Strategic Recreation

By Dr. Kyle Crowell, guest writer

AS A STUDENT PASTOR, I wear many hats – counselor, event planner, teacher, friend, and activity coordinator. One thing that helps me to wear all these hats is to think strategically about what I am trying to accomplish and how leisure activities can help me to achieve my goals. (Participation in church is a volunteer event for most teenagers. “Having fun” isn’t the most important thing in my line of work, but it needs to stay in the top five of priorities or ministry becomes an uphill battle for their attention).

I know most of you are not student pastors, but thinking strategically does not just apply to me. I use recreation in my job almost on a daily basis. Some of this is predicable application with the goals of fun and enjoyment. But other times I tailor the precise use of a leisure activity to help meet an overall goal. Let me explain with an example, and hopefully you can find a nugget or two to encourage you to use recreation more strategically in your own current situation.

Summer is always a busy time in my field – teenagers are out of school and so it is the time to be engaged with them. I always tell my church, “you have to run when you have the horses.” There is no better time to engage students than camp. Here is where I use recreation strategically.

One application of recreation at camp is for breaking the ice and team building. Teenagers need to feel comfortable. There is no faster way to do this than through common experiences – so we have competitive games that emphasize teamwork and utilize a high ropes course to promote team unity. But there are less apparent uses of recreation. In my experience, I’ve found a week of camp has an ebb and flow to it that needs to be addressed. And, I chiefly use recreation to do this.

The first night of camp is always full of excitement. Students need a positive way to release the energy of being away from home and the possibilities the week of camp brings. So I utilize a high-energy game like dodgeball (I’m more creative than this, but it’s the quintessential high energy game than anyone can play) to channel the energy in positive ways. My secondary goal is to wear the teenagers out. If I can get them heading to their bunks tired, then I’ve won the battle of them sneaking out and pranking for the week. Actually, this isn’t as hard as it sounds! Today’s teenagers spend most of their day in front of a screen. Whatever your opinion is on this fact, a full week of canoeing, swimming, running, etc. in the sunshine wears them out. At the end of the day (okay, it’s really midnight) they are ready to go to sleep.

But playing games is not all I do at camp. As a minister, I also take a few hours out of day to address emotional and spiritual needs. This can also be exhausting, especially if a student is not prone to be introspective. And, after two days of picking where most people don’t pick, most students need a way to release the emotional stress. On the second night of camp I give teens the catharsis they need: we play games where we just make a mess - a colossal mess! This includes tomato fights, shaving cream wars, color runs, mud-pit king of the mountain, etc. This mess-making provides the release they need after two days of wrestling with emotional and spiritual issues.

Despite the seemingly tireless energy of the young, by day three everyone is showing signs of running out of energy. To keep pace with the rhythm of the group, I slow everything down. For the evening activity, we build a fire, roast some marshmallows, pull up a bench and talk with one another. This is helpful to recharge everyone’s energy level for the week. It’s also a deceptively needed activity. Most teenagers today are lacking in face-to-face interaction compared to previous generations. And for many students, this is their favorite night at camp.

I save the best recreation moment for the final night of camp. This gives teenagers a great sense of anticipation for the end of the week. Also, a great night of recreation can erase whatever bad feelings may have happened earlier in the week. What is “the best recreation moment?” I’ve tried a variety of intense games, but they usually involve a lot of camouflage and sneaking around in the dark (for example, "Capture the Flag" or other similar “us vs. them” situations).

As I said earlier, my job may or may not describe your situation. But, I challenge you to think through the rhythms of your workplace. Where do your colleagues need a break? Where would a high energy pick-me-up be most beneficial? What can you do to give it to them? This will lead to a more enjoyable (and by extension, productive) workplace.
______
-- Kyle Crowell has a Ph.D. in Student Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently serves as Minister of Students and Activities at First Baptist Church, Bolivar Missouri. He and his wife have three sons with a fourth child on the way. He enjoys spending time with his family, helping teenagers develop as spiritual people, reading, camping, smoking meat, and painting.