Wilfrid Laurier University’s Accessible Learning Centre (ALC) is hiring for its Peer Support Volunteer program.
The program, which has been running for over eight years, is hiring volunteers to assist with a number of different initiatives for the upcoming school year.
“The Peer Support Volunteer program is an opportunity for students to get involved within the ALC in a variety of different … programs and departments and services that we offer within our programming,” Erin Riggin, educational supports and learning strategist at the ALC, said.
These areas of the program in which volunteers assist are varied and cover a large amount of ground.
“We have note taking coordinators, we have a tutor coordinator, we have an assistive technologist, we have student learning strategist and we also have student supports coordinator and social media volunteer as well,” Riggin said.
The importance of these students volunteering within the program is recognized by those who work in the ALC.
“Those students are really influential not only [in] giving us student perspective on some of the programs that we provide and how students might access them, but also even [in] day to day operation[s],” Riggin said.
The involvement of students in the volunteer program, and the ALC as a whole, is crucial to the success of the ALC and the services it provides. However, the benefits of these volunteers are not just for the benefit of the ALC as an organization.
Ultimately, the Peer Support program is an important opportunity which provides Laurier students access to peers that can help contribute to their success in a number of different roles; luckily these volunteer roles are still available for the upcoming school year.
Students who use the ALC for services are the ones in mind primarily and their interaction with volunteers can differ depending on the service that is required.
“A student assistive technologist and a student learning strategist get to work with students one-on-one on skills development, under the vise of a professional,” Riggin said.
These direct, one-on-one relationships are critical in assisting students in building different skills for class.
Skills like time management, learning strategies,writing strategies, coping and test taking being some of the most notable.
The consistent contributions from volunteers over the years have also been very helpful due to the increase in students requiring services provided by the ALC.
“Every year that I’ve been here we grow. So, definitely, there’s no decrease in people wanting to access services but that also makes sense because we’re letting more people in,” Riggin said.
A volunteer like Sabrina Moyer, a student here at Laurier, is an example of a student who has contributed to the administrative side of the program and finds significant value in contributing to the ALC.
“I think if you want to help out anywhere within the school … helping your own peers is really important. So it feels like it’s very peer-to-peer,” Moyer said.
Ultimately, the Peer Support program is an important opportunity which provides Laurier students access to peers that can help contribute to their success in a number of different roles; luckily these volunteer roles are still available for the upcoming school year.
“Students can get involved by applying on our website. It actually is open currently and will be until the end of next week,” Riggin said.