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Peer Support & Scheme Activity

Peer Support schemes and the wider Peer Support community have been holding plenty of events, even whilst nearing the middle of semester two! Peer Support is still incredibly beneficial to students at this late stage, so keep up your scheme activity! Perhaps you can draw inspiration from the below events....

Design and Fashion Business PASS - Easter Hunt

The DFB team planned a large Easter egg hunt in a debrief which was then held in the following weeks session. PASS groups mixed together and were accompanied by a PASS leader to different checkpoints. To find the next stage in their hunt, they had to answer a course-related question correctly. With PASS leaders positioned at the checkpoints, the event was well planned and a great success! The first team to reach the coordinators at the end of the hunt won large Easter eggs, and in the spirit of PASS every student that got involved received a small Easter chocolate. What a great way to mix festivities with academic challenges!

Medicine Peer Mentoring - Phase 2 Hospital Taster Day

The Medicine Phase 2 Peer Mentor Coordinators organised a 'Taster Day' which gave Year 2 students a chance to meet their hospital-based Year 3 mentors, mix with their new mentor groups and have a glimpse into life working in a hospital. The mentors at Salford, Wythenshawe, Preston and MRI gave their new mentees tours of the hospitals and answered questions to help prepare them for the transition to hospital life next year. It's great to have such an enthusiastic group of mentors and to see how well this new scheme is developing.

Cross-scheme University Challenge: Interns vs. Computer Science PASS

There was another battle for a place in the semi-finals of the Peer Support University Challenge competition. This time, the graduate interns had a team! Computer Science did well but the Interns came out victorious, joining the Chemistry PASS and Mechanical Engineering PASS schemes with a place in the semi-final. Just one more scheme will get through to the next stage - who will it be? You can watch all the University Challenge stages on the Peer Support YouTube channel!

French Peer Mentoring - 4th years meet 1st years

The French peer mentors held an informal meeting for first year students regarding their impending year abroad. Seven 4th year students each spoke for 10 minutes about their own experience studying abroad, also showing pictures and some videos. After their presentations, they answered any questions the younger students had. The meeting lasted for about 1.5 hours and about 30 first year students came. On the whole, it was a successful event with positive feedback. Could your scheme organise a meet and greet talk surrounding placements or year abroad study?

Computer Science, Aerospace and EEE PASS - Games night

Last Wednesday evening saw a fantastic collaborative Games Night take place, with leaders from Computer Science, Aerospace and EEE PASS schemes battling it out over a selection of board games, card games and video games….in fact, every type of game imaginable (including one about exploding kittens…)! This was a great chance for leaders from different schemes to meet and socialise, hopefully encouraging more collaborations in the future!

What does Peer Support mean to your scheme? Enter your 2 minute long video to be in a chance of winning £100 for your scheme!

What do you think about how your work is marked? We want your feedback!

The University are looking to obtain your views on how you are assessed on your course and how these assessments are marked. We'd like to hear your thoughts on things such as how often you are assessed, the weighting of these assessments & what is an achievable mark on your course.

We’ll be running two consultations on the below dates & whether you can attend either one of these or both, we’d love to see you there:

Thursday 10th March, 4.30-6.30pm, Topic: Marking of work

Wednesday 16th March, 2-4pm, Topic: Assessments

We’d really value your input into these. Remember also that Students who attend three workshops will have their contributions acknowledged on their Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR). There will also be snacks in case you need any further convincing!

Opportunity to shape the student experience of the future

Are you interested in how International consultancy firms work? Can you help us map your student journey so far?

We’re undertaking a major programme of work, working with KPMG as external consultants, to map out the student lifecycle and to identify all key processes and ‘pain points’. We’re identifying opportunities and preparing a business case for implementing a student information system that best fits our requirements.

Workshops are already happening with staff from all areas of the university and we need your help and input as part of a ‘Student Advisory group’.

