At the beginning of the class, I'll admit I was feeling just a little bit cocky about this new role. I felt pretty confident about my abilities as a peer leader because of my experiences as an RA and campus involvement. This class actually shook me up a bit to see that I should not be as cocky.
There are parts to this role that I had not really thought about as being challenging when they really can be. While I am still comfortable going into this next year, I am still bracing myself for some of the hard conversations about academics and leading the group meetings. The class presentation I helped lead was a lot more challenging than I thought and there were many parts where I personally messed up. I will definitely prepare quite a bit more next year before my meetings.
The academics role-play was rough with my challenging partner current peer mentor, Crystal Escobedo! After our conversation, she explained that sometimes it will be that hard to talk with a mentee and this opened my eyes a bit.
For Fall Training, I would like to see:
1. More role-play for increased practice for individual meetings
2. Peer Mentor bonding activities (like bowling and/or outdoor activities)
3. FOOD FOOD FOOD (Please
4. Go Over Inclusive Language (I'm always forgetting something.)
5. More Cultural Sensitivity Training (You can NEVER have too much of this.)
6. GAMES! Could be in the form of Icebreakers/Team Builders
7. More in-depth look at what EXACTLY we are doing this next year (programs, meetings, bonding events, etc.)
8. Beacon D:
9. Oh and did I say Food? ;)
I have grown quite a bit during training. The Saturday cultural event helped me reflect on my own views, how others are viewed and how to control my reactions to controversy. The class presentation showed me that it is okay that you mess up as long as you improve. The role-play taught me that I do not know everything and can improve with more practice. I have also enjoyed getting to know some of my fellow mentors and look forward to working with all of them in the Fall!
I agree with you on everything for the fall training. The whole role-playing thing is something that would definitely come in handy because I could use some more practice as well. I agree with a lot of the points you put in your reflection. I love did I mention food thing!
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