Kent State’s Office of Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services will be launching the pilot peer educator program later this week.

The goal of the program is to educate students about power-based personal violence and sexual assault, intimate partner violence and stalking. It will address some of the myths and realities involving these topics, along with providing students with the skills to present information and engage an audience.

SRVSS currently holds its own workshops and will be using them as a basis for the peer educator program.

“The thought is that we work with the students to look at those workshops and see how we can make them more suited to have peer-to-peer education,” said Jennifer O’Connell, director of SRVSS.

Peer-to-peer education gives students the ability to relate more closely and better inspire change, O’Connell said.

“As much as I’d like to think I know what’s going on with students, I’m also realistic in that I’m older than I was 10 years ago when I first got into higher education,” O’Connell said. “I feel like students can really bring a new perspective.”

The pilot program is limited to 10-15 people, and there will be an interview process after applications are submitted. Training will begin Oct. 12 and will continue through October and November.

Applications and more information will be available on the SRVSS website.

Adriona Murphy is the education, health and human services reporter, contact her at [email protected].