Apply to become a weCONNECTu Peer Mentor | Health

Interested in becoming a Peer Mentor?

Thank you for your interest in being a Peer Mentor for the weCONNECTu peer mentorship program in the Faculty of Health! Peer Mentor hiring takes place in the spring term each year. Applications typically open in May and close early-June.

The role

Mentors act as a resource to answer questions, connect their mentees with resources and services on campus, and offer social support throughout the first year at university. The Peer Mentor team consists of a group of upper year undergraduate students in the Faculty of Health who are:

trained as a student leader in community leadership
knowledgeable about on-campus resources, supports and ways to get involved at UWaterloo and in Health
passionate about sharing their personal experiences as a first-year student in Health to support new students during their transition to university

Peer Mentors will be available on an on-going basis, as determined by mentor and mentee, to first-year and transfer undergraduate students in Health to provide them with personal, engaging, informational, and positive connections to their program, the Faculty of Health, and the University of Waterloo. The minimum number of touch points is once per month.

Peer mentors will:

Provide social mentoring services to new students to help facilitate their transition to university
Become familiar with available support services on-campus and encourage active communication with academic advisors, instructors, and TAs
Provide guidance on common topics such as time management, organization, study skills, and test preparation in the university environment
Share personal stories and lived experiences on challenges, obstacles, and failures
Maintain confidentiality in the mentor-mentee relationship and escalating when deemed appropriate
Notify the Student Relations Coordinator of any critical concerns
Participate in the evaluation of program services to enhance program offerings

Each Peer Mentor could be matched with up to 3 (or more) mentees, depending on the number of mentees who opt-in to the program. Peer Mentors will be expected to support their mentee(s) throughout the fall and winter terms, regardless of being on a study or work term

Peer Mentors and mentees will be personally matched based on various factors, such as: program, hobbies and interests, preferred communication platform, preferred communication frequency, career aspirations, etc.

Timeline for the weCONNECTu peer mentorship program:

June: Mentee applications open (and remain open throughout the school year)
July to early-August: Mentor training is completed
Mid-August: Initial matches between mentor and mentee are released and communication begins
September-November: On-going mentorship and social events
December: Break for final exams
January-March: On-going mentorship and social events
April: End of program and final exams

Note:

There is a chance that you may not be matched with any mentees;
There is a chance that you will be matched on an on-going process throughout the fall and winter terms, as first-year and transfer students can apply to the program at any point during their first year;
Engagement later in the program may dwindle as mentees begin to build their own networks and find their place in the UWaterloo community. This is a mentee-driven program, so it is important to acknowledge that mentorship will look different at various points throughout the year.

The Peer Mentor team is supported by, and accountable to, the Student Relations Officer in the Faculty of Health's Dean's Office.

As a Peer Mentor, you will

Gain valuable leadership experience
Develop skills in inter-personal communication, mentorship, and empathy
Connect with first-year and transfer students – being honest and sharing your experiences
Connect with your mentee monthly (minimum) with resources, ways to get involved, and upcoming events; any further communication is up to you and your mentee(s)
Provide social mentorship; you are not a personal tutor
Have access to support from other peer mentors in the program and the Student Relations Officer
Participate in evaluation surveys to make program adjustments and improvements
Participate in required training (5 hours total):
- Sign a confidentiality agreement to respect the interactions between you and your mentee(s).
- Health-specific synchronous training session (max. 1.5 hour)
- Health-specific LEARN quizzes (max. 1 hour)
- Foundations of Collaborative Leadership workshop* (2.5 hours)
  - *Completion of this workshop will get you 25% of the way through the Community Leadership Certificate from the Student Success Office!

Other opportunities in which you may wish to participate

Recruitment events (i.e., Open House, You@Waterloo Day) to showcase your program and peer mentorship in Health
Student life events (i.e., involvement fair, Health Ready Day) to promote the program and recruit mentors and mentees

Requirements

2A student or higher in September 2024.
Majoring in Health Sciences/Studies, Kinesiology, Public Health, Recreation & Leisure Studies, Recreation & Sport Business, Therapeutic Recreation, or Tourism Development.
Must be registered in classes, or have a co-op position, on terms for which you are volunteering.
Satisfactory, or higher, standing in your program.
Friendly, with an attitude of wanting to help.
Commitment to your program, and Faculty of Health’s aspiration to support incoming students and build a healthy future.
An understanding of the responsibility of the role you are undertaking – for example, considering your online persona and what it says about you.
Volunteer commitment of two terms. It is expected that students will spend 12-25 hours per term on the various initiatives described above.
Attend mandatory training, or make alternate arrangements if unavailable for the training session(s).

Apply

Applications for the 2024/2025 academic year are open. Apply to be a Peer Mentor by Sunday, June 9 at 11:59 p.m.

Questions

If you have any questions about the weCONNECTu program, please contact the Student Relations Officer.