The UNC-CH Peer Support Core is looking for student volunteers willing to lend an empathetic listening ear to their peers, help peers identify their own needs, subsequently access relevant campus and community resources, and provide ongoing support as requested. Please apply by Sunday, May 22 at 11:59PM.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been awarded a grant from the UNC System Office in order to expand peer support programming and mental health service integration in the Carolina community; implementation of the grant will be led by the UNC-CH Peer Support Core. In collaboration with the Heels Care Network, the peer support program LSN (Listen, Support Navigate; pronounced “listen”) provides live virtual chat support from fellow students (“LSNers” or “listeners”) as a means for listening, supporting, and navigating peers to the appropriate resources. LSNers will also provide peer support to the Carolina community via programming, and ongoing, asynchronous support. The peer supporters in this program are made up of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who are trained in peer support skills, Mental Health First Aid, and other skills and topics.
We’re looking for student* volunteers for LSNer positions who are willing to lend an empathetic listening ear to their peers, help peers identify their own needs, subsequently access relevant campus and community resources while respecting a peer’s personal preferences, and provide ongoing support as requested. These supporters will contribute collaboratively to the integration of campus services, actively participate in quality improvement of this peer support initiative, promote a culture of care and mutuality in the Carolina community, and protect the privacy of their peers. Apply here.
*All current UNC-CH students are eligible, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. We strongly encourage students to apply who identify as belonging to one or more high-priority groups: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color), first-generation college/graduate/professional, low family income, LGBTQ+, international, military-affiliated and veteran, female-identifying in areas in which females are historically underrepresented, and people with disabilities. We strongly encourage participation from graduate and professional students.
Expected Commitment
- Training
- Training Duration: Approximately 20 Hours total** (over multiple sessions)
- Training Topics Required:
- Peer Support Skills (Initial + LSN Program Information)
- Initial training is mandatory and will be held from 9am-12pm ET on Wednesday, August 3rd
- Mental Health First Aid
- Free via UNC-CH School of Social Work
- We encourage you to complete Mental Health First Aid at your earliest convenience and to take advantage of their summer training events (details)
- High-Priority Group Training
- High-priority groups are listed above
- Peer Support Skills (Initial + LSN Program Information)
- LSNers are expected to complete at least one training pertaining to a high-priority group with whom they do not identify; they are encouraged to complete more than one
- Examples include Safe Zone and Green Zone; others may be submitted for consideration to LSN staff
- LSN staff will aim to schedule periodic high-priority group trainings on behalf of LSNers as a group, but LSNers may attend these trainings whenever offered (i.e. they need not wait)
- Ongoing Peer Support Topics and Campus Resources
- Offered on ongoing basis in conjunction with weekly check-ins as much as possible
**Mental Health First Aid and High-Priority Group trainings may be completed before becoming a LSNer. In these cases, please provide relevant documentation of completion.
- Position commitment: Academic Year 2022-2023
- Weekly Time Commitment (excluding training): Up to approximately 5 hours per week
- During 3-4 of the hours each week, you will be scheduled to:
- Provide support to students via Heels Care Network live chat and other channels
o During live chat time, you may engage in quiet activities while remaining available to a peer via the chat platform (i.e., studying, watching a tv show)
- Re-engage/follow-up with any previous students who have requested ongoing support via e-mail or other channels
- Some of these hours may be scheduled for nights or Scheduling may change over time according to student demand and with consultation of LSNers
- Other hours will include meetings with supervising staff and other LSNers to collaboratively improve upon program offerings and engage in training Meetings are mandatory and will be held tentatively at noon on Fridays.
Incentives
- $200 honorarium for completing all training requirements listed above
- Honorarium will be disbursed via GradStar
- If you have questions about how this may impact your financial aid or F1 status, please contact aidinfo@unc.edu or isss@unc.edu respectively
- Peer Supporters who complete training and at least one semester of ..
- Will receive a certificate recognizing their contributions
- May include their volunteer time on any professional resumes and applications
- May request a letter of recommendation from program staff
- May apply training and volunteer hours toward required skills training (i.e., BPSS, scholar programs, et ) and volunteer hours (i.e., service-learning course, BPSS, et al.) in accordance with requirements of those external programs
Please apply by Sunday, May 22nd at 11:59PM at go.unc.edu/LSN-apply. If you have any questions, please email lsn@unc.edu. We will be sending out decisions by Friday, June 10th. We will request confirmation of position by Friday, June 17th. Please check your emails during these two weeks.