Guardian angel: At the beginning of the shared experience, have participants draw names. Ask them to be a “guardian angel” by keeping an eye on that person and checking in with them.

Group journal: Throughout the experience, keep a group journal and invite everyone to write at least one entry for everyone to share. Upon return, make a copy for everyone.

Two minutes in the hot seat: Each person has 2 minutes in the ‘hot seat’ where everyone else can ask them any question – the sillier and more serious the better! It works best if questions are fired quickly right after each other. The person in the hot seat gets to choose the next person.

Van buddy: Each day, intentionally pair up with someone different to get to know them.

Story of your shoe: Tell a story of where your shoe has been today.

Six degrees of separation: Have a student talk about their experiences at the service site. When someone has had a similar experience, they “link on.” Continue linking until everyone in the group has joined the line. Discuss the commonalities and differences of people’s experiences.