This guide is aimed at the challenge leader(s). As a leader guiding your group through the assault course, your role is crucial in maintaining the meaningful connection between physical challenges and the refugee experience you’re representing. You’re not just supervising an activity, but facilitating a transformative journey.
Your dual role
Roleplay facilitator
You maintain the narrative that these obstacles represent real challenges faced by refugees seeking safety. You don’t explain the symbolism, but live it, keeping everyone immersed in the experience of being on a difficult journey together.
Community supporter
While staying in character, you provide the emotional support, practical guidance, and collective encouragement that helps every participant succeed and grow through the challenges.
Core leadership principles
Lead by example
- Always attempt obstacles first to demonstrate they can be overcome
- Show courage whilst acknowledging genuine difficulty
- Demonstrate how to maintain modesty and dignity during physical challenges
- Display determination and resilience when you struggle
Maintain the narrative
- Speak as someone on a journey seeking safety, not as an instructor explaining an activity
- Use language that maintains immersion: “We must cross this river” not “This represents crossing rivers”
- Keep focus on collective survival and reaching safety together
- Build urgency and purpose while ensuring everyone can participate
Build collective strength
- Encourage mutual support and assistance between participants
- Celebrate individual courage while building group unity
- Help stronger participants support those who struggle
- Ensure no one is left behind or feels abandoned
Working with course instructors
Clear role boundaries
The professional instructors handle:
- Safety briefings and technical instruction
- Equipment safety and structural integrity
- Emergency procedures and first aid
- Managing participant flow and timing
You focus on:
- Emotional journey and roleplay maintenance
- Peer encouragement and community building
- Connecting challenges to personal growth
- Keeping everyone engaged with the deeper purpose
Collaborative approach
- Coordinate with instructors but maintain your distinct role
- Defer to their safety guidance while continuing character-based support
- Use their technical expertise to enhance rather than replace your narrative approach
- Work together to ensure both safety and meaningful experience
Adapting to different participants
For confident participants
- Channel their strength toward helping others
- Give them leadership opportunities within the group
- Use their success to build confidence in others
- Prevent overconfidence that could lead to safety issues
For struggling participants
- Provide extra encouragement without breaking roleplay
- Offer practical modifications while maintaining dignity
- Celebrate effort and courage over pure achievement
- Ensure they feel valued and supported by the community
For reluctant participants
- Acknowledge fear while building gentle encouragement
- Connect their courage to the larger purpose
- Give them specific achievable goals
- Use peer support to build confidence
Managing the physical and emotional journey
Before obstacles
- Build appropriate mindset and expectation
- Maintain roleplay context for what you’re facing
- Ensure everyone understands both the physical and emotional challenge
- Prepare participants practically while staying in character
During obstacles
- Provide real-time encouragement and guidance
- Monitor for genuine distress versus normal challenge
- Maintain team unity and mutual support
- Keep everyone connected to the shared journey
After obstacles
- Acknowledge what everyone has accomplished
- Connect the experience to personal strength and growth
- Build momentum toward the next challenge
- Process any difficulties while maintaining forward movement
Key reminders for effective leadership
Stay authentic
- Your genuine engagement with the roleplay helps others commit fully
- Acknowledge real difficulties while building genuine resilience
- Show that meaningful challenges create meaningful growth
- Balance pushing participants with respecting their limits
Maintain purpose
- Keep everyone connected to why they’re undertaking this challenge
- Help participants see each obstacle as part of a larger journey
- Build understanding and empathy through shared experience
- Celebrate both individual and collective transformation
Foster community
- Create bonds through shared struggle and achievement
- Encourage participants to support each other beyond just completing obstacles
- Build lasting relationships through meaningful shared experience
- Help everyone feel proud of their participation and growth
Remember
You’re not just helping people complete a physical course. You’re guiding them through an experience that builds empathy, resilience, community, and connection to something larger than themselves. Your leadership makes the difference between a fun activity and a truly transformative challenge.