ChallengeHow can students from Babson, Olin, and Wellesley Colleges get to know each other, explore their campuses, and embrace each other's cultures?
The main challenge for the Large October Event (LOVE) was to create a unifying activity that could foster deeper connections among students from Babson, Olin, and Wellesley (BOW) colleges. The event needed to encourage cross-campus interaction while accommodating a diverse range of disciplines, interests, and abilities.
ProcessJanos collaborated with BOW students to reimagine an extracurricular collaborator event by adopting an audacious yet holistic approach to gamified IRL connectivity.
To address this challenge, the event organizers designed a frisbee golf tournament spread across the three campuses. The process involved strategically placing four frisbee golf hoops on each campus and forming teams that required students to visit and engage with all three colleges. This ensured that participants physically explored different campuses and interacted with students from other institutions.
SolutionCreating a dynamic ecosystem across the Harvard community for hands-on exploration and innovation. The REEF Makerspace was launched as a low-pressure, cutting-edge educational space through collaborative efforts, resource integration, and innovative teaching models. Some highlights include:
The solution was a carefully planned frisbee golf tournament that not only promoted physical activity but also required students to collaborate across campuses. Challenges were crafted to be accessible to students with varying skills and interests, enhancing inclusivity. Unique and audacious prizes were introduced to motivate participants to complete the course with either a specific skill set or within a set time, adding an element of excitement and competitiveness.
learningsThe key learnings from the event included the realization that fun, interactive, and punchy activities promote cross-campus interaction and significantly deepen the community among the BOW colleges.
"Humor naturally thrives at the intersection of cultures." Bringing together the three colleges unlocked new, fun in-roads for learning and creativity.
"A culture of active fun leads to deeper engagement." Students embraced each other’s cultures when given a social activity that did not reflect any of the original cultures.
The inclusive design of the challenges proved effective in drawing participation from a diverse student body, demonstrating the importance of accessibility and engagement in event planning. Moreover, the unique prize system highlighted the value of incentivizing participation to boost engagement and retention across different student groups.
"Inclusivity is the foundation of creativity." Empowering all participants, regardless of background or expertise, created a collaborative and innovative environment.