Vanier College - Peer Mentor Leader
Program: Peer Mentor Program
Unit / Department: Vanier College
Job Type: Leadership, Peer Leader Roles
Eligibility: You must be eligible for work-study or international work-study to work within the Faculty of LA&PS. Please review the eligibility requirements for domestic students and international students to verify your status.
Number of Positions Available: 5
Type of Position: Paid
Rate of Pay: $15.00 per hour
Employment Term: September 2022-April 2023
Hours of Work: 10 hours per week
Job Description:
The Peer Mentor program serves all LA&PS students by fostering the academic and organizational skills necessary for academic and personal success across LA&PS affiliated disciplines and works to promote active student engagement through social and community building initiatives. Through group workshops and one-on-one consultation services, the Peer Mentor Leader promotes independent learning by working with students to develop university-level learning skills and strategies, enhanced self-awareness about themselves, and improved academic confidence and success. Social and community building initiatives will contribute a student's sense of connection to York University and their peers, enhancing their overall student experience outside of the classroom.
The Peer Mentor Leader supports the mandate of York University by contributing to successful transitions to university, retention, engagement, and student academic and personal success. The Peer Mentor Leader supports the Vanier Peer Mentor cohorts, the effective delivery of various Peer Mentor initiatives and programming, provides student leadership to the Peer Mentor team, and supports the Vanier Peer Mentor program.
As part of your experience, you will participate in Becoming YU, a program designed to support students in:
- Creating meaningful goals and objectives
- Recognizing the value of their personal, academic and professional experiences
- Identifying their competencies and skills
- Articulating their skills and experiences with confidence.
Becoming YU includes regular meetings with your supervisor/coach to reflect on your progress and get valuable feedback.
Responsibilities
- Support with training and development of Peer Mentors volunteers
- Assist in the selection process of Peer Mentor volunteers for the fall/winter session
- Assist in the development of content and planning for the fall, and winter orientation events
- Participate in meetings with their assigned Peer Mentor volunteer group, weekly check-ins, cohort engagement, as well as assess any tasks related to special projects
- Assist with retention, engagement, and development of Peer Mentor volunteers
- Additional duties regarding assigned Peer Mentor Program “Bucket” (i.e Marketing, Events, Outreach, etc.)
- Schedule workshop sessions for the Vanier Peer Mentors for further professional development, as needed
- Provide peer-to-peer support, via in-person, online drop-in, or peer mentoring sessions
- Triage student needs with the appropriate campus resources
- Assist with outreach strategies (for example, summer new students, international students, mature and commuter students, by working with on-campus partners)
- Contribute to the development of a social media strategy to increase awareness of activities, resources and to build an online audience. (Instagram, Facebook, emails, etc.)
- Participate in fall/winter Vanier Peer Mentor academic and social programming, collaborating with other LA&PS Peer Mentor programs and campus partners when suitable
- Collate feedback on the Vanier Peer Mentor program through weekly data collection of student interactions and consults, workshops, and other activities for the Year-End Report
- Collaborate with Vanier College Council, and Vanier-affiliated student clubs for events and initiatives to promote on-going student engagement opportunities.
- Various administrative duties as assigned, including record keeping, computer-based data entry, and photocopying
- Attend all training sessions, Vanier Peer Mentor team, Peer Mentor cohort, and special project team meetings
- Stay in regular contact with the Peer Mentor Coordinators and the Student Engagement Coordinator
- Peer Mentor Leaders may be required to support and communicate with Peer Mentor cohorts in the absence of available Peer Mentor volunteers.
- Complete other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- Current undergraduate York student
- Vanier-affiliated student is preferred- to check your College affiliation, visit https://colleges.yorku.ca/affiliations/
- High academic standing
- Previous relevant experience with peer mentoring, tutoring or other peer support at a post-secondary, preferably university level
- Previous experience as a Peer Mentor volunteer is preferred
- Eagerness to learn and take initiative
- Knowledge of York’s services and resources for students
- Students who are a good fit for this position are dynamic, approachable, knowledgeable and open to learning about themselves and others. They will show high levels of emotional intelligence combined with excellent adaptability, organizational skills, and team-building skills
Skills
- Experience-based knowledge of effective study strategies and learning skills
- Extensive knowledge of York University and Vanier College specific resources
- Ability to liaise with campus partners including but not limited to: Learning Skills Services, Career Centre, and LA&PS Academic Advising
- Experience with project management tools such as MS Teams, Slack, etc.
- Sensitivity to and awareness of the academic support needs of students
- Ability to work supportively with students in a confidential and professional manner
- Demonstrated commitment to peer academic support and the value of post-secondary education
- Demonstrate leadership ability
- Excellent oral and written communications skills
- Strong presentation skills
- Some graphic design/ artistic ability, marketing and/or communications background is an asset
- Great attention to detail
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Ability and willingness to work both independently and as part of a team
Required Application Documents: Cover Letter, Resume