As a Peer Educator, you must be empathetic towards the challenges that your fellow students face. You must actively serve to destigmatize the process of approaching or seeking out resources. As mentioned, there is a stigma in being food insecure, financially insecure, and housing insecure. Oftentimes, students feel embarrassed to utilize the resources provided to them from the university. Peer Educators should strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental environment towards those who deal with this taboo; Peer Educators must be approachable and understanding, to allow others to discuss the emotional stress that they are facing. 

These stigmas can prevent students from seeking out help. With this in mind, it is the responsibility of the Peer Educator to engage in transformative dialogues and educational initiatives surrounding students’ basic needs. In these aspects, outreach and initiative must be practiced at all times. Peer Educators must be active within their community, constantly trying to find or look for those who may be facing difficulties across many identities.

As a Peer Educator, you will find yourself also working with other organizations and leaders in order to create events for a certain community. It is within these events that Peer Educators will find themselves at their most active and constantly strive to provide a healthy, safe environment for those in need. Communication with these communities is key to covering the most amount of people as possible.

This curriculum will provide tips and strategies in order to relate to your fellow peers and become an active member of the community, while also providing supplemental content in order to understand approaches to a particular scenario.