7 DAY CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

This year we are excited to be revamping and reformatting our annual 7 Day Challenge. In the past we have done 7 days with 7 different mock emergencies or scenarios. While we had a blast and learned a lot, we felt like it was time for a change. This year will be even more interactive and really emphasize learning and improving. Having friends join you will make it even more fun and a better experience so please feel free to share this post with them and/or invite them to the Facebook Group for the 2016 Challenge.

The new challenge will follow the “Preparedness Cycle”. which is a new concept we came up with as we were planning this year’s challenge. When we began this journey we were naive to thinking we would ever be “fully prepared”. Preparedness is truly a cycle. You prepare, practice, prioritize, proceed then repeat. Just as you get a skill tackled you realize there is more to learn. No matter where you are in the process there is always room to get just a little more prepared!

ONTO THE CHALLENGE… This year we will be telling you exactly when and what the challenge will be. No surprises here! We want to work together through the preparedness cycle and make the most of this year’s challenge.

The 7 days will begin with the “Prepare” portion. Two days before the “practice” portion of the challenge we will GET READY! Since you will know what’s coming we will spend a couple days getting prepared and completing last minute tasks. This will be a great time to tie up loose ends on things you’ve been procrastinating.

Then we will “Practice”. We will go 3 days with mock emergencies. Expect these days to have situations where you will go without power and water. There will be a different scenario each day and the scenarios will come with come tasks and recommendations much like prior year’s challenges.

Then we will take a day to “Prioritize” based on our findings from our practice. We will encourage you and your family to make a game plan of where to go next.

The last day will be the day to “Proceed”. You’ll purchase items you realized you needed. You’ll sign up for classes or start researching things you need to know more about.

We know everyone is at different levels of preparedness and there will be scaling. We’d like to remind you to try your best and don’t stress.

Learn from each other – Join the Facebook discussion

We will be posting here on the blog each day (and via email) to let you know what is going on but the real discussion will be happening on our Facebook Group.

day1

Tuesday, September 20 to Wednesday, September 21
During these 2 days we will spend time making sure all our ducks are in a row. We will list tasks you will want to do to “PREPARE”. Examples of some tasks include filling water containers, ensuring flashlights have batteries, shoes are by their beds etc, supplies are organized and updated.

day3

Thursday, September 22 to Saturday, September 24
During the 3 day “PRACTICE” portion of the challenge we will be doing 3 different scenarios much like prior years. EXPECT there will be challenges to go without power and water! We will practice cooking, cleaning, showering, and more. Each day there will be a different scenario with things to practice and learn.

Thursday September 22 – Day 1: Natural Disaster
Friday September 23 – Day 2: Personal Family Emergency
Saturday September 24 – Day 3: Economic Long-Term Crisis

The goal will be to do the best you can, learn from the experience, and improve!

day5

Sunday, September 25

On the “PRIORITIZE” day we will take some time with our families to really analyze how we did. What worked? What didn’t? Where are the holes in our preps? What are our next steps? We will have worksheets and ideas to help you make a game plan to move forward.

day7

Monday, September 26
Although the “PROCEED” day will only be one day during the challenge it will continue on for you in your personal preparedness cycle and journey. We will encourage you to go purchase the items you are in need of most. We will talk about ways to learn more skills so you can proceed and get going on becoming more prepared. As you proceed through the cycle, you will continue to find opportunities to prepare, practice, and prioritize over and over. And next year will be one of those opportunities!