Peer Educators

With one week down I am even more excited about the road ahead.  I am excited to learn and grow with the rest of the group and be fully prepared to make a difference.  One of the first things we have done so far is identify the different roles of a peer educator on the college campus.  It was a very interesting discussion to try and identify and define what exactly they are. 

More interesting was the reading assignment assigned after our class discussion; Students Helping Students by Newton, Ender goes into great detail on why peer educators can be so effective.  When asked to list peer educators the things that first come to mind include peer mentors and tutors.  When we take a closer look at the amount of peer educators across the entire campus we can include everything from personal trainers at the rec to resident hall staff in university housing.  The university does this in order to utilize the unique qualities a peer educator can bring to campus.

Peer educators are used often for several reasons, “they are economical to the budget, experienced with the campus, they can relate to the situations of fellow students, and they are effective.” Students Helping Students.  I believe being effective is the more important of those.  There are obvious things that make a peer educator effective, and what is most evident is having even a little more experience in similar situations.  It’s amazing to me how much more approachable and relatable a peer educator can be in comparison to a professional.

            What I am excited about is being even more effective than an average peer educator.  This course we are taking is going to show us how to be the best we can.  Having life experiences is one thing, but having the ability to relate to other students in an effective way is much more exciting.

~Easten