The Buddy Scheme - Become a Peer Mentor

The Buddy Scheme mostly supports students who are new to Swansea University, and aims to help students:

• Meet new people.
• Settle into life in Swansea.
• Get involved in events and activities.
• Access advice from higher level students.

As a Peer Mentor, you will play a vital role in helping new students settle in, and building a community.

Peer Mentors are able to:

• Get a HEAR award for your time.
• Help and advise first year students.
• Get more involved in events and activities.
• Develop your communication and leadership skills.

The time commitment is minimal. The training session to become a Peer Mentor is about 2 hours, and to get formal recognition for mentoring, you will need to complete a total of 6 hours of mentor-related work.

The Faculty is currently recruiting Peer Mentors for the scheme for Academic Year 2023/24. To sign up, please complete a short questionnaire to declare your interest in becoming a mentor.

You will be asked to provide you course details, and provide information on your interests.

How will we use this information?

The Student Experience Team will use the information you provide solely for the peer mentoring scheme. It will only be shared with relevant University staff, and with other students who have joined the peer mentor scheme for the 2023/24 Academic Year.

Following successful completion of training, we will use the information provided by you about your interests, to match you with a group of mentees with similar interests.

In-person Training

As part of beocming a mentor, you will be asked to select a date to attend a compulsory training session with the Student Experience Team, and relevant Academic Staff members.

This session will outline the key information you need to know about being a mentor and how to be a supportive buddy for your mentees.

You will not be able to become a mentor without completing a session.

Online Training

In addition to the above, you will be enrolled onto a Canvas Module called: SAILS Peer Mentoring HEAR Award.

This module is an online resource that you will be able to refer to throughout your time as a mentor. It also provides clear guidance, and an area for you to submit your application for the SAILs Peer Mentoring HEAR award.

Any Undergraduate student who is entering Year 2 or above for the Academic Year 2023/24 is eligible to sign up as a mentor. All students who sign up will need to:

• Complete the training
• Complete a Right to Work Check
• Sign the Peer Mentor Guidelines

Failure to complete all of the above by the start of the 2023/24 Academic Year will mean that you are unable to be allocated mentees for that year.