Peer Wellness Ambassadors (PWAs) are a committed group of students who understand the importance of health and wellness and the value of connecting students to resources on campus to be successful while at UAB. Through intentional collaboration and support from university resources and the Office of Student Housing and Residence Life, Peer Wellness Ambassadors help to foster a healthy environment within first-year and upperclassmen residence halls utilizing our two branches: Peer Education and Peer Coaching.
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Peer Education
PWA Educators are first year students who live and work in our first-year residence halls. These students help to create a healthy environment for our residents by offering engaging and educational programming that allow each member of our community to thrive and sustain the challenges, rigors, and stress of pursuing an academic degree while living in the residence halls. As a peer to their fellow residents, PWA Educators can create opportunities for mutual growth and connection within our on-campus communities.
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Wellness Wheel
Peer Wellness Ambassadors work towards creating captivating programming through the lens of the Wellness Wheel and the 7 Dimensions of Wellness: occupational wellness, physical wellness, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness, financial wellness, environmental wellness, and social wellness. Throughout the academic year, PWA Educators provide education and hands on learning opportunities related to various wellness topics outlined in our Wellness Wheel Curriculum by hosting monthly events and creating informational bulletin boards in the residence halls.
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Residential Curriculum
While Peer Wellness Ambassadors primarily educate through the lens of the Wellness Wheel, Resident Assistants operate through our Residential Curriculum. As part of our on-campus residential experience, we utilize a residential curriculum to increase student success with the goals of greater retention and graduation rates. We do this through educating students in 3 areas – Self, Others, and Community. Throughout the year, RAs identify trends among their residents, and they build community on their floors. RAs are encouraged to collaborate with PWAs to address health and wellbeing trends that often arise, such as living with roommates and maintaining healthy relationships, bridging our two educational components to create a supportive and safe living environment within the residence halls.
Peer Coaching
PWA Coaches are returning UAB students selected to serve in a peer coaching compacity for residential students. The primary responsibility for PWA Coaches is Peer Chats: our peer coaching program available exclusively to students living on campus. These team members prioritize creating a space for students to feel heard and understood by fellow students and connecting their peers with other mental and physical health and wellness resources on campus or in the Birmingham community.
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Peer Chats
Peer Chats are private, nonjudgmental, 1:1 chat sessions for residential students seeking assistance with concerns that affect mental health such as stress, test anxiety, sadness, loneliness, relational issues, and adjustment concerns.
Monday - Thursday
6:00 - 9:00pm
Text your name and residence hall to (205) 201-0678 to meet with a trained peer coach. -
PWA Signature Programming
In addition to offering peer coaching, PWA Coaches plan and execute large scale wellness related programs throughout the academic year.
- Fall Fest to Stress Less is a community wide event that takes place around midterms during the fall semester. PWAs, along with campus partners, invite residents to participate in various wellness and stress relief activities to counteract the high levels of stress and burnout associated with the midpoint of the semester. Check out Engage for more information as it gets closer to fall midterms!
Contact Info
For more information about our employment opportunities, please contact the Residence Life Office.
McMahon Hall
Phone: 205-975-4575
SHRLrecruitment@uab.edu