Some establishments have set up initiatives in which an outreach worker is specifically dedicated to reaching out to students, rather than directing them to services. Depending on the case and the specifics of the desired model, different names are used to designate this person: outreach worker, corridor worker, street worker. These people are present in the common spaces frequented by students and are available in real time to respond to their support needs.
Here are some higher education establishments that have implemented this type of practice.
- At Université Laval, outreach workers provide front-line service, support and referrals to the appropriate resources as needed. The meetings are confidential, free of charge and offered face-to-face on campus or by videoconference.
- The Cégep de La Pocatière proposes a model where a corridor worker goes directly to meet students by criss-crossing the CEGEP’s common areas to assess their needs, support them and direct them to the appropriate resources.
- At Collège Ahunstic, an Indigenous Student Life Facilitator position has been created to welcome and support First Peoples students in their success and needs.
- Le Cégep de Sainte-Foy a pour sa part des travailleur.ses de rue qui ont la particularité de ne pas avoir de bureau dédié et qui, au besoin, accompagnent les étudiant.es à l’extérieur de l’établissement.
- At the École de technologie supérieure, an outreach worker is available on campus to provide rapid psychosocial assistance through direct contact, without having to fill out a form. He can offer one-off meetings or short-term follow-up in person, by telephone or on Zoom, as well as directing students to other resources according to their needs.
An outreach intervention practice was presented at the Journées de transfert de connaissances sur la santé mentale étudiante, organized by ISMÉ in March 2024.
This is a presentation by a committee made up of Collège Ahuntsic students from different cultural communities and various members of the college’s staff. The committee’s mandate is to strengthen community ties and student inclusion through the planning of sociocultural and intercultural activities.
Speaker:
- Jean Yves Sylvestre, social work technician, Collège Ahuntsic.
⏱️ 20 minutes
Note: As agreed with Journée SME participants, questions and interventions from the audience do not appear in this recording. These sequences were cut out of the video.
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