Wellness Peers

McKinley's Peer Education Program

Are you passionate about and dedicated to building a stronger, healthier campus community? Want to inspire and empower your peers to be well? Committed to being a leader in health and wellness?

McKinley's Wellness Peers:

  • Make an impact on how other Illinois students care for their holistic health and well-being.
  • Use creativity and experiences to influence wellness priorities.
  • Consider and advocate for other student’s wellness needs.
  • Engage other students while facilitating health education workshops related to sexual health, nutrition, stress management, and multicultural health.
  • Plan and implement wellness events and outreach including social media campaigns.
  • Build community and connect with other leaders on campus.
  • Grow personally and professionally- strengthen public speaking skills, grow as a leader, enhance your self-awareness, gain knowledge of health and wellness topics, learn life skills and much more!

Become an integral part of McKinley’s Health Education Unit and McKinley Health Center.

Commitments & Requirements

  • Must be a current University of Illinois student on the Urbana-Champaign campus.
  • Submit the online Application of Interest.
  • Attend the mandatory training(s) the peer group you are interested in requires.
  • Volunteer an average of 8-15 hours per month. This includes weekly meetings, trainings, facilitating workshops and other various activities. Hours and commitments vary within each peer group.
  • We would ideally like for our Wellness Peers to make a minimum of a 1 year commitment.

How to Apply

  • Review descriptions of each peer group below and decide which area of health you enjoy focusing on.
  • Ensure you can fulfill the Commitments & Requirements including individual peer group requirements.
  • Submit Application of Interest during recruitment period for the respective peer group you are applying for.

Note: Application deadlines will vary each semester with recruitment at the start of the semester. For more information, send an email indicating which group you are interested in: mhcpeered@illnois.edu 

    McKinley's Nutrition Peers

    Nutrition Peers provide students studying FSHN a unique opportunity to take their academic knowledge and learn how to address campus-wide nutrition concerns that affect their peers and the campus community. As a Nutrition Peer, you will be leading the charge that demonstrates to your peers what a healthy diet looks like while respecting your relationship with food and your body. You will help to normalize intuitive eating, healthy food habits, how food affects our bodies and how toxic diet culture is on campus. Dietetic students will be trained, educated, and mentored by a McKinley Dietitian.

    • Applicants: Must be enrolled in FSHN and must be available on Fridays at 9am for weekly meetings.
    • Group Capacity: 12
    • When to Join: TBD
    • Coordinator: McKinley's Nutrition Health Educator/Dietitian

    McKinley's Sexual Health Peers

    Sexual Health Peers (SHPs) are working to change the way we talk about sexual health on campus by providing inclusive, affirming, pleasure focused sex education. SHPs facilitate workshops, host tablings, and develop social media content to normalize conversations about sexual health. SHPs also help connect other students to sexual health care and resources.

    • Applicants: Students with majors in Community Health, Social Work, GWS are encouraged to apply, but students from all majors are welcome. Must be able to attend weekly meetings.
    • Group Capacity: 20
    • When to Join: Recruitment occurs at the start of fall and spring semester.
    • Coordinator: McKinley's Sexual Health Educator

    McKinley's Stress Management Peers

    Stress Management Peers are dedicated to providing education & awareness to U of I students on stress-related topics and concerns. While embracing the diversity of our campus, we connect with students through facilitation of workshops, participation in campus-wide program planning and other organized events.

    • Applicants: Students with all majors are encouraged to apply. Must be able to attend weekly meetings.
    • Group Capacity: 30
    • When to Join: Recruitment occurs at the start of fall and spring semester.
    • Coordinator: McKinley's Stress Management Educator

    McKinley's Special Populations Peers

    Students in Special Populations will gain a variety of learning experiences including planning, implementing and evaluating illness prevention/health promotion programs aimed at supporting diverse student populations.

    Members of Special Populations will engage in areas or topics related to cross-cultural health, health disparities, health issues of concerns among various ethnicities, access to health care services and general wellness.

    • Applicants: Students should have majors in Allied Health Sciences or College of Education. Interviews may be conducted.
    • Group Capacity: 30 – 35
    • When to Join: Recruitment occurs at the start of fall and spring semester (can accept members throughout the year if an opening is available).
    • Coordinator: Graduate Student under the supervision of Director of Health Education at McKinley