This document provides guidance and information for peer mentors at a university. It outlines the code of conduct for mentors and mentees, including expectations around confidentiality, appropriate communication, and inclusive language. It also covers topics like equality and diversity, safeguarding concerns, responsibilities of being a mentor, and feedback from previous years to improve the program. The overall purpose is to prepare new mentors for their role and responsibilities in supporting new students.

1. Thank you
2018/19

2. Code of Conduct

3. Code of Conduct (1 of 2)
• Mentors and mentees are not to meet on a 1:1 basis in private. All meetings between
mentors and mentees are to be held in University grounds or in public spaces
• Peer Mentors must attend all relevant training sessions when required to do so
• If Mentors and mentees are to commit to any organised meetings, ensuring that they
are punctual
• Anything shared between mentor and mentee must be kept confidentially, unless
there is a safeguarding concern
• Communication must be made during responsible hours

4. Code of Conduct (2 of 2)
• Mentor and mentees are not to exchange landline numbers or addresses. The
exchange of mobile telephone numbers is at the discretion of both mentor and
mentee
• Peer mentors and mentees must actively challenge any prejudicial or discriminatory
behaviour towards staff, students, visitors or members of the public. Should any
behaviour require reporting, please inform the Peer Mentoring Team
• All mentors and mentees will adhere to the University and Union’s health and safety
policy as well as the codes of practices and policies which are available through their
websites

5. Communication

6. Inclusive Language
Consider how your language might come across to others. For example:

7. Inclusive Language
• By being careful about the language we use, always ensuring we use inclusive
language, you won’t unintentionally reinforce dominant norms or stereotypes
• Non-discriminatory language avoids false assumptions about people and helps to
promote respectful relationships, as you may not meet every mentee.
• Inclusive language enables everyone to feel they are being reflected in what is being
said, making individuals feel included and comfortable

8. Written Communication
• Their first impression of you will be from an email, so make it count!
• Effective written communication is clear and concise. That isn’t to say don’t let your
own personality come across, but be careful to ensure everyone understands what
you are saying
• Our language can differentiate between different people and different situations. Be
mindful or the cultures, backgrounds and personalities of your Mentees. An effective
communicator can tailor their communication style to each individual situation and
person

9. Face to Face Communication
You are more than likely going to meet your mentee/s face to face at some point. In
these circumstances, you should consider the following, according to this TEDx Talk:
• Be interested: Assume that you have something to learn from every interaction
• Pay Attention: If you are listening, your body language will naturally reflect this. Be
completely present in the conversation
• Clarification: Don’t be afraid to ask more than once if something isn’t clear. Ask open
questions
• Positive Language: If they are feeling down, try to keep things neutral or positive.
Negative language may only prolong the low feelings

10. Skills Development

11. Employability
Communication
Your emails will demonstrate
your ability to write and
construct a coherent piece of
information via email
Organisation
You will have volunteered
your time and organised your
commitments effectively
Leadership
By organising meet ups and
check-in’s with a diverse
group of mentees with
different needs
Key Skill:
How will Peer Mentoring help me?

12. The Emails: Some Examples

13. OH MY GOD THERE'S ONLY THREE WEEKS LEFT OF TERM!?! - it's gone so quickly!
It's important to make every last second count - the best way to do this is by getting involved with as much as possible.
Have you made progress on your Leicester Award yet? The Leicester Award gives you the opportunity to discover new skills and
to gain new experiences. It’ll enrich your student life by encouraging you to challenge yourself and try new things. You’ll develop
your confidence, resilience and decision making skills, as well as create a bright future for yourself by developing lots to go on
and talk about in interviews etc..
What about becoming a Peer Mentor? Given it much thought? To be honest, it's minimal effort and you get HEAR accredited for
it (see the link at bottom of email to find out more about HEAR). You get to help out students just as I have done with you so far
this term and you get a nice glowing feeling from knowing you've made a nervous individual's life a tiny bit more relaxed.
I know I keep harping on about it but I encourage you strongly to join societies! There's tonnes here at UoL - from A-Z there’s
something for everyone! We have an ever-growing number of societies and clubs including Curry Society, Feminist Society, Pole
Fitness, Re-enactment and Archery. Clubs and societies are a great way to socialise and meet new people, possibly even lifelong
friends.
If you're more of an individual who prefers your own company, why not volunteer? Volunteering is amazing. It’s a great way of
giving something back to the community and it’s a fantastic way of developing skills that can help you gain graduate
employment. There's always opportunities advertised on the SU website as well as the Careers site.
Whatever you decide to get involved with, MAKE. IT. COUNT. You've only got 3 years here at uni and I promise you it goes quicker
than you realise.
Trust me.
All the best,

14. We like this because…
• It included pictures
• Important writing is in bold
• Provided good reasons about how to improve and develop their skills for the
following year
• Great use of punctuation and grammar
• Inclusive and has provided options for everyone
• Sense of fun and engaging. The Peer Mentor sounds happy and always ready to help

15. Hey,
I wish i knew about:
• RefWorks
• essay "critical writing" workshops
• careers development
• societies events and how fun they actually are
• other opportunities available in uni such as ambassadors/campus jobs...
Hope this helps!

