Team Building through Scrappy Art
For the last six months, Elevate Energy has been hard at work developing our three-year strategic plan. Always inclusive and forward-looking, our CEO Anne Evens knew it was important for the entire staff to have a role and voice in the plan to build ownership and excitement around the direction and impact of our organization.
While a core committee did the heavy lifting, it also collaborated with staff along the way to leverage diverse insights and assess the efficacy of the strategic plan as it was being developed. This included an all-hands-on-deck strategic planning day in October in which we gathered in small groups to discuss the organization’s vision and goals. 
And, as an organization that both works hard and plays hard, our productive morning was capped by an equally collaborative and innovative afternoon—our friends at the Rebuilding Exchange hosted a “Scraptacular” workshop at our office.
What is a Scraptacular, you ask? Great question! It’s a clever, hands-on concept from the fantastic Rebuilding Exchange in which a group of people use reclaimed scraps of seemingly disconnected materials (think wood, carpet, tile, and construction rubble) to contribute to a larger piece.
We wanted this larger piece to be our beloved logo. So, we set to work. At times it was a scene of intense focus, at times it was silly, as Elevators found inspiration in our city, our people, and our work, and in architecture, nature, and the abstract. Some designs were symmetrical, others were minimalistic or quite embellished. Some incorporated our signature marigold, others used colors found in the scrap materials.
It may sound like an odd scene, but the result was carefully planned and quite impressive: together, the circles formed a larger-than-life collage that now proudly hangs on our office wall. One Elevator enjoyed the “individual creativity under a common theme, Viva!” Another said that it, “was a small personal commitment for a bigger activity” and many mentioned that it aligned with our mission, was relaxing, highly creative, and that “glue guns are fun!”
We like to joke that the team that gets scrappy together stays together, but, as we close 2017, we also see the workshop as a metaphor for the ethos of our organization. We all bring unique talent and perspective, but it is our cohesive drive and dedication that makes Elevate what it is and enables us to have positive impact in our communities.
We highly recommend a Scraptacular event for your own organization or office, whether you are in the midst of heady strategic planning or just searching for a unique and rewarding team-building activity. Get in touch with the Rebuilding Exchange to learn more about private workshops.
