THE BIG CHEESE 2012 Transformational Leadership for Social Change August 7-11, 2011 Warm Beach Retreat Center Stanwood, WA
Thursday, September 27, 12
Overall Evaluations Overall, how would you rate this training regarding its impact on you personally? THERE WERE SO MANY EMOTIONS IN MY BODY Was not expecting to come out as inspired as i did so empowering on a ending world hunger level as well as on a personal level. This was my second Big Cheese - and I didn't think it could impact me as much the second time around... But it truly did. It reconnected me to my "yonder star" and the boundless love I have for my human family. I appreciated all of the emotional connectivity stu, but I would have gotten more out of logistical information to make my deli successful. In my opinion, the point of the big cheese was to learn more about the movement and its partners, improve out chapter and meet people from other chapters. And I honestly think we achieved all of these things at the Big Cheese. It was moving Didn't expect it to be as transformational as it was! Seriously, life-changing. Honestly can say it changed my life.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Overall Evaluations Overall, what impact do you anticipate your participation in the Big Cheese have on your chapter's success?
Perhaps more so than the content, the Big Cheese allowed us to spend time together as a board aside from school, which allowed us to bond, which I think will be ESSENTIAL to our success this school year. I'm hoping we can put across the same passion and amount of information. This year, almost the entire e-board of my chapter went to Big Cheese. Having everyone on board at the Big Cheese means more motivation, cooperation and determination for the coming year! Re-started my passion for feel good and made me want to reach out to EVERYONE. Wish there was more chapter to chapter brainstorming though because that was extremely helpful. All the statistics and learning how we really make a difference with every dollar we raise will definitely be used to excite the new members Re-started my passion for feel good and made me want to reach out to EVERYONE. Wish there was more chapter to chapter brainstorming though because that was extremely helpful. All the statistics and learning how we really make a difference with every dollar we raise will definitely be used to excite the new members Re-started my passion for feel good and made me want to reach out to EVERYONE. Wish there was more chapter to chapter brainstorming though because that was extremely helpful. All the statistics and learning how we really make a difference with every dollar we raise will definitely be used to excite the new members
Thursday, September 27, 12
Overall, what impact do you anticipate your participation in the Big Cheese have on your chapter's success? (Cont.) It made our leadership a lot more excited, we're hoping it will influence us a lot this year! I wish we could get the same message/ feeling across with one or two meetings that we did in a week. We will try our best! I think that just my new and expanded knowledge paired with my chapter peers, who attended as well, will have a significant impact. Andrew and i come away with so many ideas and just pumped and i think after we give our presentation to the chapter they will feel the same way We had FIVE board members attend.. since the big cheese ended, I have received a million emails a day with new ideas/initiatives/progress! I got the most out of the student led sessions. Everyone had awesome ideas. I think I am able to speak with a lot more passion about FeelGood and my role within our chapter and the larger community. I already feel like I'm inspiring our members and reminding them why they take so much time to be part of FG and I can't wait for the rest of the semester! I learned so much from other chapters, and I will definitely be applying their advice to my chapter.
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Got great ideas for this year I'd like to put the mark between "substantial" and "small", mostly because it's hard to transfer the enthusiasm and plans made during the Big Cheese to individual chapters, not because of anything in this particular Big Cheese summit.
Overall Evaluations Was meeting the members and leaders from other chapters valuable?
Yes! Loved it. What a network. It was really helpful to learn how other chapters handled the same problems we were going through and to get new ideas for fundraisers! So enjoyable, empowering, and great to know that all of those people are there to support me and my chapter. I really didn't know about how other chapters worked. I was kind of just stuck in my chapter's bubble. it was amazing how different each of the chapters where i never realized how well planned my chapter was and how different other chapters do things. things that seemed obvious to us where a mystery to others and vise versa Although we all face different obstacles, we all share a common goal seeing different perspectives helps generate creativity and ingenuity. There was so much support there and even after the Big Cheese. Getting to know like-minded individuals was awesome. The ideas from the other chapters were some of the best things about the Big Cheese.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Overall Evaluations What aspects did you like the most? Bonding with other members from all over the country, the speakers, etc. I liked the different activities and involved talks. I also found it beneficial having the people who are out on the ground teams there to explain what they see first hand. I really enjoyed connecting with the different chapters. Talking to people from the other chapters! Meeting the Cofounders. The feedback from people in the field. Going deeper into the issue of hunger. Everything. I most enjoyed learning from and meeting other chapter members, as well as learning the concrete methodologies that our partner organizations use on the ground. Talking with other chapters about their chapters, meeting others from around the country, inspirational speakers, reminders of how we are helping and why we should continue to. The 2.5 hours we had to meet with other people and discuss different topics and the cheesy olympics I liked meeting everyone from other chapters, and being able to share our own deli techniques and hear form people who are actually doing this right now.
