Blog #1 Peer Mentors

Chapter one of "Students Helping Students" focuses on peer educators and the different characteristics they withhold and services they provide to their peers. The chapter states that the involvement of undergraduates in peer assistance roles is occurring in more than 75% of all higher educations. Peer educators have been around for years staring with residence halls peer educators in the early 1900's and tutors since colonial times. There has been a rapid increase of the use of peer educators in the last 20 years in many different aspects of college and college life. Many different strategies and delivery methods have also developed, that I feel have improved the quality of peer educators in all the different areas. Over the years peer educators have helped develop more supportive campus communities and as a new peer mentor, I am excited to take part of these new developments.

Through reading the chapters I learned about the many different services peer educators provide. They provide crisis intervention services, perform diversity training, help with financial management, academic advising, making referrals, and much more. Peer educators prove to be valuable because they are experienced with the campus, are economical to college budgets, and as students, they can easily relate to other students of which they are educating.

While there are many benefits peer educators provide, there are also many benefits peer educators gain, such as learning new skills, gaining relevant practice and experience, and contributing to the community. Being a peer educator can also improve our leadership skills, interpersonal communication skills, and increase in self-esteem and personal health behaviors.

Chapter two focuses more on the impacts of the students and their maturation through their experiences with peer educators. The chapter defines many different states that students may be going through with the changes that accompany the college life. New students experience many emotions because new environments can create anxiety. It is also important to remember that individuals develop at different rates and there are many aspects that affect development. These aspects can include that persons amount of involvement, cultural expectations, social influences, impacts of the environment, compatibility between student and institution.

Overall, I feel this weeks readings have opened our minds to prepare us for all the information we will be learning throughout the semester. I am excited to notice a transformation in myself through this training, and I look forward to what the future of this program has to offer all of us as peer educators.