Teens benefit from teamwork

Some people think of teenagers working in teams and just cringe. When I think of teenagers working together, I think of all the possibilities that can come from the opportunity to work together. I think of:

• teamwork What can happen

• creativity they bring with them

• leadership skills who can be breastfed

• interpersonal communication skills that can be developed

• conflict resolution experience

• critical thinking skills that develop

• collaboration they learn

• strengths, skills Y support for that are shared

There are so many other opportunities that await these young people when they work in teams that will benefit them throughout their lives. Learning to work in a team is a valuable skill and an asset that anyone can benefit from.

As new teams are formed, it is important that there is a sensible adult coach to supervise the team. An important part of the coaches job is to make sure the team is following the program/task guidelines, supervising them for safety, guiding the team if they seem to be getting stuck or off track to get their thoughts back on track, keeping focused on the project at hand (which can sometimes be difficult with a team of teenagers!) and, above all, it is the responsibility of the coach to ensure that the environment is positive so that they can work well as a team, whether it is leading Work Exercises team building experiences (fun stuff, really necessary), having heart-to-heart discussions, training people on ways they can work better with others, or just having an open and constructive group discussion.

My teams have been fantastic and I am very proud of their efforts, but what I am most proud of is the experience they offer each other and me. This is what I have observed:

• Creativity – Through brainstorming, teens are the most creative group of people who come up with a variety of ideas and share them (no matter how weird they may seem, hey, some of them are pretty good and viable options!). Your creativity leads to some very creative solutions!

• Leadership – Throughout the process they experience leadership in a variety of ways. I believe that a true leader is someone who not only “leads” the team but also motivates, encourages, inspires and works side by side with the team.

• Communication – is number one in teamwork! Without effective communication there is chaos and animosity and the team will work against itself. Learning to communicate as a team is critical to team success.

• conflict resolution – in any team, conflict is bound to arise and when you get a group of teenagers together and everyone wants to express their ideas, you know what happens. Whether the conflict is about an idea or solution or a personality conflict between team members, it must be resolved for the team to work well together and be effective.

• Critical thinking – the ability to evaluate complex problems and arrive at a feasible solution; then put plans in place that the team agrees on; all I can say is “Wow!”

• Collaboration – the way the team comes together to work and achieve goals. Share what they know with each other; being comfortable enough with each other to say they don’t know something (which is hard even for adults!); sharing their limitations and helping each other to learn new things.

• Strengths – each team member has their own strengths that they share with the team; They are not shy about sharing their skills and offering the team the support they need from each other.

• Support for – The camaraderie that teenagers can show can be very touching. Watching them come together when times get tough, cheer each other on, let each other know it’s okay if someone makes a mistake, ease team members’ nerves before a performance/presentation.

This is not to say that coaching a team is a piece of cake. There are definite challenges and stressful situations, but hopefully the team can overcome the challenges and learn through the experience, making the team’s next experience a positive and productive one. The benefits a teen gets now will stay with them throughout her life; help make it a positive experience.