16. This could be improved by…
• Explaining the relevance to why this is important and helpful to know these things in
their first year
• Not enough context
• Does not sound interesting or fun to read
• Grammar could be better

17. I wish I knew that being in my first year was not really a walk in the park
I wish I knew I could get help from the Union instead of walking in the dark
I wish I knew the library was open 24/7 and I could borrow certain text books
I wish I knew that referencing seminar will make OSCOLA easier than it looks
I wish I knew participating in societies will give me a plus in my short resumé
I wish I knew entering certain competitions would be great and more than Okay
I wish I knew attending school events would increase tremendously my network
I wish I knew that checking out career festival would grant me a summer work
I wish I knew that taking time to go to the gym will help me focus better
I wish I knew that cooking my own food was saving me money and it was safer
I wish I knew that I could have a mentor who could help out when I am lost
I wish I knew that I the Student Union give great tips on their Facebook post

18. We like this because…
• They have written a poem showing great creative writing style
• Provide good reasons about how to improve and develop their skills for the following
year
• Inclusive, as it includes options for everyone
• Friendly, approachable and shows their unique character
• Peer Mentor sounds happy and always ready to help

19. Hi guys!
I hope you are enjoying your modules and life at Leicester. Now you've all hopefully settled in, i'm going to use this as an opportunity to let you know what's going on at the moment
around University and Leicester and things to be involved in!
Today is Diwali Day! This is the biggest celebration of Diwali outside of India so is not one to be missed. I wasn't lying about the free sweets! The Student's Union will be giving out Indian
sweets between 1 and 2pm to celebrate today and other traditional activities will be taking place. Also, around Melton Road and Cossington Street Recreation Ground tonight there will
be even more going on and a pretty impressive firework display. This is happening all afternoon until 9pm tonight so don't miss out!! :)
As you are all a part of the History, Politics and International Relations school, I thought it would be useful to let you know what is going on in your department.
- The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, will be delivering a talk on Friday 27th October @ 14:00 - 15:00. This will be in Ken Edwards Lecture Theatre 1! All students are
welcome to attend, it will likely be very busy so get there a little earlier to guarantee a place! This is a really cool opportunity and not one to be missed!!
- October is Black History Month! There are a variety of talks happening all month around campus, check out the SU website for more info. All the talks and lectures are on this
link: https://www.leicesterunion.com/blackhistory?parent_link=green-menu-wrapper .
- Starting next Monday 23rd is the Festival of Careers! This is open to everyone - not just final years! Although you have your whole degree ahead of you, this will be a great chance to get
insight from a range of employers and explore your options for the future. This is the link to prep and see what's on!
https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers-new/information-for-students/festival-of-careers?uol_r=fd0e4af4
- As a general tip, join a society!! I wish I had taken full advantage of the huge amount of groups and societies available in my first year. The full list and membership information is on the
SU website. For anyone doing American Studies (like me!) I really recommend joining our society and we have some exciting Halloween events coming up. If anyone wants more info on
this, please don't hesitate to email me!
If there is anything you would like more information or advice on, drop me an email! Any other queries or questions about your studies are also more than welcome. As always, having a
mentor is completely optional. If you would like to opt-out of these emails please follow the instructions on the link here!
I hope you find this useful! Best wishes,

20. We like this because…
• Informative and practical
• Provided good reasons about how to develop their skills
• Great creative writing style
• Inclusive
• Sense of support and providing lots of advice (but, could reduce the amount of
writing)
• The Peer Mentor sounds happy and always ready to help
• Links have been included, as well as times and dates of events

21. Email Top Tips
• Proof-read your email before you send it: Will it come across as friendly? Is it
inclusive? Would you have found it helpful when you were in your first term?
• Keep clear gaps between paragraphs
• Keep them concise: Aim for between 2 and 5 paragraphs
• Accept their feelings: Acknowledge any negative feelings they are having, but try and
remain positive and forward-thinking
• Don’t be patronising: Avoid saying ‘First year is easy’ or ‘it doesn’t count’
• Make the subject line interesting: Try and grab their attention so your email doesn't
just get deleted

