Sometimes the best way to build a strong team is to put yourselves in a situation where you have to rely on each other. For one KEY+ group, that meant stepping into an escape room and putting their teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills to the test.
As part of Stage One of the KEY+ Challenge, Stand Together, chose to step outside of their comfort zone and do something they had never done before. They chose an escape room, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to challenge themselves and develop important skills together: “We wanted to develop as a team. We wanted to do something we hadn’t done before so after going through a range of ideas we settled on an escape room in Middlesborough.
“We were excited about going somewhere out of town as that meant we had the challenge of arranging transport and making sure it was within our budget.”
A key part of Stage One was planning the experience themselves. As a group, they researched where they could go, organised the activity, and planned the transport and timings so that everything would run smoothly. This gave them the chance to practice important real-world skills while working together and listening to each other’s ideas.
Throughout the process, they developed strong planning and organisational skills while learning how to make decisions as a team. Reflecting on this, they shared: “During the project we developed several important skills.
One of the main ones was negotiation – we had to make joint decisions, compromise, and find solutions that worked for everyone. We also build strong planning and organisational skills, as we were responsible for arranging the itinerary, choosing activities, and making sure everything fitted together properly.”
“All of these skills will definitely help us in the future. Being able to plan, negotiate, organise and work well with others is useful in everyday life, further education and any workplace.”
They also took time to reflect on how they worked together and how tasks could be shared between the group: “As a team, we reflected on how we delegated tasks to each other based on each other’s abilities.”
When the day finally arrived, the group put their teamwork and problem-solving skills to the test inside the escape room. Working against the clock, they tackled puzzles, communicated quickly, and relied on each other’s strengths to progress through the challenge.
The experience was both exciting and memorable: “We enjoyed so many things about the trip. We had a great time scaring each other and having fun while working as a team. It was interesting to see what roles people naturally took on and how everyone’s strengths came out in different situations.”
They particularly enjoyed the challenge of working together to solve the escape room problems: “We worked together to overcome it and that made the trip even more rewarding. We’re also proud that we managed to negotiate an extra two minutes… even though we’re not supposed to tell anyone about that!”
Their teamwork paid off. As a group they were especially proud that they completed the escape room just within the time limit. They said that they were proud “that the whole thing went as planned! And that we escaped!”
Completing the challenge also helped them grow as a team. The group shared that the experience strengthened their relationships and helped them better understand each other’s strengths: “I feel [like] we have better understanding of what people’s skills are and we, as a group, get on even better now.”
It also gave them greater confidence about taking on future challenges together: “It’s been really useful to see how different people approach problem solving. We feel much more confident and prepared about the prospect of going on to complete the next level [Stage Two].”
Beyond the activity itself, the group valued the independence that came from planning and organising the project themselves. They reflected: “Honestly, it’s just been a good experience. Having the chance to be independent and plan something has given us much more confidence and we’re looking forward to developing our ideas into future projects.”
By planning their own experience, working together to overcome challenges and stepping outside their comfort zones, the group have shown how the KEY+ Challenge can help young people build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop valuable life skills.
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