On Saturday, November 10, UniPro staffers made the journey out to Staten Island for our 2nd annual retreat. Hosted at Manny Imperial's home, attendees participated in team building activities and workshops designed to both educate the group on policies and procedures and invite dialogue as the 2012/2013 season gets underway.
"The retreat creates an atmosphere in which new and old members alike can begin to create lasting relationships," explained UniPro Vice President, Iris Zalun. "It gets everyone's brilliance and passion in one place, resulting in some exciting ideas for the year to come."
The weekend began with a communal meal that set the tone for the rest of the retreat. The group then dove into its first workshop, "UniPro 101." This first workshop, presented by the recently elected executive board, described the history of the organization and outlined its core values, mission and vision. After a brief dessert break, participants were divided into four groups within which thematic ideas for UniPro's 2013 Summit were discussed. Each group then presented their ideas on how to unify the message of UniPro's flagship program.
Guest speaker Ryan Letada, founder of Next Day Better, kicked off Sunday's official activities. The third and final workshop of the retreat allowed for attendees to work in small groups to highlight possible shortcomings within UniPro. Letada had members write letters to themselves, considering the prompt, "if UniPro failed in the next year, tell yourself why you think that happened and explain how you may have contributed to its downfall." The critical thinking exercise "helped enlightened the staff of possible failures that lie ahead," said Keith Guirao, attendee and Director of Web Development at UniPro.
The weekend concluded with a group trip to Adventure Park at The Discovery Museum in Bridgeport, CT. Challenged by rope courses, zip lines and lots of climbing, the group made their way through the "aerial forest park," a true team-building experience!
If you are interested in becoming a member of the UniPro staff, please contact info@unipronow.org.