I just returned from an outstanding retreat with students from a mentor program that my colleagues and I have been planning for months. This was the first time our office was able to provide an off-site retreat for the program participants (thanks to a generous donor), and I was so impressed with the outcome, and am excited to see how this impacts the program this semester in comparison to previous semesters. The retreat was full of getting-to-know-you activities, teambuilders, and low and high ropes course elements, including a giant swing where a team would pull on a rope to raise one person high into the air (much like you would raise a swing by pulling it backward), and then the person in the air would release a rope that would send them swinging back toward the ground and then up again, with the initial descent feeling like a free fall. While this element was RIDICULOUSLY cool and the other ropes elements were incredible, too, I am mostly impressed with the hard work of my colleagues to help me put this retreat together, and with my students’ willingness to fully engage and participate in the retreat.

There’s just something about ‘getting away’ that brings a new depth to relationships within a group. Hosting the retreat away from campus was really helpful in setting the tone for the day. While the activities were fun (from my perspective), the takeaways really came from the students’ active presence. Today, we saw elements of challenge and support, boundaries breaking down, friendships made and deepened, much laughter, and a lot of fun and excitement - and this is just the beginning of this group’s time together this semester! I can’t wait until Tuesday when we get together again, to see how this retreat really changes the way the students interact together in and out of the weekly leadership workshops.

Right now, I’m feeling humbled, blessed, grateful, pumped… aaaaaand exhausted! :)

Sweet Dreams!