Anser Javed
Every good training session begins with the same challenge: getting people comfortable with each other. At Chopan Trust, we have found a joyful answer in Pathfinders, our adventure therapy program for children in Lahore, Pakistan. The team building games that children played at Pathfinders are now helping us break the ice and have fun in our teachers training programs, most recently in Gujranwala, Pakistan, on 31 October 2026.
From the playground to the training room
Pathfinders was designed with adventure therapist Bernie Rupe from Chicago, USA, to build confidence, self-esteem and resilience in marginalized children. During his visit, Bernie trained our team and teachers in experiential education: learning by doing, then reflecting on what happened.
The games he taught turned out to be useful far beyond the children's sessions. Played at the start of a training day, they do something a slide or a speech cannot: they get everyone laughing, moving and talking to each other within minutes.
The games in action
The Pathfinders sessions at DHA Sports Complex, Phase 5, Lahore, included circle games, card games, catching games and team challenges. Each one is simple, needs almost no equipment, and works for any group size. Here is what they do for a training room:
- They break the ice. A simple circle game gets strangers laughing together in the first few minutes.
- They build trust. Group challenges teach people to rely on each other and listen.
- They raise energy. A catching game wakes up a room after a long morning or a heavy topic.
- They level the room. In a game, everyone is a beginner, so shy participants join in as easily as confident ones.
- They give a shared experience. Teachers feel for themselves what the children felt: the nervous start, the laughter, and the pride of taking part.
That last point matters to us. When teachers experience these games first-hand, they understand how a few minutes of play can help a child feel safe, confident and part of the group.
Pathfinders games in Gujranwala
On 31 October 2026, we used Pathfinders games as ice breakers during a teachers training session in Gujranwala, Pakistan. The teachers joined in, played together and had fun, and the games set a warm, friendly tone for the training that followed. It was a simple reminder that learning goes better when people feel relaxed and connected.
Why it matters
Pathfinders began as a way to help marginalized children discover their own strength. Seeing the same games work so well with adults shows how powerful play can be. Laughter, trust and teamwork are not extras. They are how people learn.
This is only the beginning. Our dream is to reach marginalized youth across Pakistan, and to share what we are learning with more teachers, schools and communities.
