| Created 15 years ago, over 1,500 individuals from diverse demographics have attended The Beloved Retreat, which is a dynamic, reflective weekend experience, based in Roman Catholic spirituality. It has proved to be transformative, healing, revitalizing, and calming for many. This study conducted a program evaluation of a transformative retreat utilizing a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology. The researcher collaborated with the Beloved Retreat staff to conduct a needs analysis in order to formulate the research questions and the means by which they are assessed. Archival feedback forms gathered from previous retreats were analyzed. The researcher facilitated both pre-retreat and post-retreat interviews with attendees to understand the lived experience of the Beloved weekend. As a means of acquiring an emic view of such an experience, the researcher personally participated on the retreat and generated a process document from a first-person experiential perspective. Results were disseminated in the form of feedback to Beloved staff for the purpose of highlighting strengths, clarifying issues, and modifying the program for future participants in the retreat. This dissertation identified what in the design, structure, and relational dynamics emerge as essential components for transformation on the Beloved retreat. |
