The goal of this activity is to encourage interaction and teamwork among participants. This activity helps build teamwork, decision-making, logical thinking, and argumentation skills as participants work together to rank salvaged items in order of importance for survival.

"Lost at the Sea" is a decision making exercise where participants must work together to rank items they have salvaged after being shipwrecked. Their survival depends on their ability to take a unanimous decision in a limited time. The activity promotes discussion, logical thinking, and consensus-building.

The facilitator gives instructions and presents the rules and activities of the game (see Annex 1). The facilitator asks the participants to carefully read the rules of the game. If needed, the facilitator or one of the participants could read them aloud to the group.

After reading the instructions, the participants have 15 minutes to individually rank the items on the list and write their choices in the left-hand 1st column . No.1 is the most important item and No.15 is the least important. If needed, the items on the list could be explained in advance in case there are objects the participants are unfamiliar with.

The facilitator divides the group into smaller teams of 3-4 persons. Each team has 30 minutes to discuss their individual rankings of the 15 items and come up with a common decision on how to rate the items from most to least important. Each team has to write the common ranking in the 2nd column. The facilitator should explain that they have limited time to take a decision.

The correct answers were suggested by the US Coastguard (Annex 2). The facilitator should display the “expert” rankings on a PowerPoint presentation, whiteboard, or photocopy. The participants have to compare their individual and group answers with the correct answers and determine a score.

To calculate the score, for each item, the group should mark the number of points by which its score differs from the Coast Guard ranking and take the absolute value of the difference, which reflects the number of points. The smaller the difference, the fewer points and the better the score. For example, if a participant or team places an item in position #5 but the experts place it in position #10, the difference is 5 which equals 5 points.

After the teams make the necessary calculations, if necessary, with the assistance of the facilitator, the results chart should be presented to the group (Annex 3).

As the groups work together, sharing thoughts and ideas, this should produce an improved score over the individual results.

• Ensure all participants understand the rules and objectives before starting the activity

• Encourage active listening and respectful discussion during group deliberations

• Be mindful of time management to ensure each stage of the activity is completed within the allotted time

• Remind participants that the key is to reach a unanimous decision within the given time frame

• This activity may lead to strong discussions and disagreements, so be prepared to mediate if necessary