Last month saw the first Peer Support group meeting at York St John University.

Creator of the group, Libby Horne said: “I feel like for a lot of the society’s you have to either have a talent, be good at sports or have a special interest.”

“There wasn’t really a group for just chatting and making friends.”

Three students hosted the first Peer Support meeting in the De Grey building on campus.

Kyle Richards, a first‑year counselling student, and Autumn Hayden, a first‑year film and English literature student, help host the group meetings.

The turnout was larger than they had initially anticipated.

Many students came to take part in the ‘speed friending’ activity, a similar idea to speed dating.

This saw students sitting in a circle and moving every three minutes to talk to a new person.

Prompt questions were set up around the room to help everyone get to know each other whilst an array of snacks and sweets kept everyone’s energy levels high.

Why is the Peer Support needed at York St John?

When moving to University it is common for students to experience loneliness and to struggle to make friends.

Recent studies have shown that nearly one in four students feel lonely ‘most’ or ‘all’ of the time whilst at university.

Also, 43% of 18-24 year-olds worry their peers would judge them if they said they were lonely.

Libby, first year counselling student said: “I started the group because I noticed that a lot of students, including myself at times, can feel lonely and struggle to make friends.”

“My role is to check in with members and ensure the group stays a safe and supportive space for everyone.”

The hosts are hoping to get more students to volunteer and help behind the scenes.

Hopefully they will soon obtain recognition as a society on campus, enabling them to cater for more students and broaden their impact.

This would also allow them to run regular events, collaborate with other societies and have a freshers stall.

The organisers added participants to a group chat so they could receive updates on new events and stay in touch with the new friends they made.

19 year old Lacie Peters who’s a Foundation Year Law student took part in the ‘speed friending’ event.

Lacie said: “The overall atmosphere felt very welcoming”

“There wasn’t pressure to speak if you weren’t comfortable, despite there being a nervousness between everyone there was an understanding that we were all there to make friends.”

What does the future look like for the Peer Support Group?

Libby is hoping that the group will be able to accommodate as many students as possible with being flexible surrounding group meetings.

Once they become a society they plan on organising small trips and activities around York.

In upcoming weeks the organisers have promised board games, more speed friending sessions and much more.

If you want to join the group then all you need to do is message the YSJ Peer Support Instagram page and ask to join the group chat.

Libby said: “Everyone is welcome to the Peer Support Group, as it helps build wellbeing, confidence, and a sense of belonging for students.”