HOSAEMagazineSpring2021

Coming Together: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR HOSA CHAPTER

In-person:

“SIGHTLESS SQUARE” This activity stresses the importance of communication and collaboration within a team. It is also fun to see what shape you end up with! Materials: Long rope (40-75 feet) Blindfolds for each participant (or just close your eyes!) How it works: Tie the rope together at each end to form a circle. Each HOSA member should stand to form a large circle and each member should have at least one hand on the rope. Once in position, each HOSA member should close their eyes or put on blindfolds. Once everyone is ready, try to form a square with the rope! Once you think the square has been formed, take off your blindfolds and see how close you were! To make things a little more challenging, try doing a couple more rounds by forming a triangle or pentagon. If you’re really good, see if you can make a star! “HAPPY LANDINGS” This simple activity requires communication and decision making to make your team successful. It also creates a fun little competition! Materials: Paper Something to serve as a finish line How it works: Your group should be divided evenly into teams. The amount of people per team and the amount of teams are up to you. Set up your finish line about 30 feet from your team’s “home base.” Once in your teams, design a paper airplane and fly it towards the finish line. After the first round, see if you can build a better airplane to get further than the competition! Work together to come up with new designs and throwing techniques to try and make your paper airplane the best!

“NAME BY NAME” This fun activity is an effective way to learn who works alongside you in your chapter. Materials: Just the HOSA members in your chapter! How it works: Have your members line up in a large circle. Once in the circle, have each member say only their first name very loudly. If another person in the circle could not hear the name, that member should yell, “REPEAT!” If a member is asked to repeat their name, they should say it again very loudly. Once all names have been said, have your members arrange themselves alphabetically. The only catch is that they cannot talk or make motions, they must do it solely from memory. After the group rearranges alphabetically, have the group go around and say their names again. If someone is out of order, have the group fix itself again without talking. The goal of this activity is to get in alphabetical order in the least amount of rounds as possible. Encourage your members to listen closely and learn from others!

For most people, summer means vacations, no school, and lots of sleep. For HOSA members, summer means we have the chance to support the HOSA service project, support our communities, and build up our teams. It is no secret that the past HOSA year has been different. However, now that we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the Executive Council wants to help you grow your chapters! With more time on our hands, what better way to strengthen our chapters than to build relationships with those around you? Here are some ways, both virtually and in person, that you can build up your chapter and foster relationship growth between each member of the HOSA family.

Virtual:

How it works: Give each member 1 minute to find something within arms reach that is meaningful to them. Once the time is up, have the members take turns explaining why that item means so much to them and how it has shaped who they are. This is a great way to learn fun facts about those around you, and can help form friendships from common interests! “VIRTUAL SCAVENGER HUNT” A classic yet fun way to learn about your team. This activity encourages your members to think fast and present and explain things that mean a lot to them. Materials: A pre-made list of 15-20 scavenger hunt items (i.e. your favorite mug, favorite book, etc.) An online meeting software How it works: Once the members join your meeting, explain that the leader of the hunt has the list of items in their possession and will announce the target item before each round begins. The leader of the hunt explains that on the “go- word,” each member will have 30 seconds to find an item in their house that matches the topic of that round. Once the members are back, the leader should have each member explain what item they bought and why they chose that item. Once all members have presented, move to the next round with a new topic.

“CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?” In this activity, one person will have to practice their outstanding communication skills while the rest of the group get to practice their listening and art skills. Materials: For the artists: just a piece of paper and a pencil For the reader: a random picture generator An online meeting software How it works: One person in the group is designated “the reader” while everyone else serve as artists.The reader will use the random picture generator to come up with a picture that the artists must try to draw. However, the reader can only use shapes as descriptions for the pictures. For example, the reader can say, “draw a large square,” but not, “put the number 3 on the paper.” The reader will keep describing the picture until the artists feel as though they have it copied on their paper. Have the artists share their artwork and see who got closest! “ARMS-REACH SHOW AND TELL” Use this activity to learn more about what your fellow HOSA members find important. This is a great way to learn something new about someone you either know or just met! Materials: One item within arms reach of each HOSA member An online meeting software

All in all, it does not matter which activity you choose (or design your own!), as long as you choose one that includes everyone and gives everyone a chance to get to know each other better. The secret to team building is spending time together, so use every opportunity to spend quality time with those in your chapter. Once you spend this quality time, there is no limit on what your chapter can do in the next HOSA year. Just as we have spent the past year unlocking our potential, effective team building is key to unlocking your chapters potential. We hope you take every opportunity to build relationships with other HOSA members, as those very same members may be a part of your care team in the future. As you build these relationships, the Executive Council wants to hear about it! Be sure to send us information on what you’re doing to better your chapters by reaching out via social media @hosafhp or by emailing hosa@hosa.org . Happy team building!

6

7