Lily
LLB (Hons) Law
I have found being a Peer Mentor an enjoyable and rewarding experience and would recommend it to any second or third years as a flexible way to fit in volunteering across the term and give back to other students starting their student experience.
Being a Peer Mentor
I decided to become a Peer Mentor because I have always been passionate about education and helping others, and thought this role was the perfect opportunity to make a difference in this way. Similarly, my Peer Mentor really helped me a lot in my first year by providing advice and support, and I wanted to be able to give that back to the new students in my school to ensure their transition into university life was as smooth as possible.
As a Peer Mentor, the main responsibilities revolve around organising meetings with mentees, conducting regular check-ins to assess their progress, and writing reflective blogs to evaluate how to be a better mentor and improve the support provided. This year, I will also be both a Lead and Senior Peer Mentor for my school, which comes with added responsibilities such as reviewing the reflective blogs from current mentors and working closely with academic staff to provide further insight from a student-perspective.
A Peer Mentor provides a friendly face on campus, someone to turn to for support when you may not feel comfortable speaking with your Personal Tutor or other staff within the university straight away. This support also comes from someone who has lived a similar experience and understands the hectic nature of first year and the difficulty in finding an appropriate work-life balance.
Benefits of being a Peer Mentor
Being a Peer Mentor is a great opportunity to build on and develop a wide range of skills, such as problem-solving, time management and communication skills. There is also the opportunity to build on leadership skills (when conducting meetings) and writing skills when composing reflective blogs (both of which have awards at the end of the year!).
I have found being a Peer Mentor an enjoyable and rewarding experience and would recommend it to any second or third years as a flexible way to fit in volunteering across the term and give back to other students starting their student experience at Newcastle. The role is not only as an opportunity to volunteer and give back to others within the university, but it will also contribute towards the NCL+ Award, which can be great recognition for your contribution to the university.