By St. Thomas More College staff

A pandemic is a strange time to initiate anything, but the increased focus on university students’ mental health and well-being meant STM saw it as a great opportunity to recruit students to engage other students in their first ever Peer Health Mentor program.

St. Thomas More College Campus Ministry and Students Services have long been talking with the College’s Student Experience Team about how this might look at STM.

When Director of Mission and Ministry Dr. Gertrude Rompré and STM Dean Dr. Tammy Marche began meeting with Healthy Campus Saskatchewan (HCSK), the community of practice that includes 19 post-secondary institutions and two community organizations across the province, a plan started to take shape.

Rose Wu, of HCSK, began working with Michael MacLean, of STM Campus Ministry, and by Term 2 of 2021, STM had engaged their first-ever Peer Health Mentors: fourth-year student Veronica Lucas, and first-year student Alayna Jones.

Wu and MacLean worked with Lucas and Jones to determine possible ways to engage students in this time of pandemic.

Jones conducted a session on-line to teach viewers how to make quesadillas, and Lucas focused on International Women’s Day, surveying STM students, staff and faculty. She shared her findings all week on social media.

As Lucas graduates with her degree, Jones and MacLean are looking to find more students to join them in Peer Health Mentorship at the College.

STM shares the vision of Healthy Campus Saskatchewan to create a healthy, resilient campus community where students feel safe, supported, and have the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to achieve their personal, academic, and future career goals.

If you or a student you know might be interesting in joining the team at STM, please email a resume to Michael MacLean in STM Campus Ministry at mmaclean@stmcollege.ca