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St. Thomas University is looking to recruit mentors for its Buddy Program. 

 

The Buddy Program has been successful in helping international students transition to their first year at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½. This year, we are expanding the program to include Canadian and international students. 

 
How the program works:

Mentors will work in pairs – one upper-year international student and one upper-year Canadian student – and will be matched with two new international and two new Canadian students in groups of six. These groups will connect and communicate over the summer months and into the first semester, to begin building relationships and foster a sense of belonging. These groups will promote cross-cultural learning, broadening of global perspectives and allow for international students to make important connections with Canadian students to better understand Canadian culture. Everyone benefits! 

 

Program objectives: 

• Facilitate communication and peer-to-peer relationships. 
• Ease the transition to university life for first-year Canadian and International students. 
• Promote cross-cultural communication and learning. 
• Connect Canadian and international students, increase cross-cultural competency for all participants. 
• Provide volunteer and leadership training opportunities for º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ students. 

Tasks: 

• In a team of two, mentors will be matched with up to 4 mentees, facilitate communication and peer-to-peer relationships virtually with your group over the summer months, create a group chat in WhatsApp, Instagram (or any other platform your group agrees on), check in with your group at a minimum of twice per month from June to August. 
• Meet and welcome mentees to campus during Welcome Week, continue to support mentees as they transition to university and encourage community engagement. 
• Meet with mentees at least twice during the semester. You can continue to connect virtually as well.
• Attend at least one º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½/º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ISA organized event during the semester.
• Attend mandatory program training sessions.
• Regular check-ins with º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½/º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½ISA for accountability and ongoing support, complete an exit survey.

**Mentors will not be providing immigration or academic advising. 

 

Program benefits: 

• Volunteer hours gained from this program can count as part of º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½'s Certificate in Experiential Learning & Community Engagement. In order for students to gain this Certificate by graduation time, they must fulfill the academic requirement of 9 credit hours of experiential learning-tagged courses, PLUS a minimum of 30 hours of volunteering. These hours must be recorded by logging in to by the last semester of your degree at º¬Ð߲ݴ«Ã½. Questions about the Certificate can be sent to: ±ð³æ±è±ð°ù¾±±ð²Ô³Ù¾±²¹±ô´Ç´Ú´Ú¾±³¦±ð°ª²õ³Ù³Ü.³¦²¹â€¯ 
• Mentors will receive a digital certificate of program completion. 

Required Peer-Mentor Qualifications: 

• Have completed at least one academic year at St. Thomas University and will be returning in the Fall 2024. 
• Familiar with campus, campus life and student support services. 
• Good academic standing (2.0 GPA or higher). 
• Dedication to building an inclusive and supportive community. 
• Strong interest in student and campus engagement. 
• Respect for all others, cross cultural awareness (training will be provided). 
• Excellent organization and communication skills. 

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Application deadline, Tuesday April 30, 2024.