Thursday, September 27, 12
I loved getting to meet others from different chapters around the country. I loved the sessions about our partner organizations and learning the importance of listening. I loved group bonding, talking one on one, fun & games, listening to the speakers...everything was wonderful! The speakers and doing exercises with other feelgooders to connect. I liked the guest speakers and then the cheesy olympics Getting to know the founders, Talis and Kristin, was definitely the most inspiring and my personal favorite aspect of the Big Cheese. Also, I really enjoyed Jim's speech on the History of Development. It helped me understand how hard it is to help other countries and make changes that actually stick. Also, it was great to see the progress and the unintentional consequence side of it. Meeting everyone and engaging in meaningful conversations. Having an abundance of great resources there to share so much knowledge and experience, including Choice/THP representatives, Malcolm, FGW, Len and Libby, etc. Kern and Malcolm were presentation dynamos. It was great to meet representatives from Choice and THP, too! And Len and Libby! And all the FeelGood staff! And also everything. Meeting other chapters, learning more about choice because i am from a hunger project chapter, meeting the FeelGood staff, bonding with everyone. Meeting the other chapter leaders and hearing their ideas.
Overall Evaluations What aspects did you like the most? (Cont.) I liked the dierent speeches we got to listen to. Particularly Kristin's Dad and the founder of Choice. It was also awesome to have representatives from CHOICE there that we could meet and talk to about what they do and get more information from them.
I liked the mini sessions where we learned ideas from other chapters. I also feel like being at the Big Cheese has reawakened my love for Feel Good and our purpose.
I really liked the emphasis on the individual. It really helped me to understand why I want to be a change-maker and where that stems from for me. I really enjoyed the sessions and how safe the environment felt during our discussions. I was never afraid to say what I felt and that was really powerful for me.
The part where people from dierent chapters slowly got comfortable enough to share about their own personal lives and chapters as the days went by. I also enjoyed the fact that the senior faculty didn't present an authoritative presence and made students feel as their equals!
I liked meeting students from other Feel Good chapters. Also, all of the speakers were amazing. It was both inspiring and educational. I also really liked the workshops where we got to pick which ones to attend, those were great!
The breakout sessions with the other members, as well as the presentations by representatives of Choice Humanitarian and The Hunger Project.
I thought Kern and everyone else did a great job really demonstrating just how great the need is, and making that real to those of us who live in this very privileged world. The presentations by our partners. During the year I wanted to know exactly how they were working to the sustainable end of hunger. And now, I know about the current and past projects of Choice and the Hunger Project.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Meeting people from other chapters, hearing Malcolm talk.
Overall Evaluations From what aspects did you learn the most? Details about THP's programs I really needed to know everything about choice that i could. I feel more than prepared now to answer any questions about what exactly my chapter is raising money for. Exploring further the issues of hunger. I loved learning about everyone's success. I learned how to make the links between what we are doing at our campus delis and what is actually being done on the ground... and how interconnected those processes are! Ways to attract/keep new members and event ideas. Due to my inability to decide, I have to say that the most valuable to me were the sessions and learning the importance of listening with Len and Libby. I learned a lot about myself, and I got awesome input on how to expand a deli! An enemy is someone who's story you have not heard. And, that we all need to have these interpersonal relationships where we value every aspect of each other. I think the speech about the power of setting goals helped me a lot. I have already set goals for my upcoming school year.