22. What do I have to say?
• The Peer Mentoring scheme is ‘opt out’ for all first years. Therefore, on all emails you
will need to include this disclaimer on the bottom of each email:
“If you would no longer like to receive these emails, you can opt out here”
• If they ask you directly to be removed from the scheme, please inform
peermentoring@le.ac.uk as soon as possible
• Guidance will be released closer to the start of time over the content and themes of
this year’s emails

23. Your Responsibilities

24. Equality and Diversity
As a Peer Mentor, you are expected to uphold principles of Equality and Diversity
throughout your role.
• Equality is ensuring individuals or groups of individuals are treated fairly and equally
and no less favourably, specific to their needs, including areas of race, gender,
disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation and age
• Diversity aims to recognise, respect and value people’s differences to contribute and
realise their full potential by promoting an inclusive culture for all staff and students

25. Equality Act (2010)
• Law which protects people from discrimination in the workplace and wider society
• Replaced previous anti-discrimination laws, by creating a single Act, making the law
easier to understand and strengthening protection for some.
• It sets out the different ways in which it’s unlawful to treat someone
• It recognises 9 protected characteristics, and makes it illegal to directly or indirectly
discriminate against that individual (unless meeting a legitimate aim, as defined by
the Act)

26. Direct and Indirect Discrimination
• Direct Discrimination: According to section 13 of the Equality Act this is when a
person treats one person less favourably than they would another because of a
protected characteristic
• For example: Banning people with an visual impairment from attending a concert
• Indirect Discrimination: When a provision, criterion or practice is neutral on the face
of it, but its impact particularly disadvantages people with a protected characteristic
• For example: Allowing all to attend a concert, but only accepting online bookings
from an inaccessible website, meaning a person with visual impairment cannot
book (and thus attend) a concert

27. The Nine Protected Characteristics

28. Safeguarding
• After completion of this PowerPoint, you will be required to also read the information
in the following Safeguarding and Signposting Prezi
• This will provide an in-depth look into your role regarding to Safeguarding, signs of
distress and how to respond
• Please do not attempt to complete the quiz until you have read through all the
material, as the final quiz covers information in this PowerPoint, the Prezi and HEAR
PowerPoint
• Please be aware: you may find some of the content in the Safeguarding and
Signposting upsetting. Take a break if you need to, and remember you don’t have to
read everything in one go

29. Confidentiality
• A communicative relationship, such as that between a mentor and mentee, is based
on confidentiality
• It is assumed that you will not repeat conversations had, or speak about that person,
without their permission
• This enables a relationship of trust and respect to be built between the mentor and
mentee, allowing them to feel more settled and comfortable with you

30. Confidentiality
• However, there are certain exceptions to this rule, namely:
• If both parties agree that they can speak to someone else about an issue or
problem
• If one party believes that there is a risk of harm to them or any other person,
based on something they have said
• If you are concerned about your mentee’s safety, remember, you may be the only
person they have confided in. Please see the Safeguarding and Signposting training
for advice on how to act, or, if you are unsure, contact peermentoring@le.ac.uk for
advice

31. Feed Forward:
Feedback from Last Year

32. They said:
Some key pieces of information:
• They will need to seek permission from both their current department and the one
they want to change to
• You can only change course in the first few weeks of term, otherwise, they will have to
wait until the next academic year
• They need to fill out an online form, available via MyStudentRecord
• If they’d like advice, our Education Unit is the best place to go
I don’t know what to do if my
mentee wants to change course!

33. They Said:
We did:
• We have been in touch with the Careers Department (who oversee HEAR and
Leicester Award) to be able to give you more guidance
• Now, part of your training (you will be completing this after this PowerPoint) will be a
short presentation on HEAR and Leicester Award for you to go through
• This will both provide you information to pass onto your mentees, and provide you
with some additional information if you would like to get involved or know more
My mentee’s keep asking me about HEAR and
Leicester Award…but I don’t understand them

34. They Said:
We did:
• We have been working on a ‘Helping Hand’ guide to assist you with your emails
• This will give you advice and guidance on what to include, and remind you of things
you might have forgotten about
• This will be released soon, and we will email this out to you
I’m not sure what to
include in my emails

35. Final Thoughts

36. Don’t worry!
• You are not legally responsible for the wellbeing of your mentee
• You will not get into any ‘trouble’ if you fail to refer a mentee to the correct place
• The Peer Mentoring team are here and happy to help advise you in any situation
which you aren’t sure of –don’t be a stranger, keep in touch!
• We hope you enjoy your mentoring, it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and
develop new skills

37. Keep in touch!
• Drop in and visit us in the SU Main Office 10am-4pm Monday-Friday
• Give us a call on 0116 223 1160
• Drop us an email on peermentoring@le.ac.uk
• Follow us on Twitter @SUPeerMentor
• Get involved with the discussion forums on Blackboard
• Keep an eye on the Students’ Union Website and on Blackboard