S2S Peer Support Programme
A Peer Supporter is an S2S volunteer trained in active listening, available year-round for one-to-one meetings with TCD students.
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To become an S2S Peer Supporter, you must complete 35 hours of training and be ready to listen confidentially and without judgment to TCD students.
Peer Supporters are carefully matched with students they do not already know, to ensure comfort and confidentiality for both parties.
Personal experience with challenges or support services does not exclude you from becoming an S2S Peer Supporter. However, it’s important that you feel confident that supporting others won’t negatively impact your own wellbeing.
Applications for 2025/26 are closed. Updates for 2026/27 recruitment will be shared here and on Instagram (@tcds2s) in term two.
Is This Role For Me?
If you’re interested in becoming an S2S Peer Supporter at Trinity College Dublin, please take time to consider your availability and commitment before applying, as we can only train a limited number of volunteers each year.
Peer Supporters should be approachable, empathetic, and genuinely committed to listening and helping others.
Those who begin but do not complete training, or who complete it but do not actively engage in the programme, jeopardise our ability to provide timely support to students who need it.
All applicants must:
- Commit to 35 hours of training (usually held at the end of second term)
- Attend refresher and ongoing training each semester (approx. 3 hours)
- Be available for casework, debriefs, supervision, admin meetings, and drop-in shifts (2–6 hours per week)
- Be prepared to support fellow students with a wide range of challenges, including ongoing issues
Frequently Asked Questions
As a Mentor you work with fellow Mentor buddies, to share your Trinity wisdom to incoming first-year undergraduate students and help them feel welcome to college.
Peer Supporters offer 1:1 listening support to any student in Trinity, and receive a longer more intensive training.
Yes - Postgraduate students are welcome to apply to be Peer Supporters! Please note that training takes place during May (for 2025/26), and you start taking on cases in September after Refresher training, Garda vetting, and a debrief.
To become a Peer Supporter you must apply during our recruitment process (usually after Reading Week in second term). Applicants are shortlisted for interview and anyone successful at interview is invited to attend training which normally happens over a full week in May.
To be a Peer Support you must
- Attend 35hr training in May
- Attend Refresher training in September
- Agree to be Garda vetted
- Attend debriefs with S2S staff
Training for 2025 takes place the week of 12th - 16th May, from 10am to 6pm each day.
Yes. Peer Supporters are required to undergo the full 35 hours of initial training. Absence from any part of training means you will not be able to take up your Peer Support role.
All Peer Supporters must attend a 20-minute post-training debrief after the initial training. A mandatory 2 hour refresher training session will also be held early each term and attendance is required at monthly Group Supervision . Peer Supporters must also attend a debrief after their first meeting with a new case but debriefs after second or subsequent meetings are optional.
Volunteer Feedback
S2S Survey 2024
"Peer supporters don’t pass any judgement and being in a similar age group can make it easier to understand certain situations you might be struggling with"