HDF 190: FLITE (FIRST-YEAR LEADERS INSPIRED TO EXCELLENCE)

URI MINOR IN LEADERSHIP STUDIES, CENTER FOR STUDENT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

CORE REQUIREMENT FOR THE LEADERSHIP MINOR

LEARNING CONTRACT

Goal: To identify and utilize my Strengths (Positivity, Woo, Communication, Belief and
Connectedness) in an organizational/interpersonal setting that aligns with the mission,
vision, values and sponsored programs and activities of URIs Center for Student
Leadership Development.

Activity: For my learning contract I became a member of the Student Organization of

Leadership Consultants where I shadowed and then facilitated 2 retreats. I was able to
work and collaborate within a team of facilitators and was able to build and strengthen
relationships within a new group working towards their goals.

Evidence: A photo of all the facilitators and the student organization we worked with,
Delta Epsilon Mu.

Annotation:
The Student Organization of Leadership Consultants (SOLC) is a student run organization that
leads group retreats for other student organizations on campus. Student peer leaders are trained in
leadership and group development skills and assist URI student groups in effectively achieving their
goals. As a member of SOLC, I both shadowed and facilitated 2 retreats. I shadowed a retreat for Phi Eta
Sigma, the university's interdisciplinary honor society for first-year students, and I later facilitated a retreat
for Delta Epsilon Mu, the university's pre-health fraternity. During my shadow, I observed how the
facilitators acted - including everyone, make sure everyone was engaged, showing great energy and
enthusiasm toward each activity, and also making sure that the group gained something from each
activity, in addition to simply having fun. As I observed, I thought about how I could use my strengths in
facilitation. I realized that my Positivity and Woo strengths would help me a lot in making connections
with the groups I was working with. I knew I would be able to get them energized and excited for the day
ahead of them. I also realized that my Communication strength would allow me to affectively explain
activities and lead debriefs, along with my Connectedness strength to understand how each activity relates
back to the development of the group and how they could bring back what they learned to their
organization at large. I also knew I could use my Belief strength because my values of Kindness, Fairness,
Social Intelligence, Leadership and Teamwork would all come into play when facilitating, and those
values would not vary based on the unknown situations that would be presented to me. I would be Kind
to all involved because I cared about their own individual and group growth throughout the retreat. I
would be Fair in making sure everyone was given an equal opportunity to participate and have their voice
be heard. I would use Social Intelligence, to interact with all the new personalities I was going to meet,
and gage my approach based on the personalities I saw present. I would Lead by helping this group meet
their goals they presented to us, and I would be sure to show the group the importance of Teamwork, by
valuing the differing strengths of the individuals within the group.
 A couple weeks later, when my new knowledge was put to the test I saw myself struggling. I
realized facilitating was not as easy as my peers made it look. During my facilitation, I saw that some
members were disengaged, some members took total control while others said little to nothing, some
were annoyed with activities, and some were just simply overall not having it. My positivity strength had
to take over during these times when I was feeling discouraged. I had to mentally regroup myself, and
then channeled my positivity towards the students we were working with. I was able to build relationships
with the group, and eventually everything seemed to shift gears. As the day went on, the quieter students
opened up, everyone was smiling, debriefs were running much more smoothly with greater participation,
and the group overall seemed to be working as one unit. I could see how our leadership as facilitators
brought out the leadership within the group.
While facilitating, in addition to my Strengths and Values, I was able to utilize the Relational
Leadership Model. To build relationships it is important to be Inclusive, Empowering, Purposeful, Ethical
and Process Oriented. For the retreat to be successful, the facilitators needed to make sure everyone felt
included, respected and heard. It was important that an encouraging environment was created, and that it
was understood that failure was okay and could be learned from. The group began to empower one
another as they failed and then succeeded. By the completion of each activity, it was clear that the group
understood the reasoning behind it. Their debriefs showed that they understood the purpose and
significance of each challenge, and that they had learned from it. Each activity was also created ethically
in the sense that it benefited the group as a whole, not just specific individuals. Each activity was done for
the good of their group development. Lastly, they knew that all of this was going to pay off, and it was
understood that to reach an end goal you must first go through the process. By the end of the retreat, the
group had definitely developed greater relationships with one another, and I think they will take what they
learned and grow from there within their organization. As a facilitator it was a rewarding experience for
me, and I am looking forward for the years to come in SOLC.

Instructor Signature: ____________________________________________

Student Signature: ______________________________________________