute. Where team mates work together to achieve the common goal, the team s performance is lifted and will be credited. Teachers and team leaders are encouraged to consider those young people who are often left out of outdoor or physical activities. No one will be asked to do anything they are uncomfortable about and, teams will not be penalised if a team member has to temporarily withdraw. To ensure certain disabled youngsters are not left out, teams entries are monitored and accepted in three categories: Category A: includes at least two wheelchair users, one of whom uses an electric wheelchair, and two other disabled youngsters, and four non-disabled youngsters. Category B: includes any mix of four disabled and four non-disabled young people. Category C: a non-competitive team with any mix of disability and non-disability. Our aim is that, wherever possible, competition heats will be filled by Category A and B teams. In the event of heat spaces being limited, Category A teams will be given priority. Page 6
Approach and Assessment In Challenge Gateway and the National Competition, all team members can be involved in all phases of the activities. Games and activities are designed so that this is possible but, it will be up to the team to ensure it happens. During Challenge Gateway, we aim to help teams and individuals think and act in ways which include as many members of the team as possible throughout the activities. This will mean: < working as a team < ensuring everyone understands what they are trying to do < understanding how each team member will be involved in the activity < listening to each other < encouraging everyone to contribute at every stage. These things are important at the planning stage, while the team plays the game or tackles the challenge and, when they think about their performance afterwards. In the National Competition, a structured assessment and scoring system is used to ensure teams around the country can compete against each other on equal terms. Throughout the scoring a key factor will be the extent to which the eight young people are a team and, everyone of them is included and active. How the teams tackle the challenges is assessed against preset levels of achievement and success for: Planning (c.25% of marks available): Collecting all the information needed from the instructions, the site and the equipment to be used. Understanding the task and how each team member can contribute to its completion. Everyone being involved in the plan and knowing their own part in it. Anticipating problems that might arise for the team or some of its members and planning how to react to difficulties. Teamwork (c.40% of marks available): The whole team trying hard, supporting and encouraging each other for the duration of the task. Completing the task as the team planned. Reacting positively to unexpected elements. Communicating within the team so that members actively listen to one another, respond constructively and give feedback in a positive way. Working together for the whole of the task and focussing on the goal. Positive and supportive leadership, which helps the team successfully complete the task and ensures that the whole team is included. Performance (c.10% of marks available): The physical result or outcome of the task according to how it was completed. Evaluation (c.25% of marks available): The report stage of the task. Evaluating the team s own performance; identifying strengths, weaknesses and solutions which might have been more successful. Assessing the original plan and how it worked in different parts of the task. Page 7
Challenge Competition In the national competition, up to 250 teams competing in 50 regional heats will be aiming to win a place at this year s Finals in September 2008. The competition has six regions around the country and from each of these, the top team will gain a place at the Cup Final and, the second team a place at the Plate Final. Therefore, not every heat winner will progress to the Finals but, it is possible for a team placed second in a heat to still make it through. The Role of Gateway One of the reasons for the development of Challenge Gateway was to help teams prepare in advance of taking up their place at a regional heat; a chance for the team to bond, to develop teamwork skills, to test themselves on games and, to be clear how the competition is scored. Increasing numbers of teams seeking places in the heats now means that in areas of high competition for heat places, the Challenge Gateway may need to be used, in partnership with teams, to select those who will be offered a heat place. This approach might involve teachers, Schools Sports Co-ordinators and Schools Sports Partnerships. Where this situation arises, we will identify clusters of teams in competition with each other for the available heat places and, support select events with a team of volunteers led by Challenge Gateway Volunteer Leaders. Regional Heats Heats take place in country parks and similar venues around the country, usually within an hour s travel from team locations. Each heat will start at 10.15am and will be scheduled to finish by 2.45pm; 5 teams are set 5 challenges around which they rotate during the day s programme. Heat results are announced on the day. Regional results and Finalists are announced in early June. We provide: Heat administration A trained Challenge Team Games with risk assessments Fun and enjoyment What we ask of teams: Confirmation of attendance (or notification of cancellation at the earliest opportunity) Transport to the Heat on time and attendance till the finish A team prepared for the Challenge with suitable outdoor clothing and a packed lunch An enthusiastic team supported by enthusiastic staff Challenge Finals A fantastic residential Final in the Kielder Forest, run over three nights and two days, staying at the Calvert Trust in Northumberland - a fully accessible outdoor centre. Much bigger, much more challenging tasks, competing against the best teams in the country. All meals and accommodation are provided while at the Finals, we just ask that Finalists fund their own transport. N.B. Separate information packs will be provided for each phase of the competition and, sent out to those teams who have successfully reached that stage. Page 8
