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WORKING AS A PEER ADVISOR

How does it work?

In each WTI group there is a Convening Advisor. This is each participant's primary Advisor. If a group is large, or if the Primary Advisor is from out-of-town, the Convening Advisor may choose to ask a Graduate Assistant, or a WTI Participant, a peer, who is in Cycle II or III to assist her with the advising process.

The process of becoming a Peer Advisor follows:

  • A new participant enters the group.
  • The Convening Advisor will ask her if she is interested in having a peer Advisor in addition to the Convening Advisor.
  • If she says no, the Convening Advisor will be her only Advisor. If she says yes, then:
    • The Convening Advisor will ask women in Cycle II and III if they are interested in having an Advisee and will make up a list of potential Peer Advisors.
    • The new participant will be asked to select two or three women from the list whom she would like to be her Peer Advisor.
    • The Convening Advisor will review the list and match Peer Advisor and Advisee, or facilitate a process for selection.

What are Peer Advisor's responsibilities?

You will be responsible for:

  • Helping explain and interpret the program.
  • Making suggestions about what activities might meet program requirements.
  • Providing support, encouragement, and guidance.
  • Reviewing an advisee’s documentation, forwarding it to the Convening Advisor along with any comments about her work.

What aren't a Peer Advisor's responsibilities?

You are not responsible for:

  • Being a best friend, counselor, or personal Priestess.
  • Knowing everything about the program.
  • Representing WTI.
  • An Advisee's personal life.

How should I behave with an Advisee?

Be yourself, but keep your relationship on a casually professional basis. Please remember that the same considerations that apply to Advisors also apply to Advisees. You have not been given a new best friend or someone whom you can always count on to call the directions at your rituals. Be considerate, caring, and supportive, but not demanding or possessive.

How often should I meet with my Advisee?

That is up to you and your Advisee. In general, it should be up to an Advisee to decide how much contact and/or assistance she wants or needs. It is wise not to pester your Advisee about meeting with you or about her progress in the program. The WTI hopes to empower women. You can encourage this by letting your Advisee choose the amount of contact she is comfortable with and her own rate of progress.

What if I have a problem or don't know something?

  • If you don't know the answer to a question about the program simply tell your Advisee that you don't know, and call or write your Convening Advisor to assist you.
  • If you have a problem with an Advisee and you don't know what to do, call or write your Convening Advisor. Your Convening Advisor can assist you with problem solving, and has the ability to transfer an Advisee if that seems to be the best course of action.

What if I'm going to graduate and I have an Advisee?

The same process outlined above will be followed. You will no longer be eligible to act as a Peer Advisor once you have graduated. We need to give women newer to the program a chance to learn advising skills.

Reporting and Recommendations

All WTI participants are required to submit progress reports. Your responsibility as a Peer Advisor is to read/listen/observe the material, give feedback to your Advisee and make recommendations to the Convening Advisor. You and your Advisee need to make arrangements to assure that the Convening Advisor gets copies of all materials. This can be done either by making two sets of the materials or by having you (the Peer Advisor) pass the materials along to the Convening Advisor. The Convening Advisor will inform you how often she wants to meet with you and your Advisee on WTI Weekends.

Things to consider:

  • Most paths require that you find some way to assist those in other Cycles. There are many ways to accomplish this, one of which is being a Peer Advisor.
  • You are asked not to begin a sexual relationship with an Advisee. If you are considering beginning a sexual relationship with an Advisee, please consult your Advisor first. Your Advisee will be transferred to another Peer Advisor.
  • You are the person who can and should set appropriate boundaries with an Advisee.
  • Be guided by the principles in the Consecration Affirmation. They are the concepts of leadership on which WTI is founded.