Thursday, September 27, 12
This question reminds me of the bb's in the trash can demonstration. Although it was very uncomfortable moment it hit me that the suering and hunger is real and is happening everyday. 25,000 a number I won't forget. I learned how important it is to be mindful the sense that it can be so enriching just to listen to another. I've come to realize how much I really value conversations and the wonderful connections and relationships gained from them. I really valued story-telling and new relationships made! A lot of the reality of hunger was kind of lost on me because of the inability to really conceptualize the numbers. The bb activity was really intense and really a call to action. In addition, the time spent with my chapter devising plans for this coming year were so full of great ideas and I loved every second of brainstorming. Most valuable was meeting the other chapters because it made me realize that we aren't alone there are tons of other people who care as much as we do! I learned that listening is just as valuable as speaking. And speaking disingenuously is just as harmful as any act of violence. Without genuine conversations, there can be no genuine relationships. And without genuine relationships, love cannot be shared, spread, or regenerated. All of the deli marketing and logistical information.
Overall Evaluations From what aspects did you learn the most? (Cont.) Getting more information about CHOICE particularly the break down of where the money goes. Dialogue and listening. The most powerful quote for me was, "An enemy is a person who's story you don't know". The 15 minute life story activity with Len and Libby literally changed my life. I view myself and my place in the world with a very confident attitude. It's something that I will never forget. After the Big Cheese, I feel like I completely understand what Feel Good is about. I am so knowledgable now that I feel like I could get anyone to join the cause. Also, now I know the direction to take my Feel Good chapter. I feel like the sense of urgency I gained will give me the energy and inspiration I need to have a successful year The methods of our partners because now I can pass along the methods to my chapter and anyone else who is looking for more information. As a new chapter, advice from other chapters in general was very valuable to me. Malcolm's talk about the business of grilled cheese That together we can stop world hunger.
Thursday, September 27, 12
The concept that all peoples humanities are tied and there is no reason for one to dominate another so we need to learn and cherish each others dierences. I learned there are good people in this world, faith in humanity restored. Meeting the members and leaders from other chapters I came away with two things: First, ideas and plans to implement at our chapter for the upcoming year so that we can increase both awareness and fundraising. Second, I learned what was actually being done with the money that we were raising, and I think it's important to know why your time and money is making a dierence.
Overall Evaluations What can we improve for next year? (i.e. was there anything missing that you feel is needed? what would you like to see done differently?) More bonding--Len and Libby's bonding activity I think was BRILLIANT and should have been done earlier in the Big Cheese so that we could bond quicker and therefore do more amazing things FeelGood-related later on in the week. I would have liked more time to communicate with other chapters and alumni etc. about ideas for how to accomplish everything. The set-up we had this year was great but with so many meetings overlapping it was hard to get all the information you wanted or to share the information you had. Maybe less circle time I would love to see more movement in the Big Cheese. Sitting in those chairs got diďŹƒcult after a while and made it hard to give 100% when listening to some speakers. I think we should get more chapters. Maybe a few more 10-minute snack breaks :) A little less goo shy, emotional things. They were great but just a little much at times.
Thursday, September 27, 12
I think the FeelGood aspect should be a little longer; so a little less CHOICE and the Hunger Project and a little more FG. Maybe there could be a speaker addressing the whole group about business practices-this year it was just representatives from hunger related organizations, so maybe there could be someone who talks about running the delis as a business, and not just a nonprofit I would like to see more time for getting to know more individuals on a personal level. It was grand. I especially liked how you saved more of the "fun" stu for last. A little more free time with optional activities. More opportunities to speak with the speakers, presentations felt kind of rushed and we didn't always get a chance to approach them afterwards. Sometime it felt like a lot of sitting in a row which made it hard to concentrate on the awesome speakers I felt that every part of the experience was very valuable. I felt that the 1 minute elevator pitch was really challenging. Although I've done it a few times before, it was still very hard and my group had a lot of trouble agreeing on what to say. Maybe make that topic a bigger group discussion? Everything otherwise was great and I would not change anything! I can't really say that anything needs improved. It all ran so well.
Overall Evaluations What can we improve for next year? (Cont.) Wouldn't change a thing.
Maybe just a little longer breaks in between sessions.
Remove corn hole from the cheesy olympics - add more academic challenges for the eye-to-hand coordination impaired.
Everything was great.
