Students develop educational presentations
More and more students are applying to serve as LGBT Peer Advocates, spreading knowledge about the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community throughout USC. The Peer Advocates are students who dedicate their time to inform the greater USC community about the LGBT community, as well as combating homophobia and heterosexism that is found on campus.
Though the Peer Advocate program is only in its second year, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs has received a large number of requests for representatives to come and speak to various groups on campus.
“We’re receiving more and more requests to do presentations, as well as a desire to help other students learn how to give presentations,” said Gavin Weiser, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. “It’s mostly just an educational program.”
When giving presentations, students are encouraged to be relatable and present the information to students in interesting ways.
“We all know what it’s like to have a bad teacher,” Weiser said. “It helps when we have someone that the students can relate to giving a presentation. The No. 1 important thing is an interest and desire to better themselves and the community.”
Currently, seven students serve as peer leaders, but the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs is hoping the program will grow larger in the coming years.
According to Kelsey Jarrett, LGBT graduate assistant, the organization is very pleased with the high level of interest shown in the Peer Advocate Program.
“We are very excited about having so many applications,” Jarrett said. “We really serve to educate the overall student population and the community. Our students are such a passionate and involved group of individuals that want to create that educational dialogue with other students.”
Students in the LGBT Peer Advocate Program not only give these presentations around campus, but they also assist in the presentations’ development. According to Jarrett, these students attend educational workshops to get into contact as much as possible with others.
Peer Advocates are often asked to speak in University 101 classes in order to facilitate a dialogue on a topic with which many students have trouble, according to Jarrett.
Aside from U101 classes, these students also speak in residence halls and to student organizations to provide fellow students with different perspectives on the subject.
One of the main goals of these presentations is to “promote social change through knowledge, understanding and critical reflection,” according to the LGBT Peer Advocate website.
“Many students don’t know that the office is here as a resource for all students,” Jarrett said. “The Peer Advocates are our visible undergraduate presence here on campus.”