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"After the retreat, a lot of bullying stopped. Before the retreat I was bullied a lot, and a lof of the time I didn't even want to go back to school, because of them."
7th grader, Courage Retreat

Courage Retreat Assessment Summary

Edmund Sass, Ed.D., Professor of Education, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University

  • The initial goals of the Courage Retreat are that students:
    • Understand how fear permits them to compromise their goals and values; 
    • Identify common fears of students their age;
    • Identify moments of decision between courage and fear;
    • Commit to one act of courage in their life.
  • Initial questionnaires were administered within one week of the retreats.
  • Follow-up questionnaires were administered approximately 60 days later.
  • The initial questionnaires focused on student and teacher perceptions of the retreats' overall quality, the extent to which students participated in the various aspects of the retreats, the accomplishment of initial retreat goals and suggestions for improvement.
  • Follow-up questionnaires were designed to determine student and teacher perceptions of the retreats' long-term impact on students' attitudes and behaviors.
  • Initial questionnaires were completed by 1,195 students.
  • Initial questionnaires were completed by 31 teachers whose students had attended Courage Retreats.
  • Follow-up questionnaires were completed by 764 students who attended the Courage Retreats.
  • Thirteen teachers completed Courage Retreat follow-up questionnaires.

More than 80% of students rated eight of the nine statements regarding accomplishment of Courage Retreat goals as "True" or "Mostly True," indicating most retreat goals were met very well. The most positive ratings occurred on items related to understanding what it means to act with courage, understanding the impact of fear and learning ways to show courage. About 86% of respondents rated statements regarding the accomplishment of these retreat goals as "True" or "Mostly True." The lowest ratings occurred for a statement regarding feeling more a part of their class since the retreat. Only 62% rated this statement as "True" or "Mostly True." Written comments indicated that students found the retreats to be "fun" and excellent learning experiences. Students' overall ratings of the Courage Retreat confirm the positive results described above. More than three-fourths (76%) rated the retreat they had attended as "Excellent" or "Very Good." Most of the remainder (20%) thought, "It was okay." Only 4% believed their retreat was "Not Very Good" or "Terrible." (See Bar Chart I.)

Results of follow-up questionnaires (60 days post-retreat), though more mixed than results of initial questionnaires, were also generally quite positive as student responses to Courage Retreat follow-up questionnaires showed many positive outcomes. More than 70% of students (536 of 764) indicated that it was "True" or "Mostly True" that they had followed through with the act of courage they wrote on their "Courage Card," and even slightly higher percentages believed they were better able to do what they believe is right (545 of 764 or 71%) and act with courage in moments of decision (572 of 764 or 75%) since the retreat. Additionally, about 62% of respondents reported that they feel more a part of their class since the retreat (473 of 764), and about 56% (428 of 764) believed that students in their school had shown more courage. (See Bar Chart II.)

Teachers were also generally quite positive about the Courage Retreat and its impact. Of the 31 teachers who completed initial questionnaires, 29 rated the retreat's overall quality as "Excellent" or "Very Good," and this same number (29 of 31) thought that their students' reaction to the retreat had been "Very Positive" or "Mixed, but mostly positive." Ten of the thirteen teachers who completed follow-up questionnaires noted that students continued to speak favorably about their experiences at the retreats. Seven teachers felt that there had "been a noticeable change in the way students treat each other since the retreat."

In conclusion, the results of this evaluation are very positive. Students and teachers typically found Youth Frontiers Courage Retreat to be of high quality with most initial retreat goals well met. Follow-up results, though more mixed, were also generally favorable, as most believed that there had been long-term, positive changes in their school or class as a result of the Courage Retreat.

Bar Chart I

Overall Student Ratings of the Courage Retreat N=1195

Bar Chart II

Students have shown more courage since the retreat. (60 days post retreat) N=764

The above information is drawn from the program evaluation conducted Fall 2004 by Edmund Sass, Ed.D., Professor of Education, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University.