Pay it forward: Become a Peer Mentor
Remember what it was like to start fresh at uni? New students register for the UON Peer Mentor program to have someone guide them through their first weeks at uni.
UON Peer Mentors are someone who new students can turn to when they have a question and aren’t sure who to ask. They are second year and above students with a GPA above 5.0 and are volunteers who are happy to share their experiences, offer support and tips and help new students become successful in uni life, even if that just means telling them where to get the best coffee or what events are happening on campus.
Are you prepared to pay it forward? There are a number of benefits to becoming a UON Peer Mentor. Not only do you get to regularly do good deeds, you gain valuable volunteering experience for your resume, build up your interpersonal and communication skills, and make new friends in the process. Plus your participation will be noted on your AHEG statement, and if you're involved with the University's iLead program, you will receive points towards it.
Peer mentors help new students by:
- Providing support and advice on new student matters, plus referring them on to the right people if they’re in need of more complicated help.
- Keeping in contact via email each fortnight from Orientation until week six of semester.
- Catching up for a coffee and a chat to provide a friendly connection on campus and make them feel less overwhelmed (coffee vouchers are provided)!
- Provide ongoing support if your students contact you after week six of semester.
Interested? Applications to Become a Mentor are now open.
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.