R.E.A.C.H

So mid last week I spoke with Kayla Doss, who is the Peer Education coordinator for REACH and pitched her the class project idea. She said it would be very helpful and that she already had an idea in mind (needs analysis) which was to change how new peers are involved in the program overall. This organization is not one in which you just sign up for, you have to first fill out an application, submit it by the deadline and receive a call back for an interview. If you get selected from the interview process you are then considered a part of REACH but it is required that new members take a semester long class to get nationally certified as a peer educator. This is where the problem lies. By the time new peers are done with the program almost all of the old peers are gone. Let me back up a second and first explain what REACH is. REACH stands for Reality Educators Advocating Campus Health. As peer educators we put on different programs on sexual health, alcohol awareness and other hot topics. I know when I was a new peer I did not feel comfortable or prepared, even though I was encouraged to facilitate programs throughout the semester while I was taking the class. This is what Kayla would like to see change, for new peers to not be scared and feel prepared to put on programs. Also it was suggested by myself and Kayla to changed the certification to be shorter than a semester, perhaps a 8 week course instead.