We’re running the first workshop on Monday 14th March 2016, 3.30-5.30pm

What’s in it for me?

· £10 gift voucher

· Refreshments provided

· If you attend 3 sessions similar to this, it will appear on your HEAR transcript once you graduate.

· External colleagues from KPMG will be co-facilitating the session, so it would be a great opportunity to find out how a large management consultancy firm works, and have the opportunity to meet KPMG colleagues in person.

Any questions please contact [email protected]

Peer Support events and scheme activity!

Take a look at what the Peer Support schemes and COPS society have been up to over the past two weeks. Could your scheme run any similar events? Would you like to attend the next COPS social at Jump Nation?

PwC PDE Course - awards ceremony!

The awards ceremony for those on the Personal Effectiveness Development course ran by the careers service and PwC turned out to be a fantastic night that was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Not only did the students get to complete a developmental course, but they also got the chance to network with PwC at the free celebration ceremony. Would you like to get involved in the PwC PDE course next year?

COPS - Bowling social

The Community of Peer Support held another fantastic social at the Dog Bowl in February. With discounted bowling, it was a great way for mentors and leaders to network with others from across the university. With nearly all tickets sold out, the social was a great success! Make sure you get your tickets early for the next COPS Jump Nation social or you could miss out!

Materials Science PASS - Intra-scheme University Challenge

Materials Science PASS held their annual University Challenge style PASS session this week. The scheme gathered as a whole and battled it out to be crowned the ultimate PASS group! With categories based on Materials, Manchester and the University it was a fun and informative way for students to review course material and get to know their environment better.

Inter-scheme University Challenge - Chemistry PASS vs. Aerospace PASS

Some schemes have collaborated to create a cross-scheme Peer Support University Challenge! Representatives from the Peer Support schemes answered an array of questions in a bid to make it through to the next round. The Chemistry PASS team came out victorious, who will win the next round?

Design and Fashion Business PASS - recruitment drive & scheme promotion

The DFB PASS team have been thinking of new ways to promote their scheme and recruit new leaders. Not only have they created a recruitment video and booklet to show their first years, they have also created a PASS Instagram! The Instagram is used by all leaders to showcase their sessions, inform students on University services and promote the benefits of PASS! Follow their Instagram ‘dfbpass’! Could your scheme do more to promote its benefits and recruit new leaders?

Aerospace PASS - creative practical session

Aerospace PASS used some creative fun games to help their students understand key engineering principles. PASS groups competed to make the best boomerang by applying their aerospace engineering knowledge! Could your scheme widen students understanding of principles through fun competitions?

Welcome back socials and events!

Schemes have been bringing in the new semester by hosting loads of fun-filled socials and events! Has your scheme done anything to reward its volunteers and students in the wake of the winter revision period?

Philosophy PM - ping pong social

The Philosophy PM team joined up with the Philosophy society to hold a large social for all levels of philosophy student. They hired a room out in twenty twenty two, allowing them to provide an inclusive social that isn’t based around wholly around alcohol! This is a great way to let first year students meet more second and third years, whilst providing the support for the social which may have otherwise been quieter. Could your scheme team up with a society to hold a large social?

Chemistry PASS - practical PASS session

The Chemistry PASS team started semester two with a bang by providing their first years with a exclusive practical PASS session! Leaders assisted first year students in making ice cream from Liquid Nitrogen - how amazing! Could your scheme do a one off practical session to show their students something a bit different?

Languages end of exams party - PM schemes united!

Headed by the Chinese PM team, all languages PM schemes collaborated to provide their mentors and first years. With over 100 students attending, the event was a great way for students to meet people from outside of their course whilst celebrating the even of revision! Could your scheme organise a large-scale collaborative event?

EEE PASS - Go karting social

The EEE PASS coordinators rewarded their leaders for their hard work in semester one (and for surviving the examination period)! They used some of their budget to take the PASS leaders go karting - what a nice way to recognise and reward them for all their hard work!

