Upward Bound students learned team-building skills during a one-day workshop June 18, said Carmela Pyle, Upward Bound assistant director.

Upward Bound is a program that helps students from six metro high schools increase academic skills and leadership development.

Pyle said students earn up to $120 for their participation during the summer.

Students in the team-building workshop learned how to better interact with each other, she said. They also learned motivational and social skills to help them interact more with their peers.

John Nguyen, Upward Bound student, said the workshop was a fun learning experience.

“We were able to communicate better,” he said. “It involved a lot of leadership (and) respect for one another.”

Certified coaches from Project Adventure, an international nonprofit organization designed to help promote organization, teamwork and responsibility, ran the workshop.

Pyle said the workshop began with icebreakers and progressed into more challenging activities.

“We’re trying to get the students to get out of their comfort zone and cliques,” she said.

“We want them to start working more as a team.”

For more information about the Upward Bound program, visit www.occc.edu/UpwardBound.

To contact Charnay Parks, email onlineeditor@occc.edu.