Apply to be a peer supporter with UM’s Safer Social Event Team
The Sexual Violence Resource Centre and the Health and Wellness Office are looking for motivated and engaged students to join our Safer Social Event Team (SSET)!
As a member of the SSET team, you will attend different social events on campus to ensure attendees feel safe and supported. Team members will be trained in identifying situations where peers may need support, including the areas of consent and sexual health, mental health and substance use. Team members will also be trained to practice basic conflict resolution and de-escalation skills. SSET members will be deployed in teams according to the size and nature of events and be paid for their scheduled shifts at the events. The SSET program is organized according to three categories of service – support, response, and referral – to ensure that students get timely and best-fit interventions appropriate to their needs. SSET is a great opportunity to gain valuable training and contribute to the promotion of a safer and healthier culture on campus.
“We know many students are excited to return to campus, or in some cases to attend events in person for the first time. In creating this new program, we hope to support these events by providing an accessible and non-judgmental way for students to seek and receive support and feel safe on campus,” says Emily Livingston, Sexual Violence Education & Programs Officer. If we start the chain of peer-to-peer knowledge sharing with well-informed peer supporters, we can promote conversation that leads to a healthier campus community. Creation of a campus culture based on respect and a shared sense of community is a primary goal of the SSET project partners, the Sexual Violence Resource Centre and the Health and Wellness office.
Newly established in anticipation of a full return to in-person learning for Fall 2022, the SSET will work in collaboration with other campus groups and services to create safer spaces and respond to situations of concern. According to the Centre for Innovation for Campus Mental Health, “peer support services allow students to receive support from trusted, trained and capable peers. These peer supporters understand the environment in which students are experiencing challenges and can speak from their own direct experience of overcoming these challenges.” Joining the SSET program could be an incredibly rewarding experience that helps both the team members and their peers to enrich their time on campus.
To learn more about how you can apply, visit the Healthy U website or UM Career Connect!
For any additional questions or application information please email Bryanna Barker, Health and Wellness Educator.