End of term socials, events and scheme activity!

We’re nearing the end of term now and so Peer Support schemes have been having a whole loads of Christmas fun. Schemes have also been continuing to support their volunteers and first years with a variety of academic and cultural events. Could your scheme implement any of these ideas?

Design and Fashion Business PASS - Leader’s Christmas Meal

DFB PASS rewarded their leaders this week with a Christmas meal at The Font. With the meal being subsidized by the scheme, it was a great way for leaders to unwind and reflect on the past term. Could your scheme provide a festive reward for its leaders?

Japanese PM - Japanese Tea Ceremony event

The Japanese PM team provided a cultural reward for its mentors by organising a display of a Japanese Tea Ceremony. The PM team invited Japanese exchange students along, allowing them to practise their english and the mentors their Japanese - what a great cultural exchange! As a treat, some of the Japanese exchange students also displayed a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony, allowing the mentors to try the tea themselves! This is a perfect way of supporting and rewarding students within and beyond a scheme.

BA Economics PM - Linkedin Photoshoot

The BA Economics PM team organised professional photographers to come in and take photographs of students to use on their Linkedin profiles. With Linkedin becoming such a big tool for employability, this is a great way to reward and support both the mentors and mentee’s of the scheme. At only 1 pound a photo could you resist this bargain?

Religions and Theology PASS - Winter Holiday Revision Session

Religion and Theology PASS held a fantastic holiday themed revision session. With home-made cakes and a relaxed atmosphere, this is a great way to make revision fun and maintain a close bond between leaders and students!

Midwifery PASS - Christmas Quiz & Party

Instead of a PASS session this week, the Midwifery team organised a Christmas quiz and party to reward their students and wind down after a hard term. What a simple yet fun way to end the semester!

Life Sciences PASS - MCQ Revision Session

Life Sciences PASS pulled off an amazing event this year - a mini-revision MCQ session for their first years. The coordinators used mid-term exams that are no longer in place in the Faculty in a evening revision event. They also asked academics to produce some extra questions to go alongside the scrapped mid-term ones. With around 200 students attending, the event was a resounding success! Could your scheme get academics involved to create a large-scale revision session such as this?

Socials, Events & Activites

Scheme’s have continued to host a variety of socials and events, both for their leaders and first years! It’s important to maintain scheme activity towards the end of the semester, both as a form of engagement for first years and reward for the volunteers that have increasingly large workloads.

MACE PASS Quiz

MACE held another infamous quiz in week eight, with a great turnout! The coordinators worked together to create a great evening with free pizza for all! The winning team (pictured below) won a 3D printed trophy moulded from Dr Iain Dupere’s face! What a great prize!

Chemical Engineering Study Abroad Debrief

Chemical Engineering held a special debrief to reward their leaders this week - an informative talk on Study Abroad options. Special guest James Broadway from Study Abroad was there to lead a presentation, offer advice and ask any questions. Could your scheme reward its volunteers by making them aware of the opportunities available to them at university?

Russian PASS Activity

The Russian PASS leaders have been getting creative in preparation for their PASS session tomorrow. These are some faces they made in a description vocab game! What creative activities have your scheme used so far this year?

Life Sciences PASS Buffet Social

Life Sciences held a great social where they partially subsidized a buffet at Efes Mediterranean restaurant. The leaders enjoyed the relaxing break from upcoming deadlines. Could your scheme take a break and get to know each other over some delicious food?

Ask Me Thank You Event 2015

Fun times with twister at the thank you event!

The Ask Me Thank You event was open to all student coordinators within peer support. With a great turn out, there was plenty of games and food creating an amazing evening full of networking and fun. Special guest Paul Govey from Student Communications came to thank the coordinators for all their hard work in handling their scheme’s Ask Me badges, whilst COPS spoke about their upcoming quiz social (watch this space!). After the speeches had been delivered, the coordinators, interns, and staff tucked into some delicious food and partook in fun games such as twister, giant jenga and smash the piñata.

