Industry
Higher Education
Challenge
Ave Maria University (AMU) sought to elevate its leadership formation program, which already emphasized intellectual and spiritual growth, by enriching it with a stronger focus on human formation. It was struggling to build a comprehensive, focused, and integrated four-year journey for participants.
Results
With Metanoia Catholic's Human Formation workshops, participants reported a deeper understanding of their unique gifts and purpose with a positive impact on personal prayer life. 100% of participants requested the university keep or expand the offering in the future. 2/3 of respondents wished to continue exploring their temperaments by way of a small group study.
Key Product
Temperaments Workshop Series
Since inviting Matt, Erin, and the Metanoia Catholic team to be part of our program, we've developed a clear vision and integrated strategy for forming our student leaders.
The Challenge: Journeying from Head to Heart
Ave Maria University created the Founder's Scholarship Program (FSP) to shape leaders in the Church’s liberal arts tradition and guide them in discerning their vocational calling.
However, with students already balancing demanding academic and extracurricular schedules, program leaders struggled to maintain their attention and engagement. They needed a way to make FSP a distinctive and meaningful experience, rather than just another requirement for students to check off.
The Solution: Integrating More Self-Awareness and Human Formation
Seeing FSP was heavy on its spiritual and intellectual formation focus, AMU leaders contacted Metanoia Catholic for help and consultation on developing the human formation aspect of its four-year curriculum. The hope was that the enhanced focus on human formation would re-engage students and create more personal investment in the program.
Metanoia Catholic met with AMU leaders to understand the FSP program and objectives. After learning the program's objectives and current offering, Metanoia Catholic proposed a series of interactive self-awareness workshops leveraging classical temperaments. The workshops helped students reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, motivations, triggers, and ideal environments and provided practical ways to bring temperament insights into prayer.
Metanoia Catholic delivered the offering in three presentations over six weeks with accompanying workshop materials. Each presentation offered reflection exercises that students could integrate into their prayer and conversations with peers between sessions.
Furthermore, Metanoia Catholic delivered an Active Listening Skills lesson to students to increase engagement in small group discussions and form participants to lead future small groups in their senior year.
The students were talking about their temperaments non-stop after the presentations. I've been around long enough to know when they are really engaged with something. Gabriella Taffaro, FSP Coordinator
The Results
The offering became an anchor to the FSP program, helping them improve engagement and craft a journey that began with a foundation of integrated self-awareness. This helped participants take the already existing intellectual and spiritual formation from head to heart, apply program learning in practical ways, and improve student engagement.
By the final lesson, students from outside the FSP program were voluntarily attending the workshops based on the excitement and invitations of their peers.
Students reported growth in:
- Knowledge of strengths and weaknesses
- Understanding of peers, teammates, and family members with less judgment
- Knowledge of common vice patterns and ways to grow in virtue
- Emotional and mental resilience
- Appreciation for their unique gifts and mission from God
Students shared the following feedback after participating.
This workshop really helped me to see the positive potential of my temperament, contributions, and emotions, and brought to mind my weaknesses and triggers in a way that I can watch out for them instead of being disappointed by them. - Student Participant
Going through the worksheets really helped me to get to know myself better. I never did a temperament assessment before this one, so I was going into it totally blind. Not only did I learn about why I have some of the weaknesses that I have, but I’ve also learned how to turn those weaknesses into strengths. I really appreciate having been able to participate in this program! - Student Participant
Truly this workshop was helpful, enlightening, and inspiring. While I have not been able to spend the time I wanted on working on it outside of the sessions, I am excited to be able to dedicate time to it and really learn more about myself. Knowing I am not alone in things I have thought and struggled with before gives me peace, especially with knowing I can work towards certain goals for efficiently through understanding how I am wired. - Student Participant
Seeing my strengths as helping God fulfill His plan for the world, made me so happy to pursue my talents—instead of being ashamed of them. I also realized that I may have a control problem, lol. Which, seeing this, has helped me with my peer relationships, my studies, and my relationship with God. I’m just so incredibly grateful that you both did this with us. It has helped me with my prayer life, my student life, and my friend and family life.❤️- Student Participant
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