The Peer Leader Program
While each office provides a unique personal and professional experience for its student staff, the Peer Leader Program serves to synthesize the work of all eleven offices. This effort is coordinated by a dedicated group of staff supervisors working together under the title of Peer Leader Committee to promote and develop the student leadership experience at Carleton.
Generally, Peer Leaders can expect the following responsibilities in their roles:
- Lead programs and services with peers, staff, and faculty to help create a welcoming and inclusive campus community.
- Serve as ambassadors for their offices and connect students to vital resources offered by the college.
- Act as additional support for new students during New Student Week, including by leading discussions with groups of new students related to CarlsTalk topics.
- Participate in training, such as Title IX Training, Fall Peer Leader Training, New Student Week Training, Peer Leader Winter Conference and Spring Celebration.
- Positions may also involve the opportunity to mentor other students and peers, depending on the office in which the Peer Leader position is hosted.
- Peer leaders receive intentional coaching, engage in on-going self-reflection, and participate in other opportunities to grow into outstanding young leaders fully prepared to succeed in life after graduation.
Goals of the Peer Leader Program
Carleton’s peer leader program provides leadership development experiences to more than 200 student employees across 11 campus offices. Peer Leaders develop skills in a collaborative work environment and are involved in leading programs and services with peers, staff, and faculty to help create a welcoming and inclusive campus community. They serve as ambassadors for their offices and connect students to vital resources offered by the college. Peer leaders receive intentional coaching, engage in on-going self-reflection, and participate in other opportunities to grow into outstanding young leaders fully prepared to succeed in life after graduation.
Mission
Provide intentional opportunities for student employees to develop leadership and practical skills during their time at Carleton.
Vision
Carls are engaged in life-long learning that prioritizes their individual growth and continued development.
Values
As a collective of Student Life offices and friends of the division, the Peer Leader program strives to embody these values:
- Holistic Development: We focus on each Peer Leader as a whole person, providing ongoing personal and professional development opportunities and support through their successes and failures.
- Connection: We foster individual connections for mentorship as well as community connections through opportunities to interact with Peer Leaders from other campus offices.
- Critical Reflection: We encourage office supervisors and Peer Leaders to engage in critical reflection on their skill development and experiential learning.
Learning Outcomes
By participating in the Peer Leader Program, Carleton Peer Leaders will:
- Develop tools for effective communication
- Demonstrate a valuing of difference
- Practice ethical reasoning
- Exercise collaboration
- Demonstrate self-awareness
- Manage complexity effectively
Peer Leader Committee
The Peer Leader Committee was created to unify and strengthen the Peer Leader program. This Committee has two main goals:
- To develop a successful and inclusive combined Peer Leader training program; and
- To identify how to best utilize the talent, energy and spirit of the Peer Leaders in collaboratively assisting fellow students.
In pursuing these goals, the committee hopes to build camaraderie among Peer Leaders, promote greater understanding of the varied resources available to students, and ultimately lead to a higher level of student satisfaction and development.