Resident Assistant Program Ideas
Add a collaborative drawing jam to an RA program as a flexible social activity for residents who arrive, watch, or participate at different times.
Start a Jam
- Best for
- resident assistants and residence life staff
- Group size
- 5–12 players
- Time
- 20–45 minutes
Make the whole room part of the drawing
Mandatory-feeling programs and personal icebreakers can discourage residents who are cautious in a new community.
SKITJAM changes the usual drawing-game rhythm: the group joins one room from ordinary browsers and contributes to the same timed canvas. Players do not wait for individual turns, and the activity does not depend on one confident artist carrying a team. After drawing, the room invents titles and votes, so observation and comedy matter as much as moving the pencil.
For an RA community program, that structure creates a visible shared problem instead of asking people to manufacture conversation from nothing. The messy result belongs to the room. It becomes something players can point at, explain, defend, rename, and remember together.
A practical way to run it
Advertise a specific start window, display the join QR code, and let residents observe the host screen before deciding to join. Use account-free identities and a neutral common-area prompt.
- Create the room. Open SKITJAM, choose whether the host is playing or screen casting, and put the lobby where the group can see it.
- Join without ceremony. Players scan the QR code or enter the short room code, then use a suggested silly name if they want a privacy-friendly identity.
- Draw before overexplaining. Let the first prompt teach the controls. Everyone draws at once while the authoritative countdown stays on the host screen.
- Name and vote. The room submits titles, votes without seeing authors first, and watches the winning mess replay.
One variation worth trying
Turn one finished drawing into a proposed fictional floor mascot and let the room choose its absurd title.
Variations work best when they change one social constraint at a time. Keep the join flow, drawing controls, and phase order familiar. Change the prompt pack, time pressure, drawing rule, or way the group discusses the reveal—not all four. That gives players enough confidence to take creative risks while preserving the surprise.
Frequently asked questions
Can an RA run it without institutional setup?
Yes. A normal SKITJAM room does not require school administration.
Is it appropriate for community standards programs?
It can support a social program, but it is not a substitute for required policy education.
How should recaps be handled?
Get the room's permission before sharing outside the gathering.
Created and written by Annabella Proctor
Annabella created SKITJAM as a social drawing game where the software gets out of the way and the room becomes the performance. Grayworth handles publication, legal responsibility, privacy operations, and hosting.
About the creator