Make it longer (: I feel like more education on CHOICE/THP would have been nice. Although I learned a lot, I would have liked to learn more about sustainable development. I don't think that there is anything that could have been improved on. After day 1 I couldn't even imagine there was more to learn, but there always was Maybe a little more time built in where FeelGood World talks directly with each chapter (and its representative). That way, instead of a Skype call, FGW can directly talk/ brainstorm. I can't think of much to improve this experience, overall it was very enlightening. More business stu.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Keep it the same
Overall Evaluations What role did your Counselor play in your camp experience? Any props or advice for your counselor? Anders was invaluable to have as a counselor, as he was dierent from the other counselors since he is a FG4L member, best friends with Kristin, and has a family, while most of the students/counselors had been introduced to FG through college, etc.
He was super inspirational and supportive of all of us, also very insightful and knowledgable about the experience.
Jamie was great at being both a leader and follower, he had great ideas and but was also able to step back or beef-up someone else’s idea.
She managed to prioritize the Olympics from the beginning which made our very successful.
Only props for my counselor. I definitely think of Shilpa when i think about the fun i had at the Big Cheese He was great, and really positive :) My counselor helped a lot with making me a leader. I love you Shilpa! Paula was very good at listening and giving advice and making sure everyone contributed to the group equally Connor made me feel comfortable. I was really nervous coming to The Big Cheese and he was open and funny and made me feel more at ease. Plus, he was the BEST COUNSELOR EVER!! Jamie was awesome! He helped our team bond via humor and awesomeness!
Thursday, September 27, 12
I thought Shilpa was a very good leader.
My counselor was awesome. I couldn't have asked for a funnier individual to lead my group! Paula was a rocken counselor
Overall Evaluations 10. How did the teams component impact your experience? It was fun! Allowed us to get to know a smaller group of people well. It gave us a chance to branch out to other people with other ideas and view points, yet still connect and work and similar problems. I really needed the teams because i came as the only representative from my chapter and the teams helped me meet others more easily. Pink Gouda #WINNING The teams were awesome. I got a lot of advice from my team members. Having a team was helpful in allowing me to meet a core group of people and get to know them very well. This was great so that people didn't just form chapter cliques. Created a bond with people i probably would not have been able to get so close with. Allowed me to create a deeper connection with some people It was useful having a small group I could always go back to I loved loved loved the whole team aspect. I felt that I became close with those who I was on the team with and I think that it helped us all feel more like we belonged.
Thursday, September 27, 12
It was a fun way to get to know more people! It was fun to have that extra bit of friendly competition, it pushed us to work together more quickly and get creative within restrictions. Sense of camaraderie and it was fun competing! I really enjoyed the team component and how the time was organized for us to be able to spend a significant amount of time outside of our groups as well. It was fun to see how each of the dierent groups' individuals collaborated with each other for the dierent events and team cheers. I love my team. Jack and Grills 4 lyfe. The teams were great. i like when groups are pre selected for things like this because it gives you a chance to meet new people It gave all members in each group the ability to be creative and be a a factor in the shaping of the group identity. It was fun to learn from each other and work together, I really bonded with every member of my team and it was really cool to be united in such a way. It really got you to feel that we were all in this together. For me, the teams were neither a positive nor a negative experience. The activities we participated in were fun, but it didn't result in any takeaways for my chapter.
Wednesday Sessions How would you rate the following sessions:
Thursday, September 27, 12
Thursday 12. Why are we here? (BB Activity) By Kern
I know everyone LOVED this activity, and I know FGW loves it because they are making it a part of the VCA, but I personally didn't think it was THAT transformative. It was a cool demonstration, but it wasn't life-changing for me, personally. Very impactful This was moving. Great way to remind us of what is going on in the world and why we need to continue putting so much eort into feelgood. This activity was truly amazing. I would not change a thing! Don't provide another metaphor with the trashcan, it takes away from the power of the first one. The BB's is something i will remember for the rest of my life Please do this again next year! This was probably one of the most impacting experiences. Was suspicious at first but was totally blown away . THE BB ACTIVITY WAS AMAZING. it really put everything into perspective. I really hope to do the BB activity during a meeting or event at my school.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Thursday 13. Hunger Today (Statistica & Facts) by Sarah and Corin Love them! I loved learning about the statistics. It was good for everyone to know what the statistics are and how things are currently around the world. Numbers make it all very real, I like them a lot! Very useful information.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Thursday 14. History of Development by Jim Mayfield, CHOICE Humanitarian Introduced me to the academic side of development that I didn't know existed! FGW might want to do more of that next year--more exposing FeelGooders to pursue development work as a career/ education field like CHOICE and THP. The history was incredible. I loved the development through the decades. It was really interesting to see the unintended consequences. Really interesting to listen and learn so much more than I have about Choice. This session was really intriguing. Very useful information, not the most interesting presenter. I absolutely loved this It taught me about the dierent types of charity and why sustainable charity is so important. It also explained the thinking behind charity in today's world. This was one of my favorite presentations during the Big Cheese!
