July is National Park and Recreation month! What better time to highlight our collaboration with Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation (GCPR) than on this special occasion? GUIDE was created by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education over thirty years ago. We have worked closely with GCPR from the beginning, but our […]
Read MoreContributed by Kim Aycock, MST “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” ~ Henry Ford Your teen group will most likely consist of kids of who decide to give this adventure a try or whose parents encourage them to show up. Each group will remain just that — a […]
Read MoreOver the next few months, we want to highlight a tool that we use in all of our trainings, Caboodle Cards! These cards are fantastic when it comes to breaking the ice, team building, debriefing, reflection and so much more! GUIDE staff saw a need for this type of tool, and thus created the multi-faceted, […]
Read MoreJessica Andrews-Wilson, GUIDE’s Executive Director, asked participants, “Georgia ASYD 2016, how do you feel?” The crowd roared back with their response: “We feel good! Oh, we feel so good! Uh!” That’s right; 552 participants and 47 conference staff did feel good during the 2016 Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development Conference, which took place September 21-23 […]
Read MoreWhat’s better than working with the Gwinnett Coalition for Health and Human Services to create positive change throughout the county? Going beyond our home county and working with three other communities throughout the state for an even broader range of community level change. That’s what happened with three agencies in Georgia dedicated to creating and […]
Read MoreCelebration If you’re looking for an opportunity to get up and moving, get participants laughing and playing and want to talk about the value of celebrating successes, this activity is for you! Time Needed: 10-15 minutes Group Size: Any Materials: None Directions: Begin with a quick discussion of how important it is to celebrate both big […]
Read MoreHula Hoop Pass Are you looking for a fun, high-energy activity to use with your group or Youth Action Team? Hula Hoop Pass requires minimal materials and will help your group set goals, strategize, communicate and support each other in order to complete a task. Time Needed: 10 minutes Group Size: 5-25 people Materials: 2 […]
Read MoreWhile staff appreciation is often used as a buzz term by organizations, research proposes that staff appreciation isn’t just a fad; it’s necessary in order to keep employees happy and dedicated to their jobs. According to Dr. Zhang with the IBM Smarter Workforce Institute, research shows that employers who have effective staff appreciation and recognition […]
Read MoreBlind Design Do you have a group that could work on their communication skills? Then try out this team building activity! Blind Design provides participants with the opportunity to learn skills such as active listening and detailed communication all while having fun, too! This activity calls for Caboodle Cards. These cards are a great resource […]
Read More“A defining condition of being human is that we have to understand the meaning of our experience.” – Jack Mezirow Reflection is a cognitive process that strengthens our ability to organize new information in order to gain greater meaning and understanding. By reflecting on an experience, youth and adults are more able to accurately recall […]
Read MoreGUIDE’s mission is to improve community conditions by utilizing collaborations, promoting positive youth development, delivering specialized training and resources and preventing substance use and abuse.
