Health Services’ Office of BroncoFit has partnered with Boise State Housing to promote wellness in the minds of students by designating BroncoFit Peer Educators to each resident hall on campus. The partnership is one of the many ways Peer Educators work to create America’s healthiest learning environment.
The office of BroncoFit facilitates learning through wellness programs and courses to encourage Boise State students, faculty and staff to engage in all aspects of health and well-being. Through these programs and courses, BroncoFit helps students create a road map for their own life-long health. These roadmap concepts allow students to understand how minor decisions can affect multiple aspects of their lives and how making a small healthy choice now can lead to a lasting healthy lifestyle.
To ensure BroncoFit objectives reach students, the initiative employs Peer Educators to help drive student programming and events. Peer Educators are responsible for promoting BroncoFit objectives and creating a student to student bond by understanding the social and academic pressure Boise State students face that is associated with health and wellness. Peer Educators inform and educate on numerous wellness and mental health topics such as: alcohol, depression and anxiety, drugs, sexual health, nutrition, sleep, stress, and sustainability.
“My favorite moment working with students was during finals week last semester,” said Claudia Morrison, peer educator for BroncoFit. “A student saw we were handing out stress balls and snacks in her residence hall and she said, ‘you just made my day! I’ve been studying all day and I’ve never been so stressed. This was exactly what I needed.’ It’s great to know we are making a positive impact on students lives and all areas of their health and wellbeing.”
Partnering with Housing has allowed Peer Educators to become even more involved with students and creates a more personalized promotion of health and wellness. This partnership allows Peer Educators to work closely with resident halls to plan events and develop programs tailored to the residents of that specific hall. Students within Resident Halls also have the opportunity to contact Peer Educators outside of group events and programs with any health and wellness concerns they may have. Facilitating programs with Housing has drastically increased programming for BroncoFit, making this academic year the most successful yet.
“One of the events we put on with the resident halls is an alcohol education event,” said Kelly Reilly, peer educator for BroncoFit. “Earlier this month we had one at Keiser hall where we talk about the effects of alcohol and allow students to try on drunk goggles. Events such as these really do have an impact on students. One student even said ‘wow this is really scary’ while wearing drunk goggles. It is rewarding to hear that students are taking these events seriously and thinking about the effects of drinking and driving and how it is a very scary thing.”
“I have had the ability to work in several different resident halls, and it is always such a rewarding experience,” said Hannah Campbell, peer educator for BroncoFit. “During the Fall 18’ semester, we worked on a Thanksgiving-themed nutrition event and I was amazed by the number of students that stayed and ate together. Students spent time socializing, and they were able to leave with an easy and nutritious recipe. I love seeing the different ways our events can bring residents together.”
“Being a Peer Educator and having the opportunity to work so closely with other students has really allowed me to make a difference in students’ lives regarding health education,” said Brooke Rude, peer educator and graduate assistant for BroncoFit. “Working with the resident halls, we are able to open the minds of students who are new to certain topics when they first arrive at college. We can also empower resident assistants with skills and knowledge that not only impacts their lives, but the lives of other students as well.”
Learn more about BroncoFit and Peer Educators.
Peer Educators work for BroncoFit for a full academic year. Applications are now open.