It's 10 am on a hot Friday morning in June. You are running around like crazy spraying other Genesys Works students with your SuperSoaker water gun. Instead of hiding, they immediately spray you back. You then join forces to hunt down anyone who looks in the least bit dry. That is how you finish off the 1st week in the Genesys Works program... a water gun fight at Memorial Park!

You joined Genesys Works because you want to start on the path to a professional career. At first, you might not understand how having fun is part of being a professional, but through your year at Genesys Works you will come to understand the answer.

Students who enter Genesys Works come from many different schools so they don't know each other before their first day in training. Although they don't know each other, they all share some common traits: a need to succeed in life and to form a network with others who share that same attitude. Therefore exciting events are incorporated into the Genesys Works program to build bonds between the students but also to develop leadership and teamwork skills. While developing these bonds and skills is the intended end result, the entire focus is on challenges and fun.

The Fun Works program starts with the trip to Memorial Park where students are placed in teams. Several games are played such as "Follow the Leader" (but you are blindfolded), "Hot Lava" where you must work together to build a bridge across the lava and the "Cookie Machine" where you must trust your team not to drop you when you jump into their arms. The water gun fight along with kickball and football follow lunch which is provided by Genesys Works.

Mid-summer, teams are sent on a "Scavenger Hunt" across downtown and the Museum District using the MetroRail as transportation. You are supplied with a camera and items you must take pictures of in order to win.

Another aspect of Fun Works is the Thursday "Team Fun Nights." Every Thursday night during the summer, the Genesys Works staff and students meet to have dinner, chat and play some sports. This is a great time to prove that you are not just a nerd!

During the school year, Genesys Works organizes day trips to parks such as the Huntsville State Park where we end the day with a campfire and S'mores.

Genesys Works' students never cease to amaze us with their technical talents and hard work so we use the Fun Works program as a way to help them step away from the serious side and enjoy life while developing life skills on their way to becoming a professional.