Moving a ball from one peg built to keep it about a foot off the ground to its twin sitting across a field or classroom.

Sounds pretty simple, right?

Then add in a metal ring to balance the ball on, several pieces of string to lift it up and about eight or 10 students, faculty members or staff all with their own strategies and plans to get from Point A to Point B. Then you have a challenge, one of several teambuilding, communication and problem-solving exercises offered by Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness at Temple University Ambler.

“At first everyone has different strategies, but you have to work together as a team to succeed. Sometimes you have to take a step back and decide to make a game plan together,” said Political Science and Philosophy major and Temple Student Government (TSG) Chief of Staff Bridget Frame, who along with her fellow TSG members participated in teambuilding exercises at Temple Ambler in fall 2023. “Coming up to Temple Ambler was the perfect opportunity to work on teambuilding and feeling more comfortable with each other — you need to learn to play to everyone’s strengths. I think that even if problems or hurdles come up, we’ll be able to overcome them because we did these activities.”

Since designing and constructing a Low Ropes Challenge Course at Temple Ambler in summer and fall 2022, Recreation, Outdoor Education & Wellness has offered teambuilding and outdoor experiential learning opportunities for Temple University students, faculty, staff, alumni and community organizations utilizing community building activities, team initiatives and the Ambler Campus Low Ropes Challenge Course.

According to Holly Lynn, Manager for Experiential Learning at Temple University Ambler, one of the primary goals of these outdoor experiential initiatives is ensuring they are accessible for everyone, “meeting people where they are and ensuring that whatever goals they might have when investing their time in these experiences is worthwhile and meaningful.”

“There is a great deal of value in the healing aspects of being outdoors, the reinvigorating and rejuvenating feelings that being in a natural setting gives us, especially for individuals who may not typically or as easily have access to those spaces,” she said.

Additional goals of the challenge course, outdoor experiential learning programs and nature-based wellness experiences is building positive community and connections with one another.

“There’s been a lot of talk about stress, anxiety and depression and seeing those rates rise. It’s really important to identify the support you receive from your community, whether it be co-workers or fellow students. I think we too often talk about fun as not being of value in modern society, especially in a work setting,” said Steve Sassaman, former Assistant Director for Recreation, Outdoor Education and Wellness, who helped develop challenge course and outdoor educational programming at Temple Ambler. “Temple’s programs bring back that sense of joy and how we can create joy from developing genuine connections and relationships with those who are around us — it’s one of the most important outcomes from these programs.”

Experientially, Lynn said, “there is so much preconception with low ropes and challenge courses.”

“A lot of people think you have to be physically fit and not afraid of heights and you have to be an athlete to go through any of these course elements. That’s really not what it’s about,” she said. “It’s much more about whatever the individual and the group goals are and then being flexible and changing that on the fly to see where the experience itself leads you.”