| Saint Leo RA Resource Site |
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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMING IDEAS
PROGRAM FOCUS:developing mind, spirit, and/or body; balanced living
Programs In A Box
What's Your Step Count?
Educational Content:Transportation form one place to another is essential to moving forward in life. With one step at a time to get to ones desired location the body works harder at burning and working to progress health in a way. What’s your step count will offer students different ways to increase their step counts in their daily activities of moving from one place to another. Not only will this program educate them on how to get more steps, but also provide resources to help motivate them. Who knew getting a few extra steps in could get you a few more dollars in your pocket. Companies offer opportunities to people to work together and to strive for certain step goals to earn different rewards.
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Program Description:At this program, residents will learn how to increase the number of their daily steps by incorporating different paths or activities during their normal day or routine. For example if you sit at a desk all day it would be good to stand up and do a quick walk around the room to get your blood pumping. Studies show movement will help keep you engaged. The RA will conduct different step challenges that of which will time students doing different activities and will see which one will get the most steps in with the same amount of time. While incorporating more steps in one’s daily routine it is also good for the RA to talk about other health habits that will make theirs steps count even more. Using the provided handout with information and question cards the RA will educate and engage their residents with various information and “the how to’s”
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Discussion Questions
- What are three ways you can realistically incorporate more fitness activities into your daily routine?
- What is one fitness challenge you’re willing to try to one week to be more active?
- What is your favorite fitness activity to do when space is limited (for example, in your residence hall room)?
- 1Minute Jumping Jacks
- Social Media Challenge (taking a picture and or video of doing 1 on the step challenges)
- The stair master (going up and down stairs)
- 1minute Dance (playing music and dancing to it to see how many step can be achieved)
Virtual Bar (*ONLINE ONLY)
Educational Content: The virtual bar allows students the chance to learn their personal limits with alcohol. Students will input their statistics and then select drinks and see how the drinks affect them differently (based on gender, age, height and weight, as well as if they’ve eaten or not). This program will help students learn their own limits and hopefully make more informed choices if they consume alcohol in the future.
For printable facts, stats & helpful information to create your own handout from, check out http://www.knowyourlimits.info/know-about-alcohol which has “Know Your Limits” facts about alcohol (in general), about units of alcohol, about how alcohol works, about the effects of alcohol, about mixing drugs & alcohol, about women & alcohol, about underage drinking, about when not to drink, about your own drinking & about where to get help if you’ve been overconsuming/have developed an addiction. After playing with the virtual bar (students can each bring their own computer or pass one around), lead a discussion on the following:
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Program Description: The website http://responsibility.org/start-a-conversation/drinking-responsibly/virtual-bar/ is an interactive “virtual bar” where you enter your gender, weight, height and age. You then choose a drink (lots of options from beer to different cocktails) and the amount it took you to consume that drink. If you keep drinking at the virtual bar, every additional drink you add will affect your Blood Alcohol Content and will also give you a current description of your state of consumption.
For example, if I had a standard mixed drink in about 15 minutes and then had a long island iced tea that I drank in another 15 minutes, as a 150lb 25 year old male, my BAC would change from 0.02 to 0.05 between the 1st and 2nd drinks and would say “You are feeling relaxed, talkative and mildly euphoric. Your inhibitions are lowered and your reasoning and memory are impaired slightly. Your coordination may be mildly impaired.” The virtual bar also has an option to eat food (which also affects my BAC), to invite a friend or to reset with different information! The virtual bar is a great opportunity for everyone to get to know their own limits and think about how alcohol can affect them. |
My Rich Uncle "Pennybags"
Educational Content: One of the most important life skills in college is learning how to manage money. Many students struggle financially and may even find themselves in heavy financial dept. Monopoly will test their ability to manage money and provide a platform for discussion about financial decision making.
Discussion Questions: 1. What comparisons can you find between the game of Monopoly and real life financial decision making? 2. After looking at the statistics on college student spending to you think the statistics are accurate for you? for Saint Leo? in general? 3. Where are places you could budget more intentionally? 4. What are strategies you employ for sound financial decisions? 5. What are doing to prepare yourself for the financial realities of life after graduation? |
Program Description: At this program residents will play a traditional game of monopoly and then participate in a discussion about financial choices and money management in college. A handout on college spending statistics will be shared with the students at the program and discussed.
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Battleship (Targeting Goals)
Educational Content: Battleship is played by attempting to "sink" other player's ships, and is a game of strategy. Residents will play a round of battleship and then participate in a discussion on the SMART Goals Handout, connecting the strategy of game play to the strategy of goal setting/accomplishment. Residents will also be provided a Goals Coloring Page on which they can color/embellish or just write out their SMART goals they hope to accomplish (ideally 3-5). Residents will share some of their goals and then can continue to play Battleship or color their goal sheets.
Discussion Questions: 1. What similarities can you find between the strategy of game play and the strategy of accomplishing your goals? 2. What works best for you in effective goal setting? 3. What are challenges you've found in goal setting? 4. What are goals you hope to accomplish this term/ year? 5. Which goal are you most excited to "sink" this term/ year? ---------------------------------------- DID YOU KNOW? If you changed this program to focus ONLY on academic goals, this program would then become an "Excellence" program! |
Program Description: In the game of Battleship, players attempt to sink each other's battleships by correctly guessing grid locations of their opponents ships on the game board. Battleship will be used as a metaphor for how residents can "sink" or accomplish their own goals throughout the year. Residents will play a round of the game and then participate in a discussion and smart goal setting using battleship strategies to set themselves up for success .
