支持同学们度过起起落落，现在又迎来了大流行

Skidmore’s peer health educators — a group of student volunteers who promote healthy choices and lifestyles by educating themselves 和ir peers about health-related topics — are perhaps doing some of their most impactful work during the pandemic by 帮助学生建立和维持有意义的社会关系. 

When Skidmore made the transition to remote learning during the spring semester, Health Promotions Director Jennifer McDonald said she was nervous about what it would mean 为 程序的 能够继续为学生团体提供服务. 但是同伴健康 educators (PHEs) went right to work addressing subjects that hit home — from the Black Lives Matter movement to coping with loneliness during the pandemic — while sharing 资源，透过 火博体育的Instagram账号. 

“Skidmore’s peer health educators are an incredibly creative, dedicated, empathic and flexible group of students 和y immediately brought ideas to the table and 实施计划. 过渡是无缝的，”麦克唐纳说. “这学期, 我又看到了这一幕. 随着事物的转变和变化，他们继续暗示 有新的想法，迎接任何挑战.” 

In late August, when students returned to campus 为 the fall semester, gatherings 最初仅限于在线平台吗. 但是同伴健康教育者击中了 ground running with an assortment of virtual programs, from game nights and murder-mystery events to therapy dog meet-and-greets and open hours 为 casual conversation. 

Through careful planning, they were able to begin offering small, socially distant in-person events, like a first-year lunch on the green, Saturday afternoon crafts at the Haupt Pond gazebo, outdoor yoga classes and a recent pumpkin-decorating event. 

“I look 为ward to the positive responses we get from students about our programs,” 22岁的索菲·克莱默-本杰明说. “我很高兴听到学生们遇到了他们最好的朋友 at a Friday Night Out event or that they learned how to better manage their anxiety 或者在我们的活动上压力过大.” 

Cramer-Benjamin leads the Peer Health Education program’s mental health committee, one of six committees — alongside health communication and marketing, community building, bystander intervention, sexual health, nutrition and fitness, and relationships — 他们一起工作，在各个领域展示节目. 

作为火博体育整体健康保护伞的一部分， 健康促进 与 卫生服务 和 咨询中心.   

怎样才能成为公共卫生部门的一员? 

通过选择性的 申请过程, 健康促进 sets out each semester to choose a well-rounded, committed group of students with a range of interests, experiences and backgrounds to join the peer 健康教育工作者家庭.

Peer health educators complete an initial three-credit course and participate in regular follow-up trainings on a variety of health topics that are most relevant to the college 人口. 在一个典型的学期中，他们还在学校工作 学生健康中心 在校园.

“For me, the most rewarding part of being a peer health educator is directing my peers 他们需要帮助，”22岁的公共卫生部门负责人威尔·克里斯特曼说. “这是一个学期的训练 each PHE is required to complete instills in us an acute knowledge of health and wellness 校内和校外资源. 虽然我不是健康专家， 我可以把我的同龄人和那些有兴趣的人联系起来.” 

“Being a PHE is being a part of a passionate, community-oriented group of people who take time out of their busy weeks to focus on making sure our community is healthy in every sense of the word, and that is a wonderful thing to be a part of,” said Addison Braver-Walsh ’20, who leads the health communications and marketing committee. 

公共卫生部门在大流行期间继续开展工作

As Skidmore’s COVID-19 management and mitigation ef为ts continue to keep case rates low 在校园, the Peer Health Education team is rolling out an ef为t to stem “mitigation fatigue” by rewarding those who continue to take preventative ef为ts seriously. 在 the next few weeks, peer health educators will be distributing thank-you cards to 学生表现出优秀的缓解行为. 

“We are over halfway through the semester and we hope this type of positive rein为cement will help to re-energize folks and acknowledge that it’s definitely hard to comply 但这也是完全值得的。. 

Looking ahead, the PHEs are developing a calendar of winter break opportunities that 学生可以在11月11日离开校园之前注册. 20. 高等教育机构需要他们的同行 to know they will still help them through these tough times, even after the semester 结束. 

“Everyone in the program really cares, and you know they care, because they don’t have to be in this,” said Hallie Eichholz '21, leader of the relationships committee. “They’re dedicated, they want to help the community, they want to be there 为 fellow 学生们，我觉得这真的很美.”