To help students around the University of Maryland campus know whom they can talk to in times of need, members of the University Health Center’s Peer Educator and Intern program are holding a fundraiser to raise money for new uniforms, said LaVonne Whitehead, an assistant coordinator for CARE.
“Our staff do not have a uniform that is comparable to what some of the other student organizations are on-campus,” said Whitehead. “It’s really difficult to share these hard messages that talk about sexual violence, sexual health and mental health. It will help students feel more confident to talk to someone if our mentors had a leadership type of look.”
The team hopes to raise $8,000 by May 5, Whitehead said. The Launch UMD page for the Gear Up Step Up campaign shows that the group had raised $1,805 — 22 percent of its goal — as of April 18.
Peer educators and interns currently present to members of the university community on issues ranging from sexual and relationship violence to drugs and alcohol. The university also charged the program to train every incoming student in a bystander intervention program called Step Up!, which will begin in the upcoming academic year.
Should they raise enough money, program members hope to purchase a polo, name tag and backpack for all 80 peer educators and interns, at an estimated cost of $100 per student.
“It’s a way for the students to … say, ‘Hey, this is something really meaningful and this is something really powerful and can really change the culture on our campus,'” Whitehead said.
In addition to adding credibility to presentations, the matching uniforms could help students to recognize the peer educators on the campus, senior Isaiah Bell said.
“If I walk around campus with what we have, people can recognize that I am a peer educator and have this well full of knowledge about sexual health, contraception and resources that I can give the students,” said Bell, a community health major. “This is a way I can give back to the University Health Center and the peer-education group because of how critical these resources can be on campus.”
Senior Pryia Narang, a wellness intern for CARE, said although she and Bell won’t necessarily be able to benefit from the Gear Up Step Up resources because they are graduating this spring, she feels the entire campus will benefit.
“The campus culture as a whole would be able to benefit from having more accessible information from peers that look professional and leader-like on campus,” said Narang, a community health major.
Because this is a college campus environment, Whitehead said, these uniforms would be a way for students to see they are not alone in times when they really need someone to talk to.
“If students are more at risk for being stressed and having more anxiety and having issues with depression, there are peers who are experts and can lead you to resources to talking about those things,” Whitehead said.
