Overview

The Multicultural Peer Educator Program equips students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to facilitate conversations on intercultural awareness, diversity, and community-building. Rooted in the principles of intercultural engagement, this program provides structured training in cultural competency.

Peer Educators enroll in UNST 2500 - Connecting Communities: Intercultural Education and Engagement, a one-credit course designed to deepen intercultural awareness, communication, and engagement by examining how culture shapes identity, interactions, and systemic structures.  Through this course, students develop the skills to lead impactful discussions and educational sessions. As student ambassadors, Multicultural Peer Educators foster intercultural understanding and empower their peers to build a more inclusive and connected community.

Presentation Formats

• Open Workshops - Open workshops for the 2024–2025 academic year will be announced via our newsletter and social media. All sessions take place in the Multicultural Student Center (2nd Floor, Newcomb Hall) and are open to all students to register and attend.
   
• Dorm Presentations - The Multicultural Peer Educator (MPE) Program was originally created in collaboration with Multicultural Student Services and Housing & Residence Life to provide educational opportunities and support Resident Assistants (RAs) in continuing conversations on topics such as implicit bias.  We encourage Resident Staff to utilize the program for facilitating meaningful discussions within their residential communities. MPEs can lead engaging workshops that build upon the foundations set by RA-led dialogues, helping residents explore identity, cultural awareness, and intercultural communication in a supportive and interactive setting.
   
• Organization and Classroom Requests - If your student organinzation or class would benefit from an MPE-led workshop, please fill out the request form, and we will follow up to coordinate a date and time.

The length of the workshops can be adjusted from 60 to 90 minutes depending on the number of participants. However, we highly recommend allocating at least 90 minutes to allow for meaningful engagement. Workshop offerings can be tailored to your specific needs.

Workshop Topics

Important Note: Our workshops are currently being reviewed and updated. We appreciate your understanding and will provide updates on availability once our review is complete.

• Social Identities 101 / The Impact of Social Identities
  ​A reflective session on personal identity awareness and how race, gender, sexuality, ability, and other identities instersect and shape lived experiences.
   
• Microaggressions 101
  What are microaggressions? How do microaggressions show up in different environments? This workshop explores recognizing and addressing microaggressions in academic and social settings.
  
  
• Cultural Appropriation vs. Cultural Appreciation
  Discuss the differences between respectful cultural exchange and harmful appropriation.
  
  
• Unpacking Privilege and Bias​
  A discussion-based session exploring implicit bias, privilege, and their impact on interactions with others. (In Development)
   
• Intercultural Communication 101
  An introduction to key concepts in cross-cultural communication and strategies for engaging across differences (In Development)
   
• Navigating Difficult Conversations
  A skill-building session on engaging in productive and respectful discussions on sensitive topics. (In Development)

Contact

For inquiries about how to become a Multicultural Peer Educator, please contact Dashan J. Axson-Lawrence, Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Services, at [email protected]. 

To request a presentation for your student organization, residence hall, or classroom, please fill out this FORM.