Community. Communication. Challenge.

These were the themes we focused on during a one-day program at Beijing City International School (BCIS)! Teaming up with 150 middle school students, we divided the day into 3 sessions. The first encouraged the entire middle school community to work together to get to know each other through a variety of activities. During the second session, students were split up by grade level and traveled through stations while playing games that emphasized trust, collaboration, and communication. The last session was a chance for the students to work in smaller groups and go through 6 different challenges in order to earn points. The points translated into money donated to JUMP!’s development programs. The BCIS Middle School community donated over $250 to JUMP! Development and worked together remarkably well!

As a new member of the JUMP! Team, this was the first program I participated in from start to finish. It was really inspiring to witness firsthand how JUMP!’s values manifested themselves throughout the course of the day. I saw many students appear disengaged during the morning session, only to catch them shouting the loudest during the “key punch” challenge station I was managing in the afternoon. During debrief sessions, I was impressed with the insightful and mature responses the students provided.

While we were only at BCIS for one day, it was evident that many of the models we introduced to the students would have a lasting impact. I hope the students took away as much from the experience as I did!

Written by Safia Tapal, Assistant JUMP! Facilitator