The Ask Me badge amnesty box was filled to the brim, with an amazing amount of badges returned. We have now counted the badges and can officially announce the winner of the badge return competition!

The winners of the badge return competition (with 100% badge return) are... English Language for Education PM, Management, Leadership & Leisure PM, Chinese PM and Midwifery PASS!

The winner for the ‘what does Peer Support mean to your scheme’ photo competition was also announced, winning a special prize for their next debrief! The winners of this competition were announced on the night of the event.

The winner of the photo competition was....Mathematics PASS!

EEE’s photo came second...

... and Chemistry came third!

Well done to all the schemes who entered the competition, there was some fantastic photos and it was really hard to pick a winner! A big thank you again to all the student coordinators who returned amazing amount of Ask Me badges! We hope you enjoyed the evening! If your scheme has not yet handed their badges in, please bring them to the Peer Support office.

National PASS/PAL Leader Conference 2015

On the 6th November two of our interns (Dale Spratt and Megan Whittaker) and two of our second year PASS leaders (Alexis Verdugo and Rosie Emsley) journeyed to Bath to attend the three day National PASS/PAL Leader Conference. The conference was a great opportunity for PASS/PAL leaders and staff from all around the country to come together and share good practice.

The conference programme included many exciting activities such as workshops and networking opportunities along with a quiz and a civic reception. The annual conference also hosted a poster competition whereby each university submits a poster explaining or demonstrating PASS/PAL. We are very pleased to announce that The University of Manchester was placed 2nd in this competition so a massive well done to our second year delegates for putting a lot of time and effort into it.

Our interns also led a special Roman Team Challenge becoming General Dale and Lady Megan. These three challenges encouraged the delegates to work together to come up with creative shields, swords, games and sculptures to ultimately win a PASS/PAL goody bag. These activities were very successful, encouraging teamwork and initiative and producing endless tweets and some amazing results.

The conference was an inspiring experience for all involved and gave everyone an opportunity to make contacts and share ideas for their own institutions. Look out for more on the conference in the next Peer Support newsletter!

The Peer Support representatives from Manchester

The delegates at the conference

#passpal

Student Experience Conference 2015 - Internationalism

The 7th PSS conference took place on 28th October with the theme of internationalisation. There were talks from University of Manchester International Relations staff, and a guest speaker from Warwick University, who explained their approach to internationalisation.

The day was concluded with a student-led workshop focusing on international students’ experience of university life and how university staff and students can aid their integration. The students who planned and delivered this workshop were invited to take part due to their involvement in Peer Support or other activities such as being Student Ambassadors. They used their own experiences to plan three interactive activities for the delegates which allowed them to understand the potential challenges faced by international students, and caused them to reflect on how they could personally do more to help them and aid their integration. The students also contributed by writing personal profiles for a booklet which was distributed at the conference as further ‘food for thought’ on the topic. We would like to say a big thank you to all the students who got involved in the conference -your input was greatly appreciated by both ourselves and the delegates!

Scheme Workshops & Events - Providing Academic Support

Peer Support schemes across the university have been using different methods of support to help their first years adapt to the increasing workload of late semester 1. Providing support for students going through the first year academic transition is a vital Peer Support role, but remember to get academic input and support when organising such events!

Politics & International Relations - Peer Mentor Report Writing Workshop

Politics & International Relations peer mentors organised an ace report writing workshop last week. Using their own experiences & student’s concerns, they highlighted a difficult module that had a report assignment. They organised a workshop to help the first years & invited the lecturer along to give some advice. What a great example of how schemes should listen to their students concerns, provide support & enlist the help of academics!

