By Sharon Kibaara

With the acknowledgement that peers are best placed to identify with and offer support to their own, especially at this time when the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way people live and learn, and in a bid to enhance a safe learning environment through peer support within the university, the Peer Educators and Counselors Club (PECC) held a training for interested students to be Peer Educators and Counselors. The trainings were held over the course of the month, on Friday, October 1, Saturday, October 2, Friday, October 8 and Saturday, October 9.

The training was designed with the objective of providing peer counselors and educators with skills needed to provide peer support to their fellow students. Other aims of the training included:

• Empowering the peer counsellors with the skills that will enable them to encourage positive living and manage challenges that affect students within the university community;
• Increasing the existing knowledge of the USIU-Africa community on HIV/AIDS, Alcohol and Drug Abuse and make the participants aware of the need to change the attitudes, prejudices, myths and stereotypes surrounding HIV/AIDS, Alcohol and Drug Abuse;
• Introducing the concept of peer education, as well as the basic principles and qualities required for effective peer education and counseling, and to provide peer counselors and educators with skills that will allow them to play their roles, thereby providing the necessary peer support to their fellow peers;
• Empowering peer counselors and educators with life skills that will help them as individuals and as peers, counselors and educators, facilitate positive life choices and positive sexual reproductive health behavior;
• Increasing self-awareness and provide an opportunity to practice basic peer counseling skills for both individual and group counseling in small groups; provide gender-specific skills training for issues such as sexual harassment and gender-based violence; and to equip peer educators and counselors with the skills to organize and execute outreach programs.

The training was carried out both physically and virtually to allow students who were out of the country to take part in the training. During the sessions, the Associate DVC Student Affairs, Mrs. Ritah Asunda emphasized the role of the PECC, noting that the Club was important in ensuring the well-being of their peers during their time at the university.

Apart from the educational and skill enhancement activities undertaken in the training, the students had a bonding experience (especially over lunch at the university cafeteria) and they were reminded of the good old times of face to face learning with physical social interactions.

After the training, the trainees are expected to participate in at least one club activity, 5 group supervision and 10 individual therapy sessions after which they will be certified through a graduation ceremony.

All the trainees agreed that PECC is the place to be, considering that even during the pandemic PECC continued its vibrant online activities. To join the PEC Club, you can email: peercounseling@clubs.usiu.ac.ke

To contact the Counseling Centre, call +254 730 116 750 /748 /797 or email: counsel@usiu.ac.ke