Catapult to Success

Welcome & Warm-Ups (10-15 minutes) Atlanta Challenge staff welcome the group and set expectations for the program’s teamwork activities. We then lead fun warm-up games that get the group moving, engaged, and ready to fully participate.

Intro Teamwork Challenge (10-20 minutes) We jump right into the program with a thought-provoking team activity that requires ideas and input from the entire group to solve. This gets participants engaged, highlights individual strengths, and introduces the importance of communication, collaboration, and strategic thinking.

Construction Challenge (60 minutes) Teams are given the scenario of fulfilling a large customer order under tight deadlines and limited resources. Using the materials provided, each team designs and builds a product delivery system (catapult) capable of launching products to different customer zones. Teams must balance creativity, performance, accuracy, budget limitations, and evolving customer demands. While the activity initially feels highly competitive, participants soon discover that long-term success depends on collaboration, information-sharing, and supporting the larger mission rather than focusing only on their own team’s score.

Testing Grounds (10 minutes) Teams present their catapults and put their delivery systems to the test in front of the entire group. Points are awarded based on performance, accuracy, and meeting customer expectations. However, many teams overlook a critical requirement: if all teams do not meet the minimum customer standards, the entire company fails. This realization creates an eye-opening conversation about organizational silos, internal competition, and the importance of cross-team collaboration.

Final Teamwork Challenge (10-20 minutes) This challenge reinforces the team’s ability to combine different perspectives, adapt under pressure, and work together toward a shared outcome. Activities are selected based on group size, available space, timing, and the goals of the program.

Team Review & Wrap-up Activity (15 minutes) The team reflects on how decisions were made, where collaboration either succeeded or broke down, and how internal competition can sometimes interfere with larger organizational goals. We then connect those lessons to real workplace dynamics and conclude with a fun, thought-provoking activity and a team picture with their catapults.