Design & Fashion Business - PASS Resource Session

Design & Fashion Business held another classic large PASS session for their students, yet again proving that big sessions and academic workshops are not unachievable! The session had a great turn out and was led by the coordinators with the help of an external speaker from Textiles Intelligence (one of the biggest textile statistic analysis firms in the world). Could your scheme enlist an external speaker to engage the first years, whilst offering sound industry advice?

Electrical and Electronic Engineering - PASS Soldering Session

Electrical and Electronic Engineering PASS held a special session for their first years. The session aimed to assist students in acquiring the practical skills required by the course, whilst having a bit of fun too! Is there any practical areas your scheme could help out with? Look how much fun interns Megan & Martin had!

Nursing PASS Special Debrief - End of Life Care Debrief

The Nursing PASS Coordinators organised a form of support for their own leaders this week by providing them with a special debrief. The debrief was led by external speakers and covered the sensitive topic of ‘End of Life Care’. This goes to remind us that those volunteering in Peer Support are also students in need of support, and it is good to offer them professional insights when possible.

Start, Stop Continue: The Peer Support Evaluation Method

Whilst Start, Stop, Continue is a well-utilised academic evaluative tool, it was brought into Peer Support by Design and Fashion Business PASS. Here’s how they use it...

‘Start, Stop, Continue' is a self evaluation technique developed in DFB PASS. After their session, leaders reflect on what they will 'Start' doing in the future, 'Stop' doing what maybe didn't work so well this week, and 'Continue' what they found their groups responded well to. 'Start, Stop, Continue' was first introduced into DFB PASS last year with the aim being that eventually all of this feedback would improve the quality of our sessions week by week. It wasn't until this year that the true value of 'Start, Stop, Continue' became clear, since our leaders now how have access to a years worth of advice from 10 former leaders and are building on this already with their own 'Start, Stop, Continue' sheet. Hopefully next years leaders will have access to 40 leaders worth of ideas! 'Start, Stop, Continue' also has the wonderful secondary benefit of encouraging extensive discussion between leaders regarding each groups' sessions so that everyone in our scheme feels supported by those around them’

Will Whyler

Design and Fashion Business PASS student coordinator

Ask Me Thank You Event

Peer Support is thanking student coordinators for all their help in distributing and recollecting the Ask Me badges with a thank you event on the 10th November, 5 - 7pm. There will be plenty of free food & drink, but unfortunately only coordinators can attend. However, mentors and leaders can get involved too by supporting their scheme in the two big competitions of the night!

Competition 1: Ask Me Badge Return

As you all know, schemes are now beginning to collect in their Ask Me badges. These should be handed in to the student coordinators. We will be giving an exciting prize to the scheme(s) that return the highest percentage of badges by the night of the event. So, ensure you bring your badge back or your scheme could miss out!

The deadline for badge return is 7pm, 10th November. The winner will be announced shortly after the event!

Photo Competition: What does Peer Support mean to your Scheme?

This competition is open to all PASS & Peer Mentor schemes. We are looking for each scheme to submit one photo portraying what Peer Support means to them. So, this is a great opportunity to get ideas from mentors and leaders and to try get everyone involved! Please liaise with the coordinators about this competition though, as they submit the final picture.

The deadline for the photo competition is 12pm, 6th November. The winner will be announced at the event!

Maintaining Engagement: Activities, Socials & Workshops!

Here are just a few examples of how scheme’s have been going above and beyond to maintain student and leader/mentor engagement...

Civil Engineering PASS - Careers Manager talk at Debrief

Civil Engineering rewarded their leaders for their hard work by inviting a Careers Manager to their PASS debrief! Inviting guest speakers and responding to your leaders - or students - needs is a great way to maintain engagement with your scheme. How useful! Could your scheme use guest speakers to increase engagement?

MACE PASS Quiz (Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering Collaboration)

Collaborating with other schemes is a great way to add a new element of excitement and competition to your events! The school of MACE organised a joint quiz for their first years, allowing them to socialise with students from similar courses. So, if you are thinking of hosting a large event it could be worth collaborating with other schemes to benefit your first years!

