30-Minute Activity Plan: Survival Priorities Challenge

What Young People Will Learn

By the end of the activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify the most important priorities in an emergency situation.
• Explain why some actions should happen before others.
• Think calmly and logically when faced with an unfamiliar situation.
• Work together to make decisions.

Before the Activity

1. Introduce the Challenge — 5 Minutes

Ask the group:

“If something unexpected happened outdoors, what would you do first?”

Take a few answers, but don’t immediately tell them whether they’re right or wrong.

You may hear answers such as:

• Find help.
• Build a shelter.
• Light a fire.
• Find water.
• Call someone.
• Keep walking.

Explain that in an emergency, doing something quickly isn’t always the same as doing the right thing.

The aim of today’s activity is to practise thinking through the situation before acting.

If the scenario involves becoming lost, leaders may also want to review our guide on what to do if you get lost outdoors.

2. The Priority Challenge — 10 Minutes

Split the group into small teams.

Give each team a scenario.

Ask them to decide:

Ask each team to write down their first three priorities.

Give them around five minutes to discuss their scenario.

Encourage them to explain why they have chosen each action.

3. Challenge the Decisions — 10 Minutes

Bring everyone back together.

Ask each team to explain their scenario and their three priorities.

Don’t focus only on getting a single “correct” answer.

Instead, encourage participants to think about:

• Is anyone in immediate danger?
• Is the group safe where it is?
• Does anyone need urgent help?
• What resources do they have?
• What information do they have?
• Could moving make the situation worse?
• Should they stay where they are or seek help?

Explain that the correct priorities depend on the situation.

For example, someone who is becoming dangerously cold may need a very different response from someone who has simply taken a wrong turn on a familiar walk.

4. Final Challenge — 5 Minutes

Give everyone one final scenario.

Scenario

Give the teams two minutes to decide.

Ask for their answers.

Encourage answers such as:

• Panicking.
• Rushing.
• Splitting up.
• Continuing without knowing where you are.
• Ignoring the weather or daylight.
• Failing to tell someone what is happening.

The Key Lesson

A useful principle to leave the group with is that good decisions usually start with taking a moment to understand the situation.

Survival isn’t always about knowing the most techniques. Sometimes the most important skill is making a good decision before you do anything at all.

The aim is not to react fastest, but to make a sensible decision based on the situation.

This survival priorities activity helps young people practise making sensible decisions before they act.

Optional Extension

If you have more time, give each team a new complication and ask whether it changes their priorities.

• It has started raining heavily.
• One person in the group is becoming very cold.
• Your phone has no signal.

Adaptations for Younger Sections

Leader Notes

There isn’t necessarily one perfect answer to every scenario.

The purpose of the activity is to develop calm decision-making, communication and situational awareness.

Avoid presenting unrealistic “survival rules” as universal answers. The safest response depends on the circumstances, environment, weather, available equipment and the people involved.

For real incidents, participants should follow appropriate emergency procedures and seek professional help where necessary.

Safety & Further Guidance

This activity is designed to develop decision-making and awareness rather than teach participants to deal with real emergencies independently.

Make sure activities are appropriate for the age and experience of the group, and follow your organisation’s safeguarding and safety procedures.

If a real emergency occurs, participants should follow appropriate emergency procedures and seek help from the emergency services or a responsible adult as appropriate.