• Challenge By Choice
  Each participant ultimately makes the decision about his or her own level of participation in the program. We do encourage participants to try all the elements, but the end decision lies with the individual.
  
  
• Experiential Education
  Experiential learning incorporates action and reflection in a hands-on learning experience. Discussions throughout the program help to relate lessons learned at the course to real life situations.
  
  
• Risk Taking
  Through taking risks, stepping outside your "comfort zone," you can learn a lot about yourself, the world around you, and your place in it as well as building your self-esteem, compassion, and courage.
  
  
• Rational and Philosophy
  The use of adventure programs have become increasingly popular in a variety of teaching environments with a diverse number of populations (i.e. educational institutions, corporate training programs, health and human services, recreational courses, etc.). The philosophy of adventure education is based on three principles: direct experience to enhance the learning process, the importance of taking risks, and the aim of developing moral character. The provision of this environment is the basis being most individual and group work done on the course. Although the course can be used as a recreational tool, its purpose generally has nothing to do with stunts or daredevil mentality. Rather, the course is a tool which impels its participants into challenging risks, and occasionally stressful situations so that individuals begin to look at and/or identify specific dynamics of individual and group behavior. Goals of the course may vary considerably in respect to: projected outcomes, time parameter, history of the participants, and continuum of service. Programming will be designed by qualified personnel on a group specific basis.
  
  

The Ferris State University Experiential Team Building Program will generally be categorized under two basic headings; academic programming and outside contracts. Academic programming consists of the academic courses housed in the Recreation Leadership and Management program that utilize the challenge course for instructor training purposes. Students pay tuition dollars to take these courses and in return are trained in the hard and soft skills of challenge course facilitation. Outside contracts are all those programs offered to groups requesting challenge course experiences to be provided by the Ferris State University Experiential Team Building faculty and staff. All the programs of this nature will be structured to meet the specific needs and time frame of the client and will be billed appropriately to the level of sophistication of the specific program.

The Ferris State University Experiential Team Building Program is an educational enterprise intended to facilitate participant growth and continuing development in the social, emotional, psychological, cognitive, and psychomotor domains. Accomplishing such growth begins with an underlying atmosphere of supportiveness, acceptance, and trust. Participants make their own decisions and commitments. Group supportiveness is encouraged to develop a willingness to try and the realization that success if personal. The process of going one step farther is much more important than the end goal of a given task. Stress is intrinsic to risk, and risk is an inseparable part of adventure activities. Participants are guided to learn ways of providing support without creating unwarranted pressure on their co-participants. All participants voluntarily and freely make their own choices, based on what they can comfortably and willingly risk. No one is ever required, forced, or coerced into any activities.