In the midst of a snowstorm on Friday, March 2, 2012, the student participants and chaperones of the 2012 YMCA Black College Tour gathered at the Northside YMCA for a sleepover. The night was jam-packed with fun and very little sleep. There were icebreakers, a college simulation, and free time.
The students bonded with each other through various icebreakers that included the human knot, balloon pop, and human bingo. Balloon pop consists of tying a balloon to every student’s ankle with the objective to burst everyone’s balloon and remain the last man standing with an inflated balloon. The students appeared to enjoy balloon pop the most due to all of the laughter, smiles, and running around.
To give the students an exaggerated idea of what college is really like they participated in a college simulation. Students had to check in at registration, housing, financial aid, and the bookstore. Depending on their ID number ranging from 100-300, their “college experience” could have been great or miserable.
Students whose id was in the 100s had the worst experience. They were given the run around by being sent to one place just to be sent back to the place they had just come from. They didn’t have any financial aid, housing, or money for books. Additionally, they received the worst customer service from the chaperone working each station.
The students whose ID number was in the 200s had an ok experience. These students had partial scholarships, were placed on the waiting list for housing, and received some money for books. They weren’t sent to the back of the line or given the run around.
The students who received the star treatment had ID numbers in the 300s. These students had full scholarships, housing, and money for books. They were able to skip to the front of long lines and were treated like royalty at each station.
At the end of the college simulation, the students regrouped to talk about their different experiences. The college simulation was a big hit with the teens. The chaperones enjoyed giving the students a hard time during their “college experience.”
After the scheduled activities were completed, the students had free time to play video games, watch movies, play basketball, or hang out with each other. Very few teens went to sleep.
The night was exhausting, but it was a great way to build momentum for the tour.
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