Get Ahead This Summer

By Courtney Diener and Sheldon Jackson, BACCHUS Student Trustees

As warm weather and sunshine begins to grace our presence, you might be asking yourself the question, "What role does summer play for peer educators and advisors?"

The obvious answer is that summer is a great time for everyone to take time to relax. That means summer barbeques, getting some vitamin D from the sun (remember to wear sunblock) and maybe watching a game on television. But summer is also great time for your peer education groups to get ahead.

Summer is a great time to take inventory of your stock of peer education materials and to place orders for the supplies you will need in the fall. Summer is also a great time where your peer educators can work on recruitment of new peer educators for the fall. Some campuses host summer retreats where their peer educators can work on their presenting skills and building a solid team. Other campuses work on updating and improving scripts or programs. Even just familiarizing yourself with The BACCHUS Network websites and campaigns can prepare you to kick-start your peer education group into a great fall.

So this summer in between all the pool parties, walks in the park and outside fun, consider spending some time getting your peer education group ready for fall.

Peer Educator Recruitment Strategies

By Rakhi Agrawal (Area 11) and Jeanette Montoya (Area 2)

Like almost any collegiate campus organization, a peer health education group is only as powerful as the peer educators that are involved. Recruitment can be very time-consuming and require a lot of your resources, but once you develop a system, it can become very exciting for your group. Here are some recruitment strategies for you to consider:

Holding a kickoff event and having a presence at campus-wide events. Especially for new students, campus-wide events are the main way to survey and connect with different opportunities available on campus. While your group may not be the main focus of an open, large-scale campus event (orientation, activities fair, basketball game, etc.), it is still crucial that you be involved in some way, so that students are exposed to and become aware of your group. This is also the easiest way to reach a wide array of students as often, after the initial orientation period, students tend to attend these types of events less often. Even a table with a sign and an interest sheet can be sufficient—just as long as you have a plan to follow-up with students afterwards, and they have something to take away from your table—whether that be something physical (a free giveaway or a flyer advertising your next meeting) or just a clear understanding of what purpose your group serves on campus.

Leading with a carrot and incentivizing your group to potential peer educators! No matter how invested students might be in your group’s mission, having a rewards system or offering incentives for involvement can be key to retention of members. These incentives can be big or small, but always have your information attached to it. Incentivizing will create an easy way for students who are interested to contact you for further involvement.

Examples:

Rakhi (Area 11): At my school, the new student orientation program hosts an activities fair for all incoming students. Our peer education group always has a table, and we draw students to our table by giving away items directly related to our group—free stress balls, sleep masks, etc. This way, students have something to remember us by!

Jeanette (Area 2): Here on my campus, our peer health education group has a variety of incentives ranging from chapsticks, pens, highlighters, hand sanitizers, backpacks and etc. All of our incentives have our contact information embellished on them, so if any students have any questions, they have the information needed and are able to use the incentive at the same time.

Have various types and forms of programming. Know who your target group is. Remember all groups on campus are different and unique, therefore your approach may need to be tailored to each group. When recruiting from different groups, you can emphasize the part of your organization they may be more interested in. For an example: If you’re trying to recruit from the biology or kinesiology club you might emphasize the health and fitness aspect more.

Hold different forms of programming such as social events or educational programs. This will allow potential peers to see your organization in action and get a feel for what your group is really about. Schedule your events or programs on varied times and days. This will give the students the opportunity to become more active and involved.

Create a fan base. Create a place where interested students can find more information about your organization. Use the technology your students use. Who doesn't use Facebook or Twitter? Facebook and Twitter are a great way to advertise and promote your group. Your potential members can go on these websites to learn more about your organization and be able to get information on upcoming events. On Facebook, create an event page for your upcoming program and invite all the students on your friends list. This allows the students to respond whether they plan to attend and you will have a better idea of who will be there. Fan base websites will provide your students with current information and a way to stay updated.

These are just a few ideas. Remember holding a kickoff event can help get the word out about your organization and allow students to come see what your group is all about. Who doesn't like free stuff? Incentives are a good way for students to remember your organization. Programming is an important part. Remember whom you are targeting and emphasize what may interest them. And lastly, create a fan base. This will enable students to get the information they need and be able to stay current on upcoming events. Recruiting can be very time consuming, so manage your time well and set deadlines for your peer group. Have fun and good luck!

Want more? Check out Rewards and Recognition on Any Budget and Recruiting and Retaining Peer Educators

Five Peer Educator Recruiting Blunders to Avoid

Now is the time to plan your recruitment strategies for the 2010-11 academic year. Here are five major mistakes to avoid. Planning ahead will increase your recruiting success.

1. Waiting until September to start recruiting.

First year and transfer students are attending summer orientation, checking your school’s website for information, and receiving emails from other groups on your campus throughout the summer months. Begin recruiting now by having a presence at summer orientation events, collecting new student emails, and sending emails or e-newsletters throughout the summer. Be sure your web page is up-to-date and clearly explains how to get involved. Invite new students to join your Facebook group and post your recruitment meetings as events.

2. Only recruiting first year students.

The National Peer Educator Study (NPES) conducted by Michigan State University has found that the majority of peer educators became involved after their freshman year. Juniors and seniors are looking for opportunities to apply what they are learning in their majors and to build career skills. Decide from what academic subjects you would like to attract students and talk with faculty about how being a peer educator provides practical, career-relevant experience (i.e., leadership, delegation, time and management planning).

3. Not answering the “W” questions.

Before a student commits to becoming a peer educator, he or she wants to know four things: Why me? Why now? What for? and Who says? Some students do not see themselves as peer educators. If you see in a student the qualities necessary to be a peer educator, tell him or her. When recruiting, talk about the issues students on your campus are facing now and how peer educators can help. Highlight your peer education group’s past successes. Your current peer educators are the best spokespersons for your group. Encourage them to speak about what they have received from being a peer educator.

4. Making it hard to be a peer educator.

It is okay to be selective in choosing peer educators (click here for sample peer educator applications and interview questions: http://www.bacchusnetwork.org/peeredapps.asp). We also need to recognize that peer educators are students first and have busy schedules. Think about how you can make being a peer educator work in a student’s schedule. Develop position descriptions for peer educators that clearly define what they are to do and the time it takes. Find the day and time when the fewest classes take place and schedule your meetings during that time. Plan your trainings and events with the academic calendar in mind. Having large, intensive events during midterms will create frustration and burn out. Finally, offer a safety net to students who become overwhelmed by allowing them take a break from being a peer educator to attend to other issues.

5. Not making recruitment everyone’s responsibility.

Recruitment is an ongoing, year round process. Every program, event, web posting, or flyer is a potential recruitment tool. As mentioned earlier, your peer educators are your best spokespersons for your group and your best recruiters. If they speak positively of their peer education experience and share their enthusiasm for what they are doing, others will want to join. Encourage them to invite students to the meeting and teach them how to welcome new people to the group.

Do you have a recruiting tip? Share it with others by commenting on this article.

posted by: Ann Quinn-Zobeck, BACCHUS Director of Education and Training