Bridge

This activity is designed to promote teamwork among participants, requiring compromise and listening to each other in the group. Individuals learn to express their opinions in a clear way and to use communication skills with others.

Divide the participants into two groups (if there are more, divide them into 4 groups, with only two groups working together). Ideally, there should be two rooms or at least a partition between the two groups so that they cannot see each other.

Instruction to the groups: Each group will build half of a bridge, over which the little car will eventually drive. The bridge should be double-folded so that the river can flow underneath and the ground is a continuation of the road. So, at the end, we will push the little car on one side of the bridge and it will go over and down the other side of the bridge. Then the groups will separate and go a distance so that they cannot see each other. Each group chooses a negotiator, a person who will have contact with the negotiator from the other group, who will coordinate the building of the bridge. We then tell them how much time they will have to create it, in our case 25 minutes.

The leader keeps the groups informed of the time elapsed and guides their work:
- 7 minutes for each group to think about what kind of bridge they would build.
- 1 minute for the negotiators to come to an agreement (we take the negotiators away from the groups, but they don't use any visual aids in the conversation)
- 7 minutes for the groups to create
- 1 minute for the negotiators
- 5 minutes for the groups to create
- 0.5 minutes for the negotiator
- 3.5 minutes for the two groups to create

If they wish, the groups can create less time and not use all the minutes for negotiation.
After this time, the groups bring their parts of the bridge and put them together. Then lower the car toy over the bridge.
Followed by a reflection: how satisfied are they with the bridge? How was the joint cooperation, what would they change?
Then the participants of both groups go to the place where they created the bridge and give each other feedback on their group work. Each one reflects on the teamwork, on their contribution, tells what they saw, experienced, what they would tell others about their work.