Recruiting people who want to get involved as peer supporters is a major challenge for the implementation and sustainability of peer support programs. Various strategies are used to encourage this involvement and make it more attractive:
- Université Laval recognises volunteer involvement in the community as part of the 3-credit “Valorisation d’une expérience d’engagement social ” course.
- The Université de Sherbrooke offers peer helpers a $250 annual bursary.
- École de technologie supérieure recognises the commitment of engineering students through its Génie+ program.
- HEC Montréal has chosen to pay the peer helpers in its Escouade SAE program. Recruitment is carried out via a job posting. The same goes for UQTR and its Re-pairs brigade.
An article in Inside Higher Ed magazine discusses the strategy of compensation to facilitate the recruitment of students who play a role in supporting the mental health of their peers on campus.
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