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Thursday 15. Dimensions of Hunger by Nidia Reati, THP Mexico
I can't believe she presented to us in English. Amazing. It was okay. Nidia's presentation was really insightful and much more enriching because of her personal experiences and backgrounds. It was a little hard to understand and i dont think I really completely followed the flow of the presentation.
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Thursday 16. Partner Org. Methodology By Bekah Sosa and Chris Johnson CHOICE Humanitarian AND Jim Witton (THP)
They were so great! Wish they stayed longer. They were cool. I had the opportunity to chat with Jim for a bit and found myself very grateful for that chance to experience more of his wisdom. Like I said earlier, extremely important in terms of take backs
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Thursday 17. FeelGood’s Response by Kristin and Kern
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Thursday 18. The FeelGood Story by Rachel and Corin I loved learning the personal stories of FGW! The story was awesome. It was entertaining and now I know how Feel Good expended. Slightly tedious, but still interesting. I took away that Corin is more hilarious than i already knew. LOVED THIS! I wanted to know FG's history and use it in my pitches.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Thursday 19. Team Time
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Friday 20. Our Partner’s Global Tour CHOICE- Bekah Sosa & Chris Johnson THP- Nidia Reati & Sara Wilson
Friday 21. THP & CHOICE’s Collective Impact By Corin Blanchard Corin was awesome. We need to see more of the facts and present them more at our delis and at meetings. It's uplifting to really see how impactful we've been and continue to be.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Friday 22. The Power of Goals By Malcolm Walter
That was powerful. Malcolm is inspiring. Very inspiration, got me to think about all that i can do to help and howmuch i can push myself Could have maybe done more with that... I loved this! Is there a video of the presentation, not just the power points? If so, that would be a great resource to have. Very inspirational. Great speaker. This was also one of my favorites! Great speaker and totally energizing! This was also one of my favorites!
Thursday, September 27, 12
Friday 23. Our 2012-2013 Fundraising Commitment by Kristin Walter & Kern Beare I am excited for our commitment. I hope that we pass our goal. I know that we can meet it! Really informational Really good to be able to come together with my chapter and chat about our goals and commitments. I appreciated what was going on here financially, but I felt that some chapters felt like they were failing the movement when they put forth smaller numbers. This is something that should be done in private. I didn't like this activity because it killed the inspirational high I was on having to get serious and focus on setting a goal for our chapter when we really still have no idea what's going to happen this year. I think that if the inspiration is there, then the money will come. Hard for me to do since I was the only member of my chapter present. I am really happy about the enthusiasm but i felt like some of the goals were a little unrealistic.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Friday 24. Stories & Listening By Len & Libby Traubman
LOVED THE LIFE STORY SHARING. All day, every day, please! Len and Libby were amazing. The stories I heard were amazing. THIS WAS THE MOST AWESOME THING. I really loved the one on one talking time! Soooo powerful and wonderful One of my favorite sessions! I loved having the opportunity to meet Len and Libby. I will forever have this experience with me and feel specially connected to my partner in a way I would have not been beforehand. I seriously have to say if there is one person i am so glad that i met it has to be Len. This was a great activity, but also somewhat uncomfortable. LIFE CHANGING Len and Libby were so inspiring! They definitely brought something great to the Big Cheese! I felt very uncomfortable during this talk because I felt like some of the talks were directed right at me. I came into this activity skeptical, but learning about other people's stories were some of the most moving things during the entire Big Cheese.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Saturday 25. The FeelGood Experience Unleashing Your Chapter’s Success by FGW
The FeelGood World Team is amazing and I'm happy to work together. Repetitive, I knew a lot of what’s available already.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Saturday 26. The FeelGood Experience Unleashing Your Chapter’s Success by FGW
The FeelGood World Team is amazing and I'm happy to work together. Repetitive, I knew a lot of what’s available already.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Saturday 27. Action Planning with Your Chapter So helpful to have time with our chapter since we were all pumped up with new ideas! So helpful to have time with our chapter since we were all pumped up with new ideas! Wanted more time with chapter, but understood that it was diďŹƒcult for chapters with just one person. It was nice that all the singles from chapters got together & compared notes during this time! Not incredibly helpful for chapters with a single representative. Even more time would have been good for us! but i know a lot of people only had 1 or 2 people from their chapters.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Sunday 28. The Time is Now: Taking a Stand By Kern Beare
I like this because it really makes me happy to do what I'm doing. I also didn't really connect with this.
