UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW), a unit of Student Affairs, is seeking student ambassadors for its Healthy Penn State initiative.
Healthy Penn State is a holistic approach to promoting well-being that encourages the development and maintenance of a sound body, mind and spirit. The goal of the program is to provide important health information to students that will contribute to long-term academic and social success.
“Now is an exciting time to be a Healthy Penn State Ambassador,” said Erin Raupers, assistant director, Health Promotion and Wellness. “College students, now more than ever, are looking for resources and services to help them get healthy and stay healthy. One of the main roles of an ambassador is to share information about health resources on campus. During their experience with HPW, ambassadors will be able to engage in conversations with students to promote positive health behavior change.”
Student ambassadors who participate in the Healthy Penn State initiative are required to complete an eight-hour training session and attend one-hour bi-weekly meetings. The training will enable students to work with staff to promote healthy behaviors on campus. Ambassadors will engage in face-to-face interactions with peers, assist in the development of social media campaigns, and participate in outreach events and special programs. In addition, student ambassadors will gain leadership and confidence-building skills, learn about health promotion, and have an opportunity to make a difference in the health of Penn State students.
“As a college student I understand the difficulties and challenges that come with trying to maintain health and wellness,” said Lauren Wieder, Penn State junior and Healthy Penn State Ambassador. “Student ambassadors are committed to finding the best practices and balance between all of the obstacles that students face. It feels great to share this knowledge with peers who may be struggling with any aspects of health or wellness.”
The deadline to apply to the Healthy Penn State Ambassador program for the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters is Friday, Sept. 1. All undergraduate students in both health and non-health related majors are encouraged to apply. For more information and to apply, visit the Healthy Penn State website.