Peer Support Program

Year 7/10 Peer Support Program 2022 

The Year 7/10 Peer Support Program is a Year 10 student led program that provides a fun and engaging environment for our Year 7 students to address social issues. It encourages peer connections throughout the school and assists students in developing practical skills to enhance social and emotional wellbeing while developing a supportive learning environment.

It also assists students in achieving and maintaining a positive school culture, empowering them to support each other and to contribute positively to our school and community.

Much gratitude is extended to the Year 10 student mentors, the Year 7 students, their homeroom teachers, Ms Borg (7 YLL) and Ms Williams (Assistant to the Principal - Student Wellbeing) who all very generously and unconditionally supported the program this year.

Here are some year 10 students’ reflections of the Program:

Throughout this term, a group of Year 10’s have been meeting with the Year 7’s during Pastoral Care lessons. During this time we have been encouraging goal setting, promoting wellbeing and supporting the Year 7’s in their first year of high school. Through activities such as dodgeball and the card game frog, we have gotten to know the class of 7 Kildare. It was important to us that the Year 7's could experience a good first year as they have missed out on many opportunities due to COVID 19. Thus, it meant a lot to us that they could enjoy their first year, as well as learn some important life skills through the Peer Support Program. 

– Melina, Tayla and Ruth 

For this year's Peer Support Program, both the Year 7's and Year 10's have benefited from working with one another. The Year 7's learnt valuable life lessons to get them through high school and the Year 10's learnt that it is okay to take a break and have fun while teaching our newest students about high school life processes.

As a Year 10 student, I feel that it was nice to think back and remember what it was like when I was a Year 7 student who was very nervous to start high school and have Year 10 students to  guide me and teach me the ways of the school. I hope that we were able to teach the Year 7's valuable lessons that they can use throughout high school, from all the fun activities that we participated in. Apart from getting to know each other, we also worked on respectful relationships and organisational techniques.

The aim of peer support was to make the Year 7's feel more welcome at Marian College. I really hope that the Year 7's feel that they can talk to us about anything whenever they need to. The Year 10 students really enjoyed guiding the new Year 7's through their first months at high school and we hope to see them strive further in the years to come.

- Jolene 

Joan Fabbian

Year 10 Year Level Leader