How We Used Kikori with Teen Girl Scout Troops
In March, Kikori visited the Global Leadership Conference in Newport, Rhode Island to see how Kikori activities could spark connections with 150+ attending Girl Scouts and their Troop Leaders
Seeing Kikori activities in action is a powerful thing. On March 17-19, we had the exciting opportunity to facilitate a number of Kikori activities as part of the Girl Scout Global Leadership Conference agenda. Organizers wanted to find ways for the group of 150 teen participants to engage meaningfully with each other and have time to reflect on the weekend’s presentations regarding being agents of change. This is where the magic of Kikori came in.
It will come as no surprise to high school educators or parents of teens that engaging a large audience of teenagers can take a little extra work! Their age group wants to feel stimulated, enlivened, understood, and seen. Confident in the intentional design and innate connectivity of Kikori activities, our leaders went into the weekend prepared to do that and more.
In preparation, we put together a Kikori Playlist of activities that we thought would resonate with the Girl Scouts and their Troop Leaders (find it here!). On Friday night, the adventure began!
From the very start (we introduced ourselves with this fun spin on badges) it was clear - these Girl Scouts were here to get the most of our their weekend. When given an opportunity to mingle, play, and connect, the attendees jumped right in! As our Co-Founder Kendra always says of Kikori, “creating space for play and reflection provides opportunity to connect." Her words rang true from the first activity to the last.
We made sure to keep activities on the first night active and exciting (to keep everyone awake!). After meeting other Girl Scouts who shared their values by pairing up with those who picked up matching badges, they worked in small teams on a social contract (similar to this one) that evolved into a problem solving activity. On small puzzle pieces, each team discussed and wrote down their goals for the weekend. Some wrote make new friends, while others scratched get inspired.
Once their goals were set, the Girl Scouts were tasked with constructing a large puzzle from their pieces. They worked hard to communicate, filling the hall with grit and laughter, and a large cheer when it was completed, displaying their social contract for the conference.
Other activities from the weekend included this mingle - which was a great way to encourage the teens to get moving around the hall and begin meeting others their age that they may not have normally interacted with or introduced themselves to. We also had a wonderful time talking to the Troop Leaders on Saturday about the importance of eSEL and playing one of our favorite energizing games - this Puffball Challenge.
This weekend conference was a perfect testament to the power of Kikori activities and their unique ability to bridge social gaps, bringing together those who might have never otherwise engaged with each other and helping to building deep, lasting connections.
Special thank you to conference leaders Karen Pehrson and Carrie Green Loszewski for working closing with the Kikori team and trusting us with your beloved Girl Scout participants! It was a honor to partner with you all this year.
