Get involved with us

 

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

• Peer Health Educator
• After Hours Peer Support Volunteer
• Wellness Social Media Ambassador
• Stepping Up Peer Facilitator

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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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After Hours Peer Support Centre Volunteer

The After Hours Peer Support Centre at Mount Royal University provides immediate, non-judgemental assistance to students facing crises, including emotional distress, mental health challenges, academic difficulties, and personal issues. Operating from Monday to Thursday and Saturday, 4:00 pm to 11:00 pm, the Centre is staffed by Peer Support Student Volunteers and Peer Support Practicum Students who are extensively trained to handle crisis situations. Please note that Centre hours are subject to change. A Centre Coordinator oversees operations and, along with volunteers, offers support to students by connecting them with university resources, counseling, and community support.

What Volunteers Can Expect

As a volunteer with the After Hours Peer Support Centre, you will play a vital role in supporting your peers during challenging times. You will create a welcoming and inclusive space, provide supportive listening, and use trauma-informed care practices when interacting with individuals in distress. Volunteers will also help students identify goals, create action plans, and navigate potential barriers. The Centre offers significant training opportunities in areas such as mental health and wellness, crisis support, and distress awareness.

Expectations of volunteers:

• Commit to a minimum of 4 hours per week, from September to April, during the Centre's operation hours.
• Adhere to confidential, non-judgmental supportive listening practices.
• Build rapport, communicate effectively, and establish trust with students in crisis.
• Empower individuals to recognize their resources and strengths for self-support.
• Refer individuals to appropriate resources when necessary.

  

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Wellness Social Media Ambassador

Are you a social media enthusiast with a knack for creating engaging content? The Wellness Social Media Ambassador Program is designed to promote campus events, initiatives, and programs through engaging social media content on the @MRULiveWell pages. Ambassadors are responsible for creating and sharing content across various platforms such as Instagram, and Facebook with the goal of fostering a positive, engaging and informative online presence for Wellness Services. The role offers hands-on experience in social media strategy, content creation, and community engagement, making it ideal for students interested in digital marketing and communications!

What Students Can Expect as a Volunteer

As a Wellness Social Media Ambassador, you can expect to:

• Dedicate 3-5 hours per week to developing and executing social media strategies.
• Create content, including text, images, and videos, tailored to different social media platforms.
• Monitor social media channels to identify trends, gather feedback, and explore engagement opportunities.
• Collaborate with campus departments and student organizations to coordinate campaigns and cross-promotions.
• Participate in training sessions and meetings to enhance your social media skills and knowledge.

Expectations of volunteers:

Volunteers are expected to:

• Utilize creativity and skill to achieve content creation tasks, focusing on platforms or content types like captions, photos, videos, or graphics.
• Collaborate on specific social media campaigns, involving planning, content scheduling, and performance tracking.
• Work on collaborative projects that require teamwork and coordination with other campus groups. 

  

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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. 

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.