Teen Advice
Peer Advisory Panel

To be on the Peer Advisory Panel you must be between the ages of 14 - 25. Some exceptions may apply. If you are under 14 you may still be able to participate, but we will need your parents permission first.

What will I have to do?

In short, give good objective advice to peers. You must be able to answer questions with an unbiased eye and give advice not opinions. This can be a tricky thing to do because sometimes the advice being asked for is your opinion. Use your judgment. If a person is in real crisis, opinions are probably not what they want. Your role is to identify what type of information is being asked for and give that information with as little bias as possible. For example, if someone is asking about sex and you believe premarital sex is wrong, as a Peer Advisor, you would be expected to put aside that belief when answering the question and give them facts on birth control, age of consent laws, pregnancy, STDs and safer sex. If you want to post an objection to premarital sex, do not do it as a Peer Advisor, do it using your personal ID.

For more detailed information on Peer Advisor duties: Read the Peer Advisor Handbook

Can I do more?

Yes! You can most definitely contribute more than just advice to the Teen Advice site. However, it is totally optional. You can contribute articles, help scour the net for great teen advice sites or even host a chat (if you are 18 or older). If you are interested in taking on any extra jobs around the site, contact Mike Hardcastle - Teen Advice Guide.

If you don't want to be a Teen Advice Peer Advisor, you can still submit an original article using the User Submission Form.

What's in it for me?

Aside from the satisfaction of helping others, there are some real benefits to being a Peer Advisor. After a few months of service you will get a volunteer certificate to acknowledge your important role at the Teen Advice site. On request, you can get a letter of reference from the Teen Advice Guide, which can be very handy when applying for jobs, other volunteer positions or even college. You will gain invaluable peer counselling experience and be able to add work experience on the internet to your resume. As part of the Peer Advisory meetings to be held in chat, you will learn about things like; crisis management, recognizing warning signs and where to send peers for more serious help (both online and off). You can use the optional duties, like article writing, to build a credible series of writing samples. Above all, you will know you are making a difference in the lives of your peers.