Challenge Gateway Games Introduction to Gateway Games These simple games are intended to demonstrate how easy it can be to include young people of all abilities in team activity and competition. The games can be constructed with simple, inexpensive equipment, though they can also be combined or expanded to deliver more challenging activities as well. They can be played over an hour session or extended to provide up to a half day event. In keeping with the ethos of the Challenge, it is preferable that they are played in an outdoor setting and, with the team being encouraged and allowed to solve the problems for themselves. When presenting the games to a team, we suggest that they are given some thinking time before they start and some time at the end to discuss how they performed. There are different versions of each of the games suggested below; this should help teams to examine the different elements of their game-plan, their plan, how they worked as a team, how they performed and, whether or not they were able to learn from previous attempts to improve their teamwork and success. If teams are hoping to progress to the regional heats and even the finals, a little creative thinking could easily be applied to increase the scale and complexity of the games. They might even be used within a school or group to develop mini competitions to select the team members or teams which might go forward to the heats. Game Principles Games are designed so that there are 8 or more possible roles. There should be a variety of roles so that all team members are able to take part independently (or with support from their team mates). The team should solve the problems, complete the games and evaluate their own performance without the intervention of others (whenever possible). Games may have a learning element but should be fun. The aim for the team is to involve all team members in the game for its duration. Games are be designed so that the team needs to work together, as a whole or in subgroups, towards a clearly understood objective. The mix of games at any event should ensure that a variety of skills/strengths are required to complete all games (these may include skills such as; pulling, lifting, carrying, moving, thinking, listening, observing, communicating etc). Games should be safe - remove the hazards and manage the risks. Equipment list Ball of strong string x 1 Paper clips x 12 Large elastic bands x 20 Beakers (c.0.5 litre) x 4 Buckets x 2 Paper cups x 20 plus spares Blindfolds x 4 Page 9
Gateway Games - Rope Walk Version 1 Take 30 to 40 metres of string; tie one end to a small tree and loosely run the string out, take a turn around at least two other trees before tying the end off at a final tree. Prepare 8 x 2 metre lengths of string and tie these onto 8 individual paper clips. Give a length to each team member and ask them to attach it to themselves. Now gather the team together at the starting tree. The team s challenge is to attach their paper clips to the main string by the tree and travel to its end, without un-clipping the paper clips or detaching the length from themselves. Version 2 Now untie the main string and reconstruct the route with two team members taking the place of two trees around which the main line is turned. The challenge for the remaining team members is to complete the task as before. Version 3 Reset the original route; make a small loop of string c.150mm diameter and clip it onto the main string at the start before tying off to the tree. The team s challenge is to attach their paper clips to the small string loop and travel to the end of the main line, without un-clipping the paper clips or detaching the length from themselves. Page 10
Gateway Games - Cup Carry Version 1 Make two carry-ropes, both with 4 x 2 metre lengths of string tied to a strong elastic band at even intervals around the band. Place a plastic beaker on each of 2 stands (upturned buckets), 5 to 10 metres apart. Mark a circle on the ground around the base of the stands with a loop of string (c1.5 metres diameter). The team s challenge is to swop the beakers over without touching them or the elastic bands and, without any part of their bodies entering the loops around the stands. The carry-ropes are the only pieces of equipment they can use. You might add a rule that only the outer 15cm of the ropes may be touched. Version 2 This time construct the carry-ropes with a loop of string replacing the elastic bands - the loop should be just big enough to slip over the beakers when pulled from the four. The challenge is to repeat the task as before. Version 3 Now place two beakers on each stand and pour a small volume of water into one of them. The challenge now is to use the carry-ropes to transfer the water from one stand to the empty beaker on the other stand. The same rules about equipment use apply, for transporting and pouring. (This version can be run with either type of carry-ropes ) Page 11
Gateway Games - Minefield Version1 Set out two parallel 10 metre lengths of string about 3 metres apart. Set out 20 paper cups at random on the ground (weigh them down with pebbles if necessary) between the strings with a space about 1200mm between the cups. Ask one team member to wear a blindfold. The challenge is for the remaining seven team members to guide the blindfolded member through the minefield without touching the cups or straying over the boundaries. Version2 Rerun the game above but with six team members guiding two who are blindfolded. Version 3 Now run the game again with half of the team blindfolded. In addition, each team member passing through the minefield should collect one of the cups and bring it out of the minefield. Page 12
Risk Assessment (covers all three activities) Risk People at risk Existing control Action People slipping and falling on uneven ground Friction burns Elastic bands breaking Blindfold members bumping into things Wheelchair users tipping on uneven ground Everyone involved All team members pulling the string All team members Blindfolded team members Wheelchair user Choose site carefully Comprehensive briefing Comprehensive brief, explain the effects of pulling too hard Comprehensive brief, explain the effects of pulling too hard Ensure clear space with no bump or trip hazard Select good level site Spotters at risk areas Inclement weather Everyone nearby Recognise signs of hypothermia or discomfort Bumping into low branches All team members Take care when choosing site and when setting up, avoid areas with low branches and undergrowth Spotters at uneven places, look for the hazardous parts Watch the team members carefully and look for discomfort Watch the team carefully and don t allow larking about Watch team carefully don t allow larking about Good briefing and competent spotters Stop activity and get personnel to shelter and warmth Competent spotters at risk areas Tie back low branches Page 13
Fieldfare Kielder Challenge - Contact Details Fieldfare Trust Ian Newman Volunteer House Mob: 07828 407481 69 Crossgate ian.newman@fieldfare.org.uk Cupar Fife KY15 5AS Tel: 01334 657708 Alison Rae alison.rae@fieldfare.org.uk Andy Johnson Rod Holmes Tel: 01788 536653 Tel: 01226 748582 Mob: 07811 285021 Mob: 07792 046208 andy.johnson@fieldfare.org.uk rod.holmes@fieldfare.org.uk HSBC in the Community Alyson Browell Mob: 07767 003744 alysonbrowell@hsbc.com BCS PR 88-90 North Sherwood Street Chrissie Walker Nottingham Chrissie@bcspr.co.uk NG1 AEE Eve Parkin Tel: 0115 948 6900 Page 14
Fieldfare Kielder Challenge Gateway 2008 - Volunteer Feedback Form Volunteer Name (1) Volunteer Name (2) Date of visit Time of visit School/Group Visited Address Teacher/Leader Name(s) Did you find it easy to contact the correct person? Was the school enthusiastic at proposal to visit school? Or did the school request a visit? How many children participated? How long was the visit? Did you have enough information/training to confidently deliver activities for the school? Do you think the school gained from the visit? If so, in which way did they gain? Do you have any comments regarding your delivery of Challenge Gateway? Please return your completed form to: Alison Rae Fieldfare Trust Volunteer House 69 Crossgate Cupar Fife KY15 5AS Page 15