Peer Support Program

INFORMATION ABOUT MENTORING

[ Expression of Interest Form | WebCT ]

THE MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE PROGRAM

The main objective of the Peer Support Program is to help to build a supportive learning environment and sense of identity and belonging for students in the Faculty of Arts, especially for incoming first year students.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING A MENTOR

1. What is a mentor?

A mentoring relationship is not quite the same as a friendship, because the mentoring relationship is primarily for the benefit of the mentored participant. (Of course you might well become good friends with the first year students you are mentoring over time, but initially the relationship will be basically for their benefit.)
As a mentor, you will help to create a supportive environment for the first year students you are mentoring. This may involve:
- giving support;
- directing the first year student to other support available on campus;
- encouraging the first year student to develop his/her own support networks.
You might help to create a supportive environment in a wide range of different ways. These could include:
- providing very practical information;
- sharing your experiences;
- lending an understanding ear at times of stress;
- giving encouragement;
- arranging opportunities for first year students to meet each other and widen their social and support networks; and so on . . .
In this program we want to make a clear distinction between a mentor and a tutor. In your role as a mentor, you may well give general advice about studying at University, but you will not be asked to tutor those you are mentoring in a particular academic discipline.

2. What do I get out of it?

Although your relationship with the first year students you are mentoring will be primarily for their benefit rather than for yours, that doesn’t mean you won’t be getting anything out of it! You’ll get:

The personal satisfaction of helping others;
Encouragement and advice from other mentors, academic staff, and professional trainers involved in the program;
More information about the University, and a better understanding of what services are available and how to access them;
Two certificates (one on completion of training, and one on fulfillment of your role as a mentor at the end of the Semester 1 Program, 2003);
A sense of identity and belonging to a supportive learning community, and new friendships with other mentors!
And . . . last but by no means least . . . don’t forget the yummy food at the training sessions!!

3. How Many First Year Students Will I be Mentoring and How Will We be Matched?

These are issues that we will decide as a group.

At this stage, we have in mind each mentor supporting a group of about four or five first year students, but we’ll be asking for your ideas about this. We think that mentoring a group of students will be more effective in working towards our goal of establishing a supportive learning community. The students in your group will have each other to turn to as well as you, and quite soon you might be able to step back a bit and let them get on with it!

We will be matching up mentors with first year students primarily on the basis of disciplinary interests / degree programs. However, there are other things we’ll need to think about in relation to this too, and we may be seeking your input on this as well.

4. What is the Time Commitment?

Three training sessions:
- - A half-day session on Wednesday 13 November, 2002);
- - A half-day session Thursday 27 February, 2003 (the week before O-Week);
- - A two-hour session in the same week, or on the Monday of O-Week (3 March).
Attendance and participation in the Transition Workshop for incoming first year students on Tuesday 4 March, 2003, 9.30am – 1:00pm. (This will be where you will initially meet the students you will be mentoring.)
At least four face-to-face meetings with the students you are mentoring. (We’ll decide together when the ideal time for these would be – possibly something like Weeks 1, 3, 5, and 8? It will be up to you and the first year students in your group to decide exactly where and when you’d like to meet – maybe a cuppa together or a drink at the bar, maybe a sandwich lunch together at the park, etc.)
Being available to answer emails from the students in your group if they wish to contact you.
Possibly a Transition Workshop follow-up or get-together with all others involved in the Program.

5. Any Optional Extras?

In addition to the activities above, which will constitute your commitment to the Peer Support Program, you may like to be involved in additional ways such as those listed below, or perhaps you might be able to think of other ways that you can contribute. Please note, however, that these are truly “optional” extras. Your only commitment is to the things listed under #4 above.

Getting in touch with the students you are mentoring via the phone, via email, or via a discussion board on a web site that we have created for the Program;
Organizing a social event for your group, eg a movie, a dinner together, a game of squash, etc. Perhaps you might like to get together with another mentor and their group as well for something like this;
Volunteering to lend a hand in welcoming first year students when they come to enrol at the end of January (or during February in the case of International Students) and helping to advertise the Program to them.
Helping to create the web site by contributing ideas for a “Frequently Asked Questions” link, a “Tip of the Day” link, a “Great Links” link, etc.
Helping in very practical ways to set up rooms for training sessions, print name tags etc for Transition Day, stuff envelopes, etc. etc. (We’ll be really grateful for help with these kinds of things guys!)

6. What’s involved in the training?

The first training session took place in Week 15, 2002. It focused on interpersonal communication skills training. We learnt some simple but effective skills that will help establish a good relationship with the first year students in our groups, ask them questions in helpful ways etc. (Everyone who completed this Training Session received their first certificate. Those who wished to become Mentors submitted an Expression of Interest to go on to the next stage.)
The second training session will focus on practical things such as how to access useful information, how to use the discussion board on the web site, etc.
The third training session will be to prepare for the Transition Workshop – who’ll do what and when. This session will also involve academic staff who will be participating in the Workshop.