The Practice
I co-lead a popular credit-bearing open-unit called ‘The Science of Happiness’, where each year 500 first-year students learn scientifically validated techniques for improving their own well-being.
Arguably, one of the most successful parts of the Science of Happiness (SoH) course is the ‘Happiness Hubs’, which are practical small group meetings led by a team of 30+ senior student mentors, typically third- and fourth-year undergrads and postgrads.
Becoming a paid SoH Mentor is a popular opportunity for our senior students and provides them with valuable experience leading others and helping junior students with the transition to university.
However – when recruiting for these roles, I noticed that I often received many poor quality applications from our current students. They were clearly keen to gain experience… but didn’t yet have the skills or knowledge to apply for the roles.
As an educator I realised that this was a problem that I could (and should!) help to solve.
To do this I created a 4-week practical course to teach senior students (a) how to lead and facilitate groups and (b) how to demonstrate their skills to prospective employers. At the end of the course, they were guaranteed an interview to become a SoH mentor. No experience necessary!
In the SoH: Learn to Lead course we focus on creating positive environments where each student can build their confidence by practicing leading activities. Everyone gives constructive feedback and shares their own experiences and best practices. Beginning with icebreakers and positive psychology activities in Week 1, we go on to look at how to create inclusive spaces, lead discussions, and organise teams, as well as to understand what employers are looking for and how to best showcase one’s skills. We culminate with mock interviews in Week 4, where students practice both being the interviewee and the interviewers, developing their leadership, organisation, feedback, group decision-making, oral presentation skills and more.
Offered as a pilot to 20 students in October of 2022, the programme has grown substantially, with approximately 80 students taking part in 2023 and a cap of 120 students (+ waiting list) in 2024.
Findings
For me, as co-lead of the Science of Happiness course, the Learn to Lead training has been a success in terms of producing a cohesive community of well-trained SoH mentors that I can trust to deliver a fantastic experience for first years taking the SoH open unit. For the students, this training programme ensures they are confident in their skills before taking on the mentoring role, and it has opened up opportunities for students who would likely otherwise have been overlooked, increasing their employability both within the university and beyond.
The Impact
After taking part, students reported an increase in their confidence regarding public speaking and leading others, and all strongly agreed or agreed that they felt better equipped to seek future employment after the course.
Quotes from past participants:
‘I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the course as I’ve never done anything like this before, but I can say that I am so glad I took part. Not only was it valuable in learning/developing skills and equipping me to be a mentor, I also always left the session feeling like it was such a positive experience and I’m glad I went each week.’
‘I think it was a great balance of activities targeting the development of SOH skills (i.e: group work, facilitation, mentoring, activity supervising, and leadership) as well as general life skills which are important for everyone to learn (interviewing skills, practice being interviewed, motivational writing, and finally knowledge about the application procedure of a job.’
‘The set up made me feel really comfortable and therefore more likely to actively engage. I like how active each session was and that we had lots of opportunities to try things rather than just being spoken at.’
‘I loved that I got to meet so many new people and have familiar faces around campus!’
Next Steps
The SoH: Learn to Lead mentor training programme will continue to run in future years, with places advertised to students at the beginning of TB1. I’d love to see similar schemes develop in related areas, providing a pipeline of well-trained, motivated students to take on other roles of responsibility across the university.
Contact
Dr Sarah Jelbert, Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychological Sciences or other members of the Science of Happiness team.
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