The Value of Your Campus Peer Education Group Affiliation with BACCHUS

The BACCHUS Network Support for Collegiate Health and Safety

The BACCHUS Network™ (BACCHUS) is a leader in providing educational, networking, and programming opportunities to college peer health educators and their professional advisors on a national and regional level. Over the last 36 years, we've evolved into the nation’s largest collegiate student organization promoting health and safety. Our programs and services are designed to support student peer educators in their educational outreach and program efforts to promote safe and healthy campus environments.

The BACCHUS Network™ is the place to support student leadership and peer education on health and safety issues – no matter your group name, specialized health interest, or social affiliation. Involvement as a student leader or advisor in our Network is often a very personal and passionate story.  The experience builds a variety of skills that last a lifetime.  The peer education experience gives students the confidence to believe in themselves and the power to influence others to make healthy and safe choices. For some, peer education is a life-changing moment for themselves or someone they help.

As many peer educators graduate and advisors move on to other career opportunities, they take with them the pearls of their involvement - compassion, wisdom, sense of service, sense of self, teaching, leadership - to use in their next professional, civic or academic role.  What started as a student-led alcohol abuse prevention effort at one campus more than three decades ago has grown to the largest active student organization in Higher Education today. Peer education has literally become an expectation of any comprehensive campus prevention program and BACCHUS continues to provide cutting-edge resources, training and programs for students on a wide variety of health topics. Peer education programs focusing on alcohol abuse prevention, tobacco, violence prevention, sexual health, safety, physical and mental health issues all find a home in our Network.

Peer Educators Promote Responsible Choices

Affiliates of our Network are concerned with the health of their students, their institution, and their community. Students of all ages are faced with making personal decisions about health and safety. Developing responsible decision-making skills impacts not just student life, it also prepares the individual to enter the post-college world and the greater community with knowledge and experience about helping others and the many benefits of healthy life choices.

Our peer education groups on campus tailor their efforts to best meet the health and safety needs of their individual campus community.  Peer educators address a single issue or a wide array of topics that can include:

• alcohol abuse
• impaired driving
• illegal drugs
• general health and safety issues
• sexual health
• STI’s, STD’s and HIV/AIDS
• sexual assault
• tobacco control and cessation
• fitness and nutrition
• healthy relationships
• mental health

The BACCHUS Network Philosophy
 
Our philosophy is that students can play a uniquely effective role - unmatched by professional educators - in encouraging their peers to consider, talk honestly about and develop responsible habits and attitudes about high-risk behavior surrounding alcohol and related health and safety issues.

We promote that most students make healthy choices and we support responsible decision-making.  We believe in harm reduction, use of effective strategies, and a comprehensive approach to prevention.  BACCHUS promotes respect for state laws and support for campus policies that address high-risk behaviors that compromise health and safety.

What types of campuses are involved with BACCHUS?  We have more than 600 peer education groups from campuses across the country including:

• Large and small institutions
• Public and private schools
• Two- and four-year colleges and universities
• Regional campuses and community, junior and technical colleges
• Art institutes
• Military academies

Ninety-one percent of BACCHUS peer education groups report they are active and meeting regularly to plan an average of 39 programs during the year!  Peer education groups have a variety of structures unique to the campus.

• 45% of our affiliates are student activity/club-related
• 37% are formal peer educators associated with an office or department
• 6% are formal classes, fraternity/sorority focused, a campus task force, connected directly to student government, focused on athletes, or peer theatre oriented

Peer education groups report their average membership size is 24, with an average of 15% of members associated with a fraternity or sorority, and 7% of members who are student athletes.

Seventy-eight percent of BACCHUS peer education groups report creating positive change on their campus and so can you! So whether you're a large school or a smaller school looking to make a difference in health and safety, we're sure you'll find your home for peer education with BACCHUS. (2011 Charter Renewal Information)