McDonagh 1

Daniel McDonagh
HDF413
Alison Jackson Fraiser
Shadowing Experience
Last February I started my journey with SOLC as a freshman. Although I didnt have a
very active role in this retreat I learned invaluable skills on how to handle unexpected situations.
The group came looking to just get to know each other through our retreat, but we soon realized
that we needed to do a little bit more work with them. We had to change the schedule on the fly
to meet the needs of the group, even if they didnt realize they needed it.
My shadow experience was with the URI Quidditch team. The goal of the retreat was just
to get to know each other better and introduce some new members into the group. They said they
would have 20 to 30 participants and it ended up being closer to 30 people. We didnt know how
many people really knew each other coming in, but we could tell that some of them were
cliquing together.
We started the day with introducing ourselves to the group and running captains coming
in the atrium. The group really enjoyed this activity, but we notice the language that the group
was using with each other wasnt quite appropriate and very inclusive. We noticed this trend
continue through cinnamon bun, at that point we decided to stop the group and assess how
everyone was feeling after we finished cinnamon bun. We asked them if everyone felt included,
safe, and respected with the language that had been thrown around earlier. As expected we had a
few people speak up and say that they didnt. We decided to talk to the group and had them set
some ground rules so that everyone could feel more comfortable in the group. After this we were
able to keep the competitive spirit the group displayed earlier during captains coming. This was

McDonagh 2
a great change on Connors part, and it really helped the group develop and get a better
understanding of each others boundaries and comfort zone.
Something that I would have changed about the retreat is possibly getting more
information about the group prior to them coming to the retreat. Since we didnt know the group
dynamic at all it was difficult to determine how well everyone knew each other. It would have
also helped to have had time blocked out for a full value contract prior to the retreat. If we had
one set up it might have done better and more effectively. Since it was so on the fly it threw off
the timing of the retreat making fall behind on some of the activities.
This retreat was a great experience that helped me see how everything worked and what
can happen. I know now that most retreats arent as chaotic and dont change as much as this one
did, but Im glad that I shadowed this retreat. I saw how effective it is to adapt to the groups
needs rather than just sticking to the schedule for the sake of staying on time. It was clear how
the group benefitted from the intervention and made the retreat a better experience for everyone
involved. It helped me learn how to ease any tension that might be in the group that they hadnt
mentioned to us before when requesting the program. Really made me think on the fly about how
the group is doing and if any kind of intervention might be necessary for the group to grow. Im
glad that the first retreat I went on had this kind of situation because Ive heard from other
facilitators that they get to the point where they are leading retreats and they havent dealt with
any kind of conflict before.
I really enjoyed working with this group of facilitators because they were great mentors.
They helped me really understand why we are there for the groups, to help them grow in ways
that the group might not even known they needed to. They helped guide me through my first
experience and conflict without too much stress.

McDonagh 3
Student Organization Leadership Consultants
URI Quidditch
February 20, 2016
Group: Quidditch
Group Contact & info: Wade Barbera (401) 6447538
uriquidditch@rhodysenate.org
SOLC Contact: Connor Curtis
Goal of Retreat:
# Participants: 20-30
Date: February 20, 2016
Time: 12pm-2pm
Location: Atrium
Facilitators: Trent, Charlie, Yami
Shadows: Dan Mc.
Advisor: Connor Curtis
Food Requests:
Special Requests/Needs:
Retreat Agenda:
Time/
location
12:00
12:10
12:1012:25
12:2512:40
12:451:20
1:20-1:40

Topic/Activity

1:40-2:00

Closing - Chain

Facilitator

Waivers/Introductions

Waivers, Pens,
Preprogram Evals

Captains Coming

Yami

Cinnamon Bun

Trent &
Charlie
All
facilitators
Charlie &
Connor

Trolleys
Tweener

Handouts:
Waivers
Evaluation
General Supplies Check list:
Tubes
Poster
Markers
Pens
Balls
Rubber Chicken
Buckets
Cones

Notes/Supplies needed

Trolleys
Ball
Paper, Markers, Tape

McDonagh 4