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Operation with a Twist
Educational Content: This program will teach/reinforce healthy exercises that can be done with no equipment and a small amount of space -ideally for students living on campus. For every game piece removed without buzzing, player(s) must complete the corresponding exercise. These include (with time locations on the accompanying video):
Cobra to Childs Pose Stretch :31 Cat to Cow Stretch 2:18 Lying Side Jacks 3:41 Pilates Saw 5:49 Toe Touch Swoops 7:31 Butterfly & Chest Stretch 9:19 Squat Circle Stretch 10:32 Back & Hamstring Windmill 11:54 Quadricep Pull Pulses 13:34 
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Program Description: This program is the game of 'Operation' with a twist. Residents will play the traditional game of 'Operation'; but each piece will have an exercise task that goes with it, so the resident will not only have to remove the piece, they will also have to accomplish the corresponding exercise. All players will be encouraged to join in the exercises, but only the player must complete it to receive credit for removing the piece. A video with easy no-equipment stretches/exercises is provided below to demonstrate the moves.
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The Art of Appreciation
Educational Content: This program will address the core value of Personal Development by teaching residents the art of writing a Thank You Note. The article "What to Write in a Thank You Note" breaks writing a note down by reason (thank you for a gift vs job interview, etc.) and the article "How to Write a Thank You Note" addresses what should be included in a thank you note. This is a useful life-skill to help residents set themselves apart (and ahead) of the pack.
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Program Description: This program will reflect on how others affect us and on expressing thankfulness/gratitude. For example, residents may wish to express gratitude to their parents for financially supporting them or housekeeping staff for keeping living spaces clean or security for their constant sweeps of campus and visible presence or residents may need to write thank you notes after job or internship interviews, etc. This program will show a short Ted Talk video (less than 5 minutes) on Thankfulness and include handouts on why Thank You Notes are making a comeback as well as how and what to write in thank you notes.
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Picture Perfect
Educational Content: Many college students may struggle with self doubt/lack of confidence. Students may believe that everyone has an image to uphold and social media had defined them. This photo-booth activity will give residents the opportunity to take pictures together with fun props and then engage in discussion to reflect on self-worth and self-image. The six minute video below can also be used for discussion questions.
Discussion Questions: 1. What do you like most about the pictures you took? 2. What do you like most about others' pictures? 3. What makes you like a picture? 4. How does it feel to hear positive feedback from others about your picture? 5. Do you need outside validation to feel good about your picture? Why/why not? 6. What influence do the props have on these pictures and your thoughts of them? Why? 7. How can/do you you remind yourself of your self-worth when you're feeling down? 8. What did you think about how the models described themselves in the sketches? 9. What message did you take away from the video? |
Program Description: Residents will participate in fun photo booth picture taking and will then be engaged in conversation about self-image & acceptance. Pictures can later be used for the hall bulletin board with a message or quote about self-worth & the value of each individual in our community.
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As an addition or twist on the program, you could share the article on inner beauty below with discussion questions:
1. What did you think after reading/hearing the message of the article?
2. What resonated most with you and why?
3. How do we self-sabotage our own happiness/ sense of worth?
4. How can we be more loving and accepting of ourselves?
5. What difference does having a positive self-worth have in how we present ourselves or how others view us?
1. What did you think after reading/hearing the message of the article?
2. What resonated most with you and why?
3. How do we self-sabotage our own happiness/ sense of worth?
4. How can we be more loving and accepting of ourselves?
5. What difference does having a positive self-worth have in how we present ourselves or how others view us?
The New Food Pyramid (Not available in box at this time)
Educational Content: Eating well-balanced meals is essential to a healthy lifestyle, and this program will review the Healthy Eating Plate through a handout and residents will then construct their own healthy plates. The RA will provide magazines and/or markers/crayons for residents to "fill" their plates with realistic foods they would chose in real life and discuss how easy/difficult it was to create balanced meals. Residents will share their own best strategies for balanced nutrition while living on campus as a college student.
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Program Description: At this program, residents will learn about the "Healthy Eating Plate" which has replaced the food pyramid, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. The Healthy Eating plate simplifies how meals should be constructed for a healthy lifestyle. The residents will participate in a discussion about this new model and will fill their own plates and share how they designed meals with each other.
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PDF EXAMPLES PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS:
Apartment 101
Bee the Change
Bulk Up the Right Way
Cook More Spend Less
Dinner Etiquette
Don't Let Your Roof Cave In
Fresh Start
Got Stress
Hear Me Roar
I Feel Homesick
Pick Your Poison
Quit Cold Turkey
Resume Building
Roommate Connections
ScrogginFest
Self-Examination
Student Finances
the Well Student
You Are What You Eat
Apartment 101
Bee the Change
Bulk Up the Right Way
Cook More Spend Less
Dinner Etiquette
Don't Let Your Roof Cave In
Fresh Start
Got Stress
Hear Me Roar
I Feel Homesick
Pick Your Poison
Quit Cold Turkey
Resume Building
Roommate Connections
ScrogginFest
Self-Examination
Student Finances
the Well Student
You Are What You Eat