Get involved with us

 

Through our Healthy Campus Team, we offer two year-long volunteer opportunities for students who want to make a difference by supporting health and well-being on campus:

• Peer Health Educators
• Stepping Up Peer Facilitators

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Peer Health Educator

Are you interested in educating your classmates about health topics? Do you love to plan events, meet others, come up with creative ideas for marketing and practice healthy behaviours?

If so, we invite you to volunteer as a Peer Health Educator (PHE). You will learn more about important health topics, develop teamwork and communication skills, and implement a variety of educational programming. Gain self-confidence and valuable experience in leadership, project development, marketing and relationship-building as you collaborate with the university community on wellness initiatives. No experience is required, but a passion for promoting health and well-being is essential.

PHEs are student volunteers invested in creating a community where well-being is promoted and encouraged, through:

• Weekly group meetings that run from September to April, on Tuesday evenings from 5:00- 7:00pm (excluding holidays and final exam periods).
• Educating peers about services and resources available to MRU students.
• Presenting health and wellness information in a fun and engaging manner.
• Attending and organizing special events and awareness weeks.

The PHE program will consist of four teams:

1. Mental Health Team (focused primarily on destigmatizing mental illness, coping skills, loneliness, and more)
2. Physical Health Team (focused primarily on nutrition, exercise, sleep, and more)
3. Sexual Health Team (focused primarily on STI protection, birth control, healthy relationships and consent, and more)
4. Substance Use Team (focused primarily on harm reduction, alcohol and other substances, recovery, and more)

Expectations of PHE volunteers:

• 2-5 hours of program involvement per week, including a 2 hour team meeting to plan initiatives.
• Attendance at all mandatory trainings.
• An openness to working with others, passion for learning, and desire to make a difference.

 

 I was able to meet amazing individuals who share the same passion for mental health and well-being. I felt included and enjoyed all the events we did!

-2023 PHE Volunteer

 It was a great way to commit to volunteer time that makes a difference on campus. Additionally, it allowed me to utilize prior work experience skills and training, gain more education and training, and connect with more students around campus.

-2023 PHE Volunteer

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Stepping Up Peer Facilitator

Stepping Up is a research-based program that focuses on the prevention of dating violence.The program is designed by students, for students. We recruit students to facilitate the Stepping Up program because we know that students are experts of their own experiences and can have the greatest impact on the MRU community. Peer facilitators are students who are passionate about talking to their peers about healthy relationships and preventing dating violence in the community. Explore the role of a Stepping Up Peer Facilitator for more information.

As a peer facilitator, you will:

• Commit to participating in a year-long program beginning in September and ending in April.
• Commit to the dates for development/ training opportunities.
Contribute to a variety of prevention programming, including workshops, events, and online initiatives.
• Gain further understanding and knowledge about dating, domestic and sexual violence as it pertains specifically to university students.
• Increase group facilitation skills, understanding and implementation of how to develop program curriculum. 


Requirements for peer facilitators:

1. Attend peer facilitator training
2. Participate in monthly team meetings and events

3. Develop and deliver informative workshops and events

4. Support Stepping Up participants in developing and delivering prevention projects

 

What our peer facilitators are saying:

It may seem like an exaggeration when I say that being a peer facilitator in Stepping Up changed my life, but I assure you it isn't... the energy during the weekends that facilitators met was incredible... the learning about myself, and those I was sharing space with was simply amazing.

- Tiffany

 

Many thanks to the Government of Alberta, Ministry of Community and Social Services for continued funding of the Stepping Up project.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the Program Coordinator at steppingup@mtroyal.ca or visit the website.