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Sunday 30. Gratitude Circle By Sarah Walter & Rachel Rubenstein AMAZING idea. Except I do remember feeling bad during it when I wasn't tapped, which wasn't good. I wonder if others also felt sad when they weren't tapped. Also, there wasn't enough time to tap everyone you want to when you were in the middle of the circle. This was really nice. I loved getting up and showing everyone how much they inspired me. This made me really emotional and I was so touched by realizing that I had touched so many lives. Sooooo cool. One of most memorable and touching experiences Beautiful. Just wanted it to continue. Brilliant activity. Still recall that warm and fuzzy feeling! I felt so validated and good at teh end of this- great way to close the week.
Thursday, September 27, 12
31. What was your experience of the content of the breakout sessions?
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31. What was your experience of the content of the breakout sessions? (Cont.)
Thursday, September 27, 12
Logistics & More What was your experience of the Rise & Shine gatherings that we did before breakfast every morning? They were always a bit annoying because all I wanted was to go in and get breakfast and coffee, but fun!
They helped me wake up before I ate because I was definitely not feeling that awake every morning.
They were a great way to start the day off with a smile.
Getting up at 8 wasn't that bad and they were a lot of fun.
I loved them ! They were so much fun and they woke me up. A little too energetic for the morning. Liked the idea, but were a little much. They were fun and woke me up. They were fun, Id keep doing them for the future big cheeses As much as I didn't want to get up in the mornings, I really did enjoy going to them. I loved them! I liked that they were required, it made it fun, and it helped us start our day out happy! They were fun, good way to start off the day and all the games were super helpful for me to take back in my work with kids and maybe to the chapter I looked forward to them. They encouraged me to get up in the morning and I liked how they brought the group together. The leaders of each day did a great job as well!
Thursday, September 27, 12
SO fun! A little too hyper for me. Good way to start the day on a positive, refreshing note! They really did break down the barriers of people and allowed people to be open to meeting others. TONS of fun! It's great to get moving before breakfast. I was just very tired haha It was great to get up and get pumped before we eat
Logistics & More What was your experience of the Cheesy Olympics? Did you enjoy the games/set-up? Any thoughts for next year? I did! Next year, get people to bring swag for their teams to use for the games! Also, more prizes (most team spirit, best sportsmanship) and more hunger-related content! I loved the Cheesy Olympics the games were great informational activities and team builders not to mention tons of fun.
Loved all of it! Would have enjoyed watching other teams compete, but we had limited time. The Cheesy Olympics were great! I particularly liked that I didn't have to exert myself physically too much. loved the cheesy Olympics! so much team bonding I need more thought-based activities :)!
A much needed break. I loved it. I love the Cheesy Olympics. The triva was hard because I didn't know anything about the Colorado.
So much fun! I think that next year you should make it so that we can actually understand the points system of deciding who wins... It was weird how we did pictionary by ourselves, not competing against anybody.
Yes, I loved having tons of little games. LOVED IT!! Really fun, team bonding activity. LOVED IT. The sports/phyical activity was a great contrast to the sitting all day. Might be good to mix it in throughout the week instead of just one day. Loved it! I think it was perfect just the way it was. I loved getting to spend this time during the middle of the week. It was competitive and fun and helped us bond with our fellow changemakers.
