On July 7th (Mon), and 8th (Tue), SSP OIC Peer Supporters hosted an event titled “Pop-in Study Lounge: Make the Most of Your Free Periods” during the 3rd and 4th periods (13:10-16:30) at the Campus.
This event was held for students who were feeling anxious or in a rush as final exams and assignment deadlines approached. It took place during the free period after lunch, providing a space where students with similar concerns could casually consult with each other and work on their assignments together. This event aimed to help students realize that “they are not alone in their learning.”
We aimed to encourage students not to struggle alone with things they do not understand, but to take a positive step toward studying by helping them reduce anxiety through learning with fellow students and by lowering the barriers to studying.
During the event planning phase, it was pointed out that last year's 'Super Intensive Study Session' had an issue: while participants could concentrate on their studies, the atmosphere was rather stiff, making it difficult for some students to participate. Therefore, this time, we prioritized creating a more casual space and held the event at the CLC on the 2nd floor of Building H, which allowed for easy come and go. Also, we tried to promote this event as much as possible to reach more students. This included posters, announcements on manaba+R, Instagram (which many first-year students had started following during the spring “Consultation Hour” event), and highly visible digital signage.
(Promoting SSP
event participation through Instagram Stories)
(Event
poster designed by the SSP PR team)
On those two days, up to 28 participants joined us, mainly first-year students but including students from all grades and departments. Among them, 7 students got their Q&A session by Peer Supporters. The questions received ranged widely, covering English exam preparation, setting report themes, and study methods. For example, a first-year student from the Faculty of Business Administration asked, "I’d like to know how to proceed with the report for my Introductory Seminar," while a first-year student from the Faculty of Comprehensive Psychology said, " I'm preparing for the final exam, but I'm unsure if it's alright." Among the 28 participants, 22 happened to drop by and joined the event. Of the 28 users present, 22 happened to drop by and ended up participating. Students who were already at the CLC at the beginning of the event stayed and sometimes asked for help. Survey results taken after the event showed that about half of the participants answered that the place was "quite easy to access," indicating how easy it was to access and precipitate. Also, Peer Supporters felt that by allowing participants to bring their own snacks and drinks, it helped to create the soft, relaxed environment of SSP where it's easy to ask for help.
(Participants seeking advice from SSP peer supporters)
Peer supporters not only responded to participants’ questions but also actively reached out to students across different faculties. When there were no students to assist, they proactively went to Building A to hand out flyers.
We believe the event achieved its goal of helping students realize that they are not alone in their learning. Students casually dropped by and were able to ease the anxieties and questions they had been carrying on their own by consulting with peer supporters. In addition, the challenge from the previous ‘Super Intensive Study Session’ that the stiff atmosphere made it hard to join was also overcome, as shown by the large number of students who participated spontaneously this time.
On the other hand, since only 7 students asked questions, we recognized some challenges. One issue may have been the timing, as many students had classes after lunch and potential participants were unable to join. Another point of reflection was whether we were able to provide SSP-quality support beyond simply offering a space.
While a fair number of students were present in the open space, we could not involve them as event participants. Moreover, since publicity activities for this event were significantly delayed, it is likely that channels other than posters and manaba+R could not function as intended.
Many students participated as drop-ins, there were 7 students who had previously taken part in “Consultation Hours”, an event that SSP holds annually. Moving forward, we feel it will be important to create an environment where students who have previously attended SSP events can feel comfortable joining simply by seeing the word “SSP.” Ideally, this event could allow each student studying independently at the CLC to become aware of SSP’s presence and recognize it as a reliable resource on campus, thereby enabling support for a larger number of students.
Additionally, in order to raise awareness among more students, promptly putting up posters and digital signage is also a key task. In fact, many students did not come forward to consult us by themselves, it was our outreach and approach that led them to seek specific advice. Therefore, we believe that spreading the recognition that "Peer Supporters are pleasant and reliable people to talk to" must be our most significant challenge for the future.
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English translation by Gushi, SSP Peer supporter (OIC)