Oregon State University’s Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Education has created a new program, focused on student voice and leadership towards prevention of gender-based violence and sexual health.
According to Mia Bledsoe, the peer education coordinator at CAPE, the new program; CAPE Peer Education Program, will involve student peer educators who will work to design, implement and evaluate initiatives, workshops, outreach events and activities on violence prevention and sexual health, including developing and facilitating content about bystander intervention, gender-based violence prevention, consent, supporting survivors, sexual health, healthy relationships and healthy sexuality.
Before this program was created, students were rarely able to get involved with CAPE and Bledsoe said that while they have three student worker positions, volunteering was not something that CAPE could regularly offer. This program will allow more students to be able to get involved with CAPE and students who work for the program will be paid.
“This program was created in response to incredible student activism around, and community support for improvements to gender-based violence prevention efforts at OSU,” Bledsoe said. “One of the clearest and most prominent asks that emerged from this activism was the need for the implementation of a gender-based violence prevention peer education program, in recognition that students are the experts of their experience and know their community best.”
Bledsoe mentioned that research has shown that peer education is an effective way to prevent gender-based violence in the community. She also said that students are more equipped to deal with the root causes of violence and help encourage positive norms, behavior and attitudes to help foster an environment where gender-based violence cannot happen.
Some responsibilities of peer educators are tabling, facilitating workshops, planning and hosting events on campus, working with community partners and planning programs for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Stalking Prevention and Awareness Month and Sexual Assault Awareness/Action Month. They also create educational curriculum.
“By promoting healthy behavior, communicating prevention strategies, encouraging bystander intervention, helping create and reinforce positive social norms and challenge unhealthy ones, and serving as an approachable health education resource on campus, peer educators will positively shape the beliefs and attitudes of their peers and help cultivate a campus culture of consent and respect,” Bledsoe said.
The inaugural group of peer educators have just been hired and are in the middle of their training process. They will fully begin their roles at the start of winter term, Bledsoe said.
The peer educator job is a commitment that lasts from the start of fall term to the end of spring term. Applications are currently closed, but will reopen in early fall 2024. CAPE currently has an interest form for those who wish to join the waitlist to be notified when the program reopens.
Bledsoe said that people can request workshops for their club, student group, academic department, class or athletic team.
“Our peer educators can provide education on a wide range of topics related to gender-based violence prevention, sexual health and supporting survivors in our community,” said Bledsoe. “We can also work with groups to create a customized training or presentation to meet their specific interests and needs.”
Bledsoe mentioned that some of the techniques that are taught at the workshops include bystander intervention, talking about consent and supporting people who have talked about experiencing harm.
Bledsoe said that she encourages students to follow the Instagram @cape_osu for information on programs and events that they can participate in.
For more information on the Peer Education Program, Bledsoe said students can email [email protected] with questions or to show interest in becoming a peer educator.
