Teamwork to the Rescue at The EDGE’s Excel Series
The Excel Series is a series of seven high-level problem solving challenges for the team looking to build creativity, hone excellent communication skills, develop leadership, and explore and enhance group members’ strengths.
Alpine Tower developed the series after a course designer with a search and rescue background discovered he could apply the strong lesson of teamwork he learned in that field to a ground-based group of challenges.
The Excel Series can take a group to the next level of teamwork, creativity, and support by engaging participants in a mock rescue scenario in which one participant is carried in a rescue litter over various challenges. The team is given a set of gear to help them traverse the elements, and within a set of safety guidelines, they must transport one of their team members from one element to the next.
It is a very versatile set of challenges. For example, facilitators may also focus on only a few elements. Some teams may determine they need to transport belongings rather than a person across the series. Some teams may wish to focus only on traversing the elements and not on transporting people or objects.
We recommend the full Excel Series for high school students; college students, staff, and faculty; or professional adults. However, many of the individual elements are frequently used for younger participant groups.
The EDGE recommends the series for groups of 12 to 48 participants at a time.
The Excel Series can help teams:
- Improve problem solving skills;
- Develop or strengthen communication skills;
- Inspire creativity;
- Foster leadership;
- Identify and maximize group members’ strengths;
- Make and realize team goals.