Summer is just around the corner and it is typically a time for more casual meetings, new volunteers and summer interns. Motivate your staff and volunteers by trying these ideas for making staff meetings and events fun and healthy. Included are some great ideas from Alliance for a Healthier Generation friends too!
Let us know how it goes and tweet us your ideas using @HealthierGen.
1. Activity keeps us healthy; and healthy employees are more productive, have more energy and manage stress better. Download a set of Staff Fitness Break Cards, print them out and energize your next staff meeting.
2. How often do you eat dessert with your lunch at work? Probably not very often. However, it’s common for desserts and pastries to be served during conferences and large staff gatherings, especially when a restaurant or caterer provides food. Why not serve fruit or other healthful foods that give your staff energy and support their personal wellness goals? Learn about ways to improve employee wellness in the workplace by using the Healthy Wellness Toolkit. Buying snacks? Use the Smart Snacks Calculator to take the guess work out of shopping.
3. When it’s hot, help staff stay hydrated! Buy an inexpensive pitcher or carafe and add cucumber slices, sliced fruit or even frozen blueberries for Silly Water. Encourage everyone to grab a glass of silly water, sometimes called “spa water” and go for a walking discussion. Pair staff, give them a topic of discussion and ask them to return in ten minutes for a report out.
4. How many times have you asked others their opinion and gotten blank stares? Try an activity called Where Do You Stand? Create an imaginary continuum, maybe even post signs that say “Yes” or “No” and have encourage staff to line up according to their preference. Then ask volunteers to share. This activity will get your staff up and moving and lead to a more engaging conversation. (Nancy Peter, Out-of-School Time Resource Center)
5. Do a hat trick! Bring in a fun hat and fill it with icebreaker questions. Have staff choose questions from the hat to set a friendly tone to your next meeting. Perhaps, “What is something funny a child said to you this week?” or “If you had a super power what would it be?” (Alycia Orcena, National AfterSchool Association)
6. Celebrate! During your next meeting, start by asking everyone to pair up and share recent successes. It could be a personal accomplishment or a story about a child or family. This type of discussion will help reinforce the importance of the challenging work you do. (Normandie Nigh, A World Fit for Kids)
We hope you enjoy trying these ideas. For more out-of-school and employee wellness resources, visit healthiergeneration.org.
This entry was written in collaboration with Daniel W. Hatcher, MPH National Healthy Out-of-School Time Advisor, Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Michelle Owens, National Student & Employee Wellness Advisor, Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
For breakfast, Daniel had oatmeal and a skim latte. Michelle had an egg white, spinach and turkey sausage on wheat toast with strawberries.
Author profile: @danielh