Peer Educators
I Am a Student. How Can I Be Involved With Friends Helping Friends?
Become a Friends Helping Friends Peer Educator! Friends Helping Friends Peer educators are trained students who provide programs to classes and student groups on mental health topics, with a focus on suicide prevention.
Applications:
Applications for the Peer Health Education Program are closed for the Fall 2011 semester. Applications for the Spring 2012 semester will open again in October 2011 so stay tuned!
What Are the Goals and Objectives of Friends Helping Friends?
The Friends Helping Friends program helps peer educators become active and socially engaged members of UNCG’s community. The primary goals of FHF peer educators are to foster a more supportive stance toward mental health concerns and and to assist UNCG students to access campus resources like The Counseling & Testing Center during times of distress. To accomplish this goal, FHF peer educators have four objectives:
- Raise awareness and knowledge about mental health problems, mental disorders, and suicide warning signs on UNCG campus.
- Reduce stigma associated with mental health problems, mental disorders, and utilization of professional counseling.
- Promote healthy and effective strategies for managing mental health problems on UNCG’s campus.
- Promote UNCG’s Counseling & Testing Center and Wellness Center services using both direct and indirect outreach initiatives.
What Are the Requirements of Friends Helping Friends Peer Educators?
A central requirement of FHF peer educators will be to hold an open mind about mental health concerns of others and try to maintain a nonjudgmental attitude about fellow students’ life situations. Additional requirements of peer educators include:
- Possess an excited attitude about learning.
- Possess good communication skills.
- Show a desire to help improve mental health of UNCG students.
- Commit to modeling self-care and healthy living on UNCG’s campus, which includes healthy coping behaviors and non-violent relationships.
- Attend weekly meetings and complete SAFE-Talk training.
- Participate in at least one Counseling & Testing Center outreach event to become more familiar with CTC services (outreach events will be discussed during each meeting).
- Co-facilitate at least two outreach initiatives as a peer educator (tabling, presentation/outreach on stress management).
- Help with a FHF final group project related to mental health outreach on campus.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Anna M. Gove Student Health Center, 107 Gray Drive 27412
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
VOICE 336.334.5340
FAX 336.334.5343