Life Sciences PASS Book Sale

The Life Sciences PASS coordinators organised an incredibly successful book sale for first and second year students! They held two selling sessions, with 75% of their books being sold in two hours! This just shows how useful book sales are, and how good advertisement can go a long way! Well done!

Politics & International Relations Peer Mentoring - Relaxation Walk

The Politics & International Relations Peer Mentor scheme helped their mentees relax by inviting them on a walk in a scenic area of outer Manchester. This is a great idea - especially as their mentees workload is picking up - to use their superior knowledge of the area to help their students. Even as a last minute event, there was a great turn out! Could your scheme organise an activity to help their students relax in the mid-semester madness?

Ancient History & Classics Peer Mentoring - Essay Writing Workshop

The Ancient History and Classics Peer Mentoring Scheme held a fantastic essay writing workshop to prepare the first years for their first essay deadline next week. It was great that so many first years attended – not just for the pizza, but also to get their questions answered and to receive advice from higher year students.

Mechanical Engineering PASS - Practical Activities in Sessions

A Mechanical Engineering PASS session got practical in the past week by setting their students the task of making a cartesian diver out of straws and staples! Prop-based activities are a great way to add a new dynamic to your sessions once term has settled in, combining learning, competition & fun! This group won the scheme’s competition of most innovative session of the week, winning paint ball tickets for the leaders and their group! What a fantastic scheme competition & PASS session!

Peer Leadership Strand - Some Useful Courses For You

Here we thought we’d showcase some of the most relevant sessions for our Leaders, Mentors and Coordinators. These are taken from the My Learning Essentials (MLE) website, so after you’ve signed up to the Strand here, make sure you sign up for the sessions themselves here.

Problem Solving: A Critical Approach By helping you to break down problems into stages, this session will help you to effectively assess, judge, act upon and reassess the various problems you might come across. This session will also help with applying these strategies to your own work.

Calm Your Brain/Learn to Concentrate Learning to concentrate and stay calm is a vital part of working effectively. This session, run by the Counselling Service, will provide you with simple and practical techniques to reduce anxiety and calm your mind. It looks briefly at mindfulness which helps to manage chronic stress, anxiety and pain/illness.

Working Well in Groups Working in a group will inevitably be a regular part of your academic experience at Manchester. As well as being able to communicate and co-operate with others, it’s also important to consider yourself as a group member. This session focusses on this to help you get the most out of group work.

PASS sessions have started, and wow they are exciting...

PASS sessions have started across the university, with some really exciting and inventive twists on group learning! Have a look at some of the inspired ways schemes have facilitated their sessions.

Design & Fashion Business: PASS Fashion Challenge

Design & Fashion Business vamped up their PASS sessions this week by creating one large session in which the different PASS groups competed against each other. The groups each created three fashion items from materials such as post-its, bin bags and newspapers! Next week these outfits will be presented to the Dragons Den (a group of Design & Fashion lecturers) in another large session. This goes to show that large scale PASS sessions & competitions are possible, and how a bit of healthy competition can be really motivating! Check out their video of this session on the Peer Support Facebook page. Could your scheme have pulled off a large scale competition like this?

Aerospace PASS sessions

Areospace PASS leaders have been showing everyone that icebreakers don’t have to be the same old thing! They used a twist on the classic beer pong game (without the beer, of course!) to get everyone involved and comfortable with each other. If you scored a point, you got to ask a person of your choice an interesting question. An activity like this works to create a fun and active atmosphere, a stark change from a lecture theatre. Well done Aerospace, it looks like your first sessions were great!

Religions & Theology Great British PASS Off

Religions & Theology PASS held topical Bake Off PASS sessions. What a fun, tasty and relaxing way to begin the year. Yummy food always helps! This shows how some forward planning can be really beneficial in PASS, and current trends/T.V shows can be incorporated into activities!

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