Team Development & Unity RFK 2017

Team Building Exercise We highly recommend using the Vicki Barnes Personality Skills Series to understand each other better before ministering to children of abuse. The personality shirts are simply ways to understand each other better. The “colors” are to be used as a tool, just like a hammer is a tool. There are places and circumstances to use a hammer such as; to drive a nail, pull out a nail, hit something with specific impact. There are also circumstances to not use a hammer such as; killing a fly on your friends forehead, removing bugs from your windshield, or digging trenches. Using this personality index also has right uses, and wrong uses. Use it to understand and better communicate but don’t use it to eliminate or disqualify people from jobs or tasks. Typically Greens make great counselors but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great red counselor. Don’t say I have to have a “yellow” breakfast club person. Now you’ve just eliminated all your “red, greens and blues”. Don’t use it to demean or put down people, “you’re just a yellow” etc. It’s a great tool, use it where it fits. First year camps usually show the Vicki Barnes DVD and go through the paper work to discuss what personality everyone is. Some of your camp workers will have done similar things with their employer. For others, it will be a first time event. As Camp Directors, you may want to write down what everyone's personality is so you have a master log and can reefer to it later, when teaming people up , when looking to delegate tasks, when communicating and dealing with people if they are having a rough week at camp.

Team Unity –John 17:20-23 The necessity of team unity “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” Unity fuels Godly impact in the world and at camp. Jesus considered teamwork so essential to the furthering of His mission that He prayed to the Father that after His death His followers would exhibit a unity fueled from God's power within us. This is the same kind of unity that Jesus had with the Father where He said, “I and the Father are one” and “ RFK 2017

Team Unity Forging a successful team begins with your willingness to deeply commit to a common, higher calling. Establishing a clear calling to which all members agree - a calling that is greater than any one team member Camp is so hard, it is greater than any one person. RFK 2017

Team Unity Are you willing to go to the edge of your comfort zone? Our comfort zone brings us comfort, not change, not magic, not miracles, not life, not excitement. We MUST be able to step outside our comfort zone or we can not effectively serve children from hard places. RFK 2017

Team Unity Are you willing to go to the edge of your comfort zone? Camp is going to be a stretching experience that calls for an uncommon dependence upon God and fellow team members during the entire camp week We must be able to depend on God and each other. RFK 2017

Team Unity Are you willing to be at camp, not only physically, but mentally and spiritually as well? Effective volunteers prepare emotionally for the week long challenges they will experience? RFK 2017

Team Unity How do you prepare Emotionally? Physically? spiritually? Ask… how do you prepare emotionally? Physically? Spiritually? RFK 2017

Team Unity Are you willing to acknowledge that the campers need God’s love more than than they need you? The multitude of their bad experiences cannot be repaired by volunteers at one week at camp, but it can be repaired by God’s love through volunteers. RFK 2017

Teams Efforts for Unity Communicating clear goals and purpose. Freedom to speak up and keep everyone on track toward the primary goals of camp. Honor and respect those in authority at the church and camp level RFK 2017

Challenge of Diversity in Volunteers White/ Blue Collar, Professional, Entrepreneurs Introvert/ Extraverts Mostly Rookies your first year Denominations Age 16-70? Male/Female Parents & Children Poor & Wealthy Multi-Racial Multi-ethnic More than all Else --Uniquely Sinful Camp is made up of many different people form many different backgrounds. RFK 2017

The Challenge of Diversity in Volunteers How can this group of diverse volunteers find common ground? RFK 2017

The Challenge of Diversity in Volunteers Yield to God, obey RFK rules, and love kids, in that order. Royal Family KIDS Camp volunteers are ages 16-70+; new and maturing Christians; men and women; Protestants of all stripes and Catholics; laborers, teachers, professors, business owners; poor and wealthy, previously abused and not; children, parents and grandparents; sports team enthusiasts and not; camp rookies and veterans of many years; Americans and foreign born; those who are physically fit and those with physical challenges; minority and white; outgoing and introverted; those who have regrets about life and those with large aspirations; those who come in groups who know each other well and those who know no one at camp; each uniquely flawed and sinful; each having unique expectations and aspirations for their week at camp. Volunteer diversity is not as important as the role all can play in creating a successful camp. RFK 2017

A Servants Attitude Knits Volunteer Souls Together Deliberately choose to be a servant at camp. Mark 13:43-45. How will camp stretch your faith? Will you be grace giving to others when they reach their limits? Serving each other and campers during the week is incredibly challenging. However, it is the type of life Jesus lived during His entire ministry, and in His challenge to follow Him, He is calling us to this better way to live life. A servant's attitude is characterized by displaying courtesy, helpfulness, listening and bearing each other’s burdens. It allows each volunteer the humility of being served as easily as they serve others; it does not expect applause or reciprocation; it freely gives up being in charge and offers to help before being asked. Every problem observed becomes a problem that volunteers with servant's hearts will not let slide. In Christ we serve, can love, we respect and we disagree all with the heart of Christ. RFK 2017

The Challenge of Diversity in Volunteers Unity’s enemy is division amongst volunteers. Once consistent expectations and a greater vision are adopted by the volunteer team, most will only need reminders before the campers arrive. Once campers arrive, creating unity is a different task. This is the time to think the best of the volunteers, release them to create a wonderful week for the campers. At that point, unity comes from the humility of serving, from being there in the unanticipated difficult times for the volunteers, and also through clarifying and gentle refocusing as you see situations arise. Grace amongst volunteers creates the freedom to fail in the midst of a challenging week RFK 2017

The Challenge of Diversity in Volunteers Everyone has different limits. What are yours? _________? RFK 2017

What brought YOU to Royal Family? Team Unity What brought YOU to Royal Family? Everyone has their own unique gifs and most people have their own passionate reasons or coming to Camp. Asking why people came is a good way to discover the unique heart of many of your team members. You may have time to ask everyone on your team and just go around the room asking the trainees to keep it to a short answer. You may only ask for a few people to speak up and volunteer their answer for why they have joined Royal Family. RFK 2017

Volunteer Team Unity During the Camp Week How do you stay spiritually and mentally healthy when you reached your limits? Pray often Successful teams focus on individual humility and God’s grace. Each team member knows they first need God and then each and every other team member to accomplish a common goal. RFK 2017

Volunteer Team Unity During the Camp Week Your thoughts and feelings about your camp experience are welcome after the campers depart. Every camp will be better next year with your help. The RFK welcome home dinner is wonderful time of sharing stories, laughing and bringing family members not attending camp together for a celebration and Thanksgiving to God for His work during the week This is a time to express gratitude for God’s presence during the week, as well a sense of accomplishment and unity and love and other volunteers in spite of camp being chaotic times. Above all with God’s help, camp volunteers made a positive difference in camper’s lives. A challenge to anticipate great things next year helps volunteers transition back into their lives. Some volunteers will be so deeply affected by their camp experience that finding appropriate words can be difficult. Help them to know that this is a normal experience and provide a person with which they can communicate further if they desire RFK 2017

3 FOR 3 Before we move on… Let’s have three questions about this section. AND / OR Three Take-a-ways If you have already had good interactive questions and engagements with the trainees, or if you are out of time, you can skip this slide. If not, this is a good way to end each training section and draw some information out of the trainees. Wait for the answers, don’t move on to fast. Draw some answers out of them. You just covered a lot of material and the trainees should be able to easily come up with three questions and / or three take-a-ways. RFK 2017