BSW Peer Mentorship Program

Written by BSW student, Sarah Rienzo.

The Back Story 

Due to the pandemic and the transition to online spaces, the program was created to help add support for incoming BSW students. Senior students had also had concerns on how incoming BSW students would be able to be supported in these times, and the peer mentorship program was created out of that concern. It has now been running successfully since the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester.

Time Committment for Mentors

Activities and discussions depend on the mentors and mentees schedules, but we generally say two hours a month is a reasonable goal to achieve. This can be achieved in different ways, such as doing four 30-minute meetings (weekly) or two 1-hour meetings (biweekly).

Sample Programming

Mentors can get creative with what they do with their mentees! Many choose to chat via zoom, instant messaging, emails and the likes. Mentors and mentees can discuss a wide variety of topics, that can range from general questions about schooling to favorite clubs or things to do to get involved. It is all about building a relationship with each other and interacting similar to the one’s students would forge in a classroom setting (or on campus setting etc.).

Progress of the Program

Morale is high for many students in the program! Despite the hard times we are living in, connections have been made between the students in an invaluable way. Even on campus, many mentors and mentees would not typically interact, mainly due to year difference and schedules, so this program has been fantastic in bringing together two groups of students in the same program. Learning from mentors and doing check ins has seemed beneficial for students overall. There have also been a few check-ins each month, hosted on zoom, for mentors to check in, give feedback and get support, which has been beneficial for the mentors of the program.  

COVID-19 Impact on Programming

The pandemic has been tough for many folks. Being that the program has started up this year, everything has been online since day one. Our goal overall is to make those connections between students as though they were on campus or in the classroom together. Communication is all virtual which is a reality that all of us have had to face with school being transitioned to remote learning. A benefit of having mentors and mentees interacting is that they can share thoughts and feelings not only about school, but also how the pandemic has been for them, which ultimately reduces that feeling of isolation for many. It also gives mentees that chance to learn about campus and university life, even while not being there physically.