Graduate Student Peer Support Program coming in September 2025
Students helping students
Graduate students across the university will have another resource available to them starting this fall – the Graduate Student Peer Support program (GSPS). GSPS is a support network for graduate students as they navigate challenges and opportunities during their educational journey at the U of A.
How will it work?
Managed by the university’s Health Safety + Environment team and in consultation with the Graduate Students’ Association, the Office of the Dean of Students and Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the GSPS will connect graduate students with their graduate student peers specially trained as peer supporters.
The goal is to champion students’ academic, mental and physical well-being, as well as foster a sense of belonging in a supportive, inclusive and empathetic environment.
What will peer supporters do?
The peer supporters will help provide guidance and support to any graduate student on a variety of issues and topics, speaking from a position of shared experience who similarly recognize the unique challenges graduate students face within the context of the university, including:
- The stress of balancing demanding workloads within their university work, teaching or research
- The challenge of operating in a way that supports physical, psychological and cultural safety
- Working successfully within the power differential that inherently exists between Principal Investigators and graduate students.
- Identifying university resources or subject matter experts
Interested in being a peer supporter?
Express your interest and submit an application!
-
- Develop effective communication and empathic listening skills.
- Strengthen your sense of community engagement.
- Build your network and connections.
- Enhance your resume and potentially receive credit toward professional development requirements.
- Share your experiences and help shape the future of your peers.
- Receive a $100 gift card and certificate of participation upon completion of the program.
Those graduate students selected to participate as peer mentors will be trained this summer. The program will be announced to all graduate students in September 2025.