Four Reasons to Start a Peer Education Group

There are four key concepts that form a foundation and framework for support and clearly demonstrate why a campus should begin and maintain a peer education program.

These concepts are:

• Peer educators make healthier decisions than the general student population.
• Peer educators are effective in helping others make healthier choices by providing information, challenging misperceptions, confronting unhealthy behavior, and referring students to professional help.
• Peer educators, because of their own healthy choices and willingness to talk about and role model them with others, help create positive social norms and the foundation of critical mass supporting health campus environments.
• Peer education is student leadership, activism, and service at its best. Putting the health and safety of others and the community on an equal value with personal health and safety is the level that we hope all of our students achieve.

A peer education program must be part of an overall prevention and intervention strategy. Although the message of students working with students is a powerful and credible one, it is less effective without a professional serving as a resource for guidance, training and referrals. Finding an active group advisor on campus is essential for the success of your peer education program.

For Further Information

Learn more about the ‘BACCHUS benefit’ and how to be an affiliated group.

Also be sure to check out our video, “How to Start a Peer Education Group” on the NASPA YouTube channel. It’s ideal for new professionals or those just starting out in the world of advising peer education groups.

For more information please contact the BACCHUS Initiatives staff.