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 in an organizational/interpersonal setting that
aligns with the mission, vision, values and sponsored programs and activities of URI’s
Center for Student Leadership Development.

Activity:
This semester I would like use my strengths as a shadow in a retreat led by SOLC.
I want to push myself out of the box and to develop my teamwork skills by providing my
creativity skills as well as learn more about what it takes to hopefully one day lead a
retreat here on campus. I believe this activity would be a good fit for me because I want
to rewrite my wrongs of last semester and prove myself to be reliable and to integrate all
aspects of what the leadership program is back into my life.

Annotation:

On April 7th, I was able to shadow a retreat for the chemistry fraternity Alpha Chi
Sigma. I ended up shadowing Jason A. who was lead/co-facilitator who did a tremendous
job at explaining to me what it means to actually facilitate others. Other people who were
on staff were Robert Z., Bailey V., Maren D., and Ray S. The retreat itself was small and
more intimate and in my opinion was the best thing for myself so I could be up close and
personal with the group and not be overwhelmed with a massive amount of people.
The way the retreat was set up was a coincidence the three males of the group
were put together and the three females were put together and it worked very well in the
sense that I got to be a part of Jason and his debriefing of the Full Values Contract. The
activity that was done for full values was called smackdown and the basic premise of it
was that the members of Alpha Chi Sigma has to come up with one word and debate with
another person as to why their word was better and who ever “won” the debate would
then go and debate another group until there were only two groups left and then as a
collaborative would decide if choice A or choice B was going to be their full values
word.
During the retreat I saw a mixture of my values and strengths come out. I was
able to use my humor and kindness values and my communication and empathy strengths
to get to know a couple of the members and engage in a conversation as to why the group
was having the retreat and was able to even participate in Captain’s Coming and provide
humor in the context that I had no idea of what to do and made a fool of myself. I also
saw my adaptability strength come to fruition when I had the chance to choose who to
shadow on the retreat and saw that I could benefit from either shadowing Jason or Ray.
 Overall this retreat is what made me fall in love with leadership all over again and
truly remember why I wanted to be a leadership minor in the first place. I was able to
meet new people and develop an idea of how I would like to lead in the future and how I
want to make people feel included and heard rather than just been seen and forgotten over
time. I was able to show that I am someone that one of my peers can rely on and I think it
has given me a new slate to show that I am more than just a freshman who did some non-
smart things my first semester and I am very excited for my next steps as a facilitator and
as a leader in the URI community.

Instructor Signature: ____________________________________________

Student Signature: ______________________________________________

Part 2
Note:
In order to receive full credit all students must include the following steps after the
activity has been completed:

1. Website Tab
➢ Insert “Learning Contract”
➢ Annotation: (Annotation is an outcome- based descriptive detailing your activity,
similar to “descriptive notes” and is written upon completion of your activity.)

Note:
We encourage you to include your learning contract activity and evidence in the
Leadership Inventory as a designated outcome and/or as additional experiences to support
descriptive notes.

Possible Experiences:

● Challenge Course facilitator training

● Leadership Ambassadors
● DRIVE Overnight Multicultural Program
● Organizing a team to run/walk for a cause (ex. Relay for life etc.)
● Service Project – ex. Rotaract
● Safe Zone training
● SOLC shadow and co-facilitation
● Student involvement project
● Tour guide training
● Appling for Institute Peer Leader (focus on preparing for an interview/being
interviewed)
● Alternative Spring Break (in-state still looking for students)
● College Crusaders – URI Shadow Day volunteer to have a shadow for a day
● Rainville committee member
● Fundraising team for St. Baldric’s
● Changefest