UNEBuddy
Connecting future students with the UNE community.
This online program links prospective students with current students, staff and alumni of UNE so they can learn more about courses, life at UNE and career options post-study.
To help make the program successful and provide a diverse mix of 'buddies' for students to talk to, we need your input!
We want you to share your experience and your insight so that prospective students can feel confident making an informed decision to choose UNE as their place of study. Whether it be in Armidale, Parramatta or online, having personal insight can make a big difference when making the decision on where to study.
We also have a blog function where buddies can contribute a written piece on a particular topic of choice or something they think might be useful for prospective students to know. If you're interested in getting writing experience and having it published in an online space, this could be the place for you!
Buddies aren't expected to be on call 24/7 to prospective students either. As messages come through for you, you will receive a notification and can reply in due course to the individual. If it gets to the stage where the questions become tricky to answer or you need to refer on, you can simply direct them to internationalservices@une.edu.au or refer to another area of the university.
We want to ensure you stay motivated and engaged, so we want to make sure you know about what's in it for you as a buddy!
New England Award Points
The prestigious New England Award is presented to students who have embraced the full UNE experience by getting involved in social and community activities that develop life skills, including voluntary work.
Great news! You can claim NEA points for your time spent as a UNEBuddy responding to messages.
Monthly Prizes
These prizes include vouchers to UNE Life cafe (Armidale), restaurants (across NSW), cinema tickets and more.
Prizes are awarded each month for:
- Most engaged buddy
- Most conversations had
- Best blog
Professional Development
UNEBuddies will have access to workshops and talks run by professionals around:
- Writing
- Digital communication
- Time management
- Digital marketing and more!
For our student buddies this can help strengthen job applications and prepare for life after uni. For our Staff and Alumni, it is a chance for you yourself to get involved and deliver PD to current student buddies and share your experience and knowledge with them, or potentially up-skill.
Intrinsic Reward
We know it sounds like an employee engagement strategy BUT, it also feels good helping others. Knowing you have done so and possibly changed someone's life for the better feels pretty darn great.
If you are interested in registering to become a UNEBuddy as a current student, staff member (both professional and academic) or alumni member, click here and sign up to get chatting today!
For any questions or queries on the program or what it looks like being a UNEBuddy, contact internationalservices@une.edu.au.