LOVED IT. really had team bonding and got close with your team. I thought the Cheesy Olympics were really fun. Maybe incorporate more grilled cheese themed events. I twas a great time to compete and have fun with my teammates. It would have been cooler to build it up more from the beginning (and to hype the kickass prizes)
Awesomeness. Trivia was especially cool. The variety between sports/art/brain was also excellent.
I enjoyed all of them, especially volleyball!
i loved it!!!! such fun games :) really a blast corn hole was my favorite
I loved the game set up and play on take of the Olympics great.
Thursday, September 27, 12
Logistics & More What was your experience of the Iron Chef Grill-Off? Any thoughts for next year? I really liked the Iron Chef Grill-Off, maybe have a certain time section for each team to present their sandwhich throughout the total time so that all the sandwhiches can still be warm when tasted by the judges. I didnt really do anything for my team but it was fun. Loved it ! This was a lot of fun, but I wish we could add more ingredients. I liked being able to choose ingredients beforehand! Super fun! Maybe award different categories like "most creative" or most "artistic" instead of just an overall winner. Very fun but I think you should do it inside next year so there are no complications with weather and you should give a time limit to each team. The grilled cheese gets cold quickly, other then that, it was aweeome! So much fun!!!! bread wasnt the best by the time we got around to using it but other than that it was awesome Softer bread next year. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how fun this activity was. The problems mostly related to the wind and retrieval of ingredients. The former can be solved by moving indoors (if possible).
Thursday, September 27, 12
Fun, but felt chaotic for some reason. Maybe my group wasn't very organized or maybe it was the wind. Loved it though and loved seeing all of the other creations! This was my favorite of the special events. I liked all the planning that went into it and the freedom we had with picking ingredients. So great! It was difficult having it outside. All of our stuff kept blowing away and all of the food was cold by the time the judges got it. SO MUCH FUN!!! More bread options..the rolls were a bit tough. The Chef Grill-Off was great!!! However, some of the bread was too hard for the knife to cut...And the grilled cheese were cold before we got a chance to try them all! I thought it was great- I would love to see all the recipes emailed out to us so we can use them :) AMAZING. we learned so many different recipes. Really good, and I like how we ate it for dinner afterwards. Awesome. Keep food presentations to 30-seconds from one person. Delicious and creative as always. Having the ability to pick ingredients ahead of time is clutch.
Logistics & More What was your experience of the FG pitch competition? Any thoughts for next year? I liked how useful it was! I think we should've recorded the pitches to share with all FG chapters. Loved it! I didn't realize how hard it was to come up with a pitch on the spot! But I enjoyed hearing everyone's, it helped me think about what comes across most strongly. They weren't conversational dialogues that any of us would actually say at a deli. I didn't really like this. A good, useful workshop. It was too unrealistic because everyone was trying to hard to win. No one would ever really say that to someone who asked what FeelGood was. It was good but I think speeches could be sent out. The FG pitch competition was intense. I thought that I was going to have to give the pitch, but I didn't have to. Phew! But I really enjoyed getting to do this because I was able to hear about all of these different ideas that could go into a pitch and see how everyone's was different, but they all were still inspiring!
I don't know that it needed to be made into a competition, that did get us to work harder and that was a cool activity but it would have been neat to combine them all into a movie for feelgood I liked having this competition kept a secret until it was time. it was fun not a whole lot of time but fun This was very difficult. More time to develop the pitch would have been nice. And maybe some time to talk about it afterwards would be good since it is a really important aspect for chapters. I thought this was really cool because it was very similar to something that could be used at a deli and I thought it was really helpful. Sometimes I don't know exactly what to say and this wrapped up all my ideas. It really helped me figure out what I could possibly say if someone asked about Feel Good. This was great, all the pitches were good. Record them on video next year? Framking the pitches in a more specific way (ie. how would you answer this question: 'how does FeelGood end world hunger?') could yield more consistent results. I enjoyed having to improvise for a pitch as collective effort.
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Logistics & More What was your experience of the FG pitch competition? Any thoughts for next year? They were all just hilarious. You must keep them. Along with the random saying that you must incorporate. Humor. I was glad skits were a required team thing. It was a great excuse to be silly without having to be brave & volunteer. More people should've shared! Nothing could be improved that whole night was excellent, it was so much fun. Very fun. Loved it.
