PEER Program

The Peer program at KIS is offered to all students as a means of support during tough times. It is a service offered to the school community at large. The role of a peer is essentially to be there for others when needed. No student at KIS should feel they are alone or have to deal with things on their own. A peer’s duty is to always be approachable and available to others, no matter what the need is. The peer program is a commitment that selected students make in order to help make the KIS experience a positive one for all students.

The Peer Encouragers (in short: PEERS) of Kodaikanal International School encourage a supportive environment by providing a network of students willing to reach out in friendship to individuals and groups of our diverse student body. The program was put in place as a means, to support students by students. The PEERs as we like to call them, are spread out within the various dorms of the school. All students are eligible to apply. Once application forms are filled out a group of senior students, together with the Peer adults( adults who assist the program) read the forms and make a short list of applicants. An interview is usually held with each short listed applicant, and a final decision is made. Dorm parents play a vital role in the selection of our Peers. At the end of the academic year the Peers receive a certificate for having been of service to the student body.

• The Peers are given simple training in areas such as listening skills and how to appear approachable.
• They are also trained in Mediation, which allows for them to be of great help to dorm parents when minor issues in the dorm occur. This group of young individuals are a very select group of students who play a vital role in the working of this residential school.
  
• Orientation is a big part of what the Peers do. They are the students that initiate the new comers into our community. The Peers not only show the new students around, but tend to be the initial “friendly face” they feel safe to approach, with any and all of their teething problems.
• Apart from being there for those who need someone to talk to, the Peer program at KIS does a lot of interactive work with the Middle and Elementary school. The Peers run activities for the younger students during the week. On weekends, the Peers visit the dorms in order to bond with the younger children and to provide them with some fun and entertainment.
• On occasion, the Peers even visit dorms during dorm devotion time to address various moral issues.
  In short the Peer program is an invaluable asset to the school and has benefited countless students over the years.