CLASS DESCRIPTION
Class duration: 1 hour, 14 seconds
Estimated CEU value: 0.1 CEU
- 1:00:14 = 1 hour + 14 seconds = 1.004 hours (about 60.23 minutes)
- Using the common standard 1.0 CEU = 10 contact hours, this equals 0.1004 CEU, typically rounded to 0.1 CEU (confirm your accrediting organization’s rounding policy).
This online learning session introduces the “Challenge by Choice” framework as a practical approach for creating inclusive, empowering program experiences—especially in youth-serving and group settings. Participants will explore how offering meaningful choices shifts program culture from compliance-driven participation to autonomy-driven engagement. The session addresses how to design activities that respect individual readiness, identities, boundaries, and varying comfort levels while still supporting growth. Learners will examine strategies for understanding participant needs (“know your people”), distinguishing between “I can’t” and “I won’t,” reducing unhelpful peer pressure, and building supportive group norms. The training also connects Challenge by Choice to universal design principles and provides concrete examples of participation options, “recharge zones,” and facilitation language that prioritizes psychological and physical safety over forced discomfort.
Five learning objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Define “Challenge by Choice” and explain how it increases empowerment and participation in group programs.
- Differentiate between safety and comfort and apply facilitation practices that protect participant boundaries while supporting growth.
- Assess participant readiness by identifying key factors (background/identity, mood, energy, and day-to-day context) and adjusting activities accordingly.
- Design participation options (multiple roles/entry points) that reduce compliance pressure and allow learners to engage at appropriate challenge levels.
- Apply universal design thinking to program planning by anticipating diverse needs (ability, experience, culture, language, age) and building inclusive structures like recharge zones and rotating roles.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Briana Mitchell is the President of S’more Summer, a Change Summer initiative, where she partners with camps to create more summer experiences that center joy, equity, and belonging. She is also the President of Strategy and Operations for Change Summer, which creates high-quality, transformative summer opportunities for students from under-resourced communities. Briana previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Camp Association of New York and New Jersey as well as the co-chair of the affiliate’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee. A self-proclaimed master of the bucket brigade, Briana spent her formative summers at a sleepaway camp in Pennsburg, PA. She continued her camp career as a counselor and activities director at an all-girls camp in Honesdale, PA before serving as the Director of AF Camp.