Alice Condliffe, Welfare Officer, explains her role and the type of support that the Welfare volunteers provide for John’s students.
My name is Alice, I’m a third year at John’s and I am the Welfare Officer for this year. I’ve really enjoyed it so far, so I thought I would share a bit about what the role involves and what Welfare is at John’s!
A big part of my role is managing the peer support team, who are a team of student volunteers who look out for fellow students, offer support, and generally make John’s a kinder and more welcoming place. I initially volunteered as a peer supporter in my second year, and I enjoyed it so much that it made me want to run for Welfare Officer, so I would really recommend the role to anyone who wants to help their fellow students. As well as working together during intense periods, such as Freshers’ week, we have occasional socials, so it’s a great way to meet other like-minded people in John’s.
Peer supporters run regular peer support drop-ins during term time. These are hour long slots a few times a week when any John’s students can come and chat about anything, big or small. There are lots of reasons why people could come to a peer support drop-in, and it can be really useful to just talk through something that’s on your mind with someone who you know will listen in a non-judgemental and non-advisory way. Peer supporters also get training on how to sign-post to different Student Support services in College and across the university, so they talk you through some of the options that are available to you. We work really closely with College Student Support, and I have regular meetings with our Student Support Officer to talk about how we can best support students in drop-ins.
Another part of my role is organizing Welfare events, mainly during Freshers’ week and Stressless. In Freshers’ Week, the peer supporters and I work hard to make sure people feel welcome and at home in John’s when they first arrive, because we know this can be a stressful time for many reasons. As well as running drop-ins every day during Freshers’ Week, we run tea and toast in the evenings for people to come and have a snack and a drink before they go to bed – it’s very popular! I have really fond memories of tea and toast from my Freshers’ week, and it’s really nice to be able to give that same experience to new students. Freshers’ week can be really busy and a bit stressful for anyone on the SJCR Exec, but our main priority is always making sure the new students have a safe and enjoyable week.
The other period of events for Welfare during the year is Stressless, which takes place during the exam period. I work with the Campaigns and Inclusivity Officer to run an event in John’s every day of the exam period, which range from Coffee, Cake and Colouring, to movie nights, to a petting zoo! The exam period can of course be one of the most stressful times of the year for many students, so making sure people have a space to relax and have time away from the library is really important. It’s also nice for me and the other peer supporters to get a break from academic work when running the events as well, so it’s a win-win situation really.
This is just an overview of the things I get up to as Welfare Officer; I also have regular meetings with the SJCR Exec and Welfare Officers from other Colleges to talk about how we can best support students, run the Welfare Instagram account, and much more! I’ve found volunteering with the Welfare team a really rewarding and memorable experience, so I would encourage any student to get involved. Taking advantage of the support offered by the Welfare Team is also a great way to make sure you are looking after yourself while at university.
If you have any questions about welfare at John’s, please don’t hesitate to contact me at johns.welfare@durham.ac.uk.
Welfare love ❤
Photo Credit: Mira Kothari
John's Chronicle 