Administration

Communications

Seven C-SC students attend peer education certification training
Thursday, February 05, 2009

CANTON, MO. – Seven members of the Culver-Stockton College Health Outreach Peer Educators (HOPE) attended peer education certification training at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo., recently.

The C-SC students were joined by students from 11 other colleges and universities. They were taught skills needed to help counsel other students such as listening skills, responding and referral skills, intervention skills, and programming and presentation skills.

Jasmine Brown, C-SC freshman media communication major from Saginaw, Mich., said that she wanted to become a certified peer educator because she is “interested in helping students just like me.”

The students also took part in both lectures and group discussions, in which they were able to interact with the students from other schools. Sara Hallberg, C-SC director of counseling and wellness services and HOPE advisor, facilitated one of the groups during the event. Students had to take both a pre-test and post-test. If they pass the test, they are certified to be a peer educator for life.

“The most interesting part was when we participated in group sessions with students from different schools and we were able to collaborate ideas and to share our thoughts,” said Jemeisha Johnson, a freshman accounting major from St. Louis, Mo.

“The students were able to get an idea of how the programs they are doing on campus really can make a difference and have an actual impact in helping other students,” said Hallberg.

The certified peer educator training is sponsored by the Bacchus Network, which trains students “to educate, intervene, listen to, and help their peers make healthy lifestyle choices,” and the Missouri Partners in Prevention, a state funded program to help schools with peer education training.

“I hope that students will take advantage of having peer educators on campus. We are here to help, we are eager to help, and we want students to want us to help them. I want to use the skills that we were taught to help someone else,” Brown said.