Game Nights

Objectives

• Build community
• Interpersonal bonding
• Hanging out and spending time together
• Encouraging team work
• Mix residents with people they don't usually spend time with

Summary
Game night is an awesome way to encourage residents to interact with one another in a team work capacity without having to get personal. You can arrange the teams yourself to put people who don't usually spend time together in the same team or you can just play as a whole house. Depending on what you are wanting to help build within your community to can pick any number of games. The key aspect of game night is your residents need to buy into the event otherwise it will be you and the same people who get involved in everything. Sometimes a reward or prize is incentive enough to get residents to attend.

Community Dinners/Meals

Objectives

• Build community
• Feed yourself and residents
• Check-in  with people
• Help residents bond

Summary
Community Dinner is almost considered part of the RA job description. It is often used by RA's to build community from the start of the year until the end. Sometimes it works wonderfully and sometimes your residents would prefer to feed themselves. Community dinner can be adapted in various different meal times and locations e.g. dessert, brunch, picnic, potluck, afternoon tea time.

Movie Nights

Objectives

•  Get to know people
• Hang out without expectations about conversation
• Activity that could include homework as well as hangout

Summary
Movie Nights were a way to get to know residents in a way that didn't put pressure on anyone to make conversation. It was also created to allow multitasking so that during the busy periods of the year residents could complete homework as well. Snacks were offered and there was some conversation before the movie as people grabbed food.

Wall of Positivity

Objectives

• Focus on the positive contributions of others
• Community building
• People become aware of their own as well as others impacts

Summary
The Wall of Positivity was a way for people to recognize, anonymously, the positive things other people in the house do for them. This was to steer away from the negative comments surrounding what people haven't done. It was also to build a better positive energy and community in the house between people who don't usually interact with one another. The anonymity focused the notes solely on the person being mentioned and the action of writing a note didn't take much effort to complete.