Peer health advocates
A page within Wellness & Health Advocacy
What is a Peer Health Advocate?
Peer Health Advocates (PHAs) are UWL students with a passion for promoting comprehensive wellness on campus. PHAs collaborate to create presentations, programs, and social media content focused on health‐related decision making, common health problems affecting college students, and advocating for student health needs.
Wellness & Health Advocacy hires new Peer Health Advocates depending on the number of open positions for the following semester. Information can found on Instagram (@uwlpeerhealth), campus digital signage, and here during hiring periods. The application can be found on Handshake.
Being a PHA
As a Peer Health Advocate, you will explore your health-related passions, learn professional skills, and develop relationships with like-minded students. Being a PHA cultivates friendship, lifelong learning, and professional preparedness.
This is a fun job! And the most successful PHAs are those that the leap. Wellness & Health Advocacy seeks to educate the UWL campus community about wellness by setting a positive example, so this is an opportunity to invest in yourself.
Peer Health Advocates are responsible for representing Wellness & Health Advocacy and assisting the Student Wellness Coordinator with the development, facilitation, and evaluation of health promotion events; the creation of social media, marketing, and educational content; and advocacy for comprehensive wellness services.
Required Responsibilities:
- Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings
- Participate in mid-semester and end-of-semester reviews
- Complete online trainings as assigned by Student Wellness Coordinator
- Promote a culture of wellness at UWL through education and advocacy
- When needed, make referrals to health-related services on and off campus
Wellness & Health Advocacy fulfills its mission through great teamwork and collaboration. Other duties of the PHAs are based on capacity and willingness to volunteer for:
- Creating accurate, relevant, and appealing social media content
- Creating informative and appealing materials for marketing and education (posters, digital signage, handouts, etc.)
- Writing the Wellness Monthly
- Facilitating health education programs that use evidence-based resources; encouraging student participation in health education programs
- Developing new presentations to promote well-being
- Assisting the Student Wellness Coordinator with evaluation and revision of programs
- Collaborating with campus partners
- Engaging in classroom and residence hall presentations with the Student Wellness Coordinator
- Other duties as assigned
In each two-week pay period, Peer Health Advocates are given 10 hours to allocate for meetings, commitments, and assignments. Every week is different, but the average commitment is 4-5 hours per week! As UWL student employees, the PHAs are compensated for their contributions to Wellness & Health Advocacy.
Peer Health Advocates can have any academic major. Desired skills and qualifications include:
- Passion for health and wellness
- Public speaking
- Interest or experience in social media content creation
- Aligned academic interests (e.g., public health, recreation, education, psychology)
- Comfortable discussing sensitive topics (e.g., sexual health, alcohol and other drugs, suicide prevention)
- Ability to work independently and in a group