Peer guides pledge

We provide a unique peer-to-peer support service, designed for, but not exclusive to, all first-year undergraduate students to help you through your transition to university. Find out more about the core aims of the service, what you can expect of us and what we ask of you in return.

Our pledge

Our peer guides are here to welcome you to the University community, answer your questions and share their experiences with you. They have received training on the range of university and external services available so if they can’t help you directly they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Our core aims and values

We’ll:

  • treat you with respect and provide a friendly, professional, and efficient peer-to-peer support service
  • offer our services on an equal basis to all users regardless of:
    • gender
    • ethnicity
    • disability
    • race
    • sex
    • age
    • sexual orientation
    • religion
    • culture
  • hold debriefs and feedback meetings between peer guides and the central peer-to-peer team to further develop the service
  • listen to you and provide support, advice, and guidance to help resolve any queries. This can include making onward referrals to specialist teams on your behalf to ensure you receive the best support possible.

Our commitment to you

Our committed and fully trained peer guides work collaboratively with the central peer-to-peer team and colleagues across the University so we can:

  • ensure we can support, advise, and guide you in the best possible way
  • provide an opportunity to discuss concerns and ask questions that may seem hard or awkward to ask university staff
  • provide you with an opportunity to gain confidence and make friends
  • provide long-term ongoing peer-to-peer intervention and assistance, through phone calls, group activities and one-to-one meetings (with approval), throughout the academic year.

Your commitment to us:

In order for us to offer relevant, timely and high-quality services, we ask you to:

  • communicate any suggestions of further ways the scheme could help to support you to peer guides or the peer-to-peer support central team at pal@mmu.ac.uk
  • co-operate and fully engage with peer guides
  • attend any meeting, or group meeting, with a peer guide promptly or if you are unable to attend, inform the peer guide 24 hrs prior to the meeting
  • treat peer guides with courtesy and respect
  • consider advice from peer guides about any suggested referral to other internal or external support services when mentioned or identified
  • use the ask us anything and contact us forms appropriately and genuinely.