It was all awesome. It was a fun night to get to just hang out and relax. Although I don't really like acting so the skits were miserable for me to partake in (watching was fun tho) I thought it was a really nicely done ending to Saturday night. And the spontaneous dance party afterwards was bomb. It was really funny! It was cool to see everyone's creativeness!
Loved them!
Talent show should be better organizaed but the skits were great
I love doing the skits and the talent show was amazing too. hahahahahh the best
I thought it was a fun way to end the night.
SO MUCH FUN :) wish all the cabins did a talent was hilarious.
If you're gonna have a talent show you've gotta push hard for talent. Hype it in the welcome emails and tell folks to bring talent things.
I wish more people performed. But it was so entertaining and very fun!
They were very entertaining and hilarious! There is lots creativity that goes untapped.
TO THE MOON
They were hilarious, very fun! It was fun to come up with a skit right on the spot I've no suggestions to make!
Lots of fun : )! the MC was great
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Logistics & More 37. How was transportation?
38. How were the meals?
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Logistics & More How were the Meals? Comments. Breakfast always seemed to have more options than other meals... I loved the food, but I wish we had more time. SUCH GOOD FOOD THIS YEAR Occasionally meals were rushed, but that was mostly due to us talking too long in our sessions. They were super yummy & had a nice variety of options for both vegetarians & carnivores! Love that they had gf and lf foods!!! Mad props to highlands for their food. it was really good every time! Food was really good! a lot better then i expected Maybe more of a break for lunch. But quality of food was great for the circumstances. The mug selection was perfect. I like how they had vegetarian options. I'm a slow eater, so some additional eating time would've been nice. In addition, it was a good time to talk to other FeelGood members about ideas for the individual chapter.
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Logistics & More 39. How did you feel about the Highlands Retreat Center accommodations?
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Logistics & More Would you recommend this place for next year? Feedback? Yes, I would recommend this place aggain! Awesome location! I love this place, but I really wish we had service since my mom was worried the whole time. I would 100% recommend this place for next year. Chairs were a little uncomfortable after sitting long periods Yes, it was a really great place! I would totally come back! Loved the view perfect back drop for the events This was INCREDIBLE! This MADE the conference.. I absolutely loved the spot. Well it didnt "make" the conference.. but it surely gave an incredible setting.. BEAUTIFUL location. I think the experience was so unique because of the location. The chapel was a little uncomfortable, but I know the sta tried as best as they could! I thought the location was great! The floor in the chapel was very dirty I was pleasantly surprised how clean and put together our cabins were.
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Logistics & More Did you feel adequately supported by FGW in being able to attend the Big Cheese? Yes very much so. More than adequate! Feel Good World managed to cover my cost so i was delighted because it gave me the opportunity to even go! I didn't feel supported in terms of travel, but in terms of everything else, yes! I felt like I got helped a lot. Yes. The scholarships were super helpful and kind. YES! Very helpful. Yes absolutely. Heck yes, i spent zero dollars to attend aside from airfare. thanks, cheese points. YES! Go Cheesepoints I felt more that supported! It's definitely realistic for anyone to go! Grants for travel expenses would have been great- i know CHOICE oered this but THP didn't, so support from FG would be great. Though I know it's super expensive to put this kind of thing on, and the fact that we could use cheese points for attendance and accomodations was amazing!!
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Logistics & More How did you feel about the geographical location (West Coast)? Love it! We're from the Northeast so we loved being able to get out and travel and road trip across the country! We want to do it every year! I thought it was fine I know some people had wished it was a little further east just to cut some of the travel cost but then that adds to the cost for those on the west, so maybe have it alternate so one year it's closer to the east coast yet still in the "middle" of the country and then the next year it could be closer to the west coast. LOVED IT! I didn't feel supported in terms of travel, but in terms of everythin I don't mind traveling, so the location was cool. Speaking as someone from the Northeast, I think SW is totally cool for Big Cheese, since we get the Hunger Summit! SO PRETTY. added so much to the experience Loved it! Travel was far but it was great to experience another part of the country. Beautiful area, but I think we could find something closer to more chapters (east coast) The location was amazing!!!!! It was beautiful and it was nice to get away from the city.
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