Well, firstly new students sign up to the Buddy Scheme during Freshers and the start of semester one. We ask new students and Buddies when they sign up to the scheme to tell us about their interests and things they’re keen to try at university. We then match new students with a Buddy based on their shared interests, with each Buddy being assigned a group of about five new students. Once they’ve got their new students, the Buddies can arrange to meet their group during the first weeks of semester one. We’ll give you guidance on how to go about this, so no need to worry! The Buddies will then keep in touch throughout the year via email and face-to-face meetings.

The main purpose of the SU Buddy Scheme is to help new students settle into life at Cardiff and integrate into the student community, and the Buddies do this in several ways! Firstly, Buddies are here to act as ambassadors for all the amazing opportunities offered by the Students’ Union and are here to introduce new students to these opportunities, for example: societies, sports clubs, volunteering, and Student Senate. Every Buddy will receive an information PDF with opportunities and suggestions of things for their group to try so they can get the most out of their student experience.

Buddies are also here to listen to and support their new students with any questions they might have. We want Buddies to be able to coach their students and effectively signposting them to the different services available, should they need it and we will be giving them training to make sure they can do this.

As a Buddy, you will receive core training in September which will cover the logistics of the scheme. You will additionally get to attend RE-ACT training about how to be a better bystander to sexual and domestic violence and PIPS suicide awareness training. We also really hope you take advantage of specialised training available to you from the Skills Development Service which incorporates leadership styles, leadership in difficult situations, problem solving, and teamwork. On top of this you will receive ongoing support from the Student Advice department.

The fact that you want to get involved in the Buddy Scheme and help new students shows that you are driven individual who cares about student welfare; qualities of the leaders of tomorrow. We want to facilitate your personal development as much as possible through the Buddy Scheme and one way we hope to do this is through the core training. The Buddy Scheme training is split into four main sections: scheme logistics, understanding confidentiality and effective signposting, equality and diversity training, and coaching skills. In scheme logistics, we’ll talk you through how the scheme will run on a day-to-day basis and give you tips on how best to engage with your new students. In the second section, we’ll explain how to approach confidentiality and you’ll receive an in depth explanation of services available through the Students’ Union and University. This will equip you to effectively signpost new students. Understanding these services can act as a springboard into other term-time leadership positions across the Students’ Union and University. In the section on equality and diversity, you’ll receive training on understanding unconscious bias and receive an introduction to LGBT+ issues. As a Buddy, it is likely that you matched with students who have different life experiences. This section will show you that appreciating and sharing these different perspectives can help enrich your own student experience. You’ll also receive module on coaching where you’ll be taught how to encourage your new students to reach their full potential through the GROW model of coaching. Finally, we’ll tell you how you can get involved in initiatives designed to boost your personal development such as the Millennium Volunteering Award, the Cardiff Award, and Diploma of Professional Development in Leadership. Being a Buddy makes you eligible for all these incredible initiatives.

During term-time Buddies will need to be able to dedicate approximately one to two hours a week to make themselves available to their group of new students; this could be via email or through face-to-face group catch-ups. This time commitment may be greater or less at different times of the academic year; it is likely that Buddies will need to spend more time at the beginning of semester one getting associated with their new students and helping with initial enquiries. All volunteering hours as a Buddy can be logged and used to contribute towards the Millennium Volunteering Award, Cardiff Award, and Diploma of Personal Development in Leadership.

There are a number of ways you can stay in touch with your new students; the best is through your Cardiff University email addresses. Whilst we generally discourage exchanging mobile numbers and social media details, the choice is entirely up to you. Try to arrange a meet-up every few weeks– a friendly face and someone to chat to during your first few months can make a huge difference to the student experience. Also why not sign to activities together around your shared interests, a list of which can be found in the Buddy Scheme information PDF.

The relationship between Buddies and their group of new students is a semi-professional one. However, we hope that in many cases the Buddy Scheme will lead to firm enduring friendships being made. Buddies are not responsible for solving the problems of their new students. Their role is to signpost students to appropriate services when issues arise who will then be able to help the new students. Attempting to resolve issues without the necessary training and experience is likely to cause further harm for new students and the Buddies themselves.

We’re really sorry to hear that! The first thing we would suggest is to chat to the new student and see what it is they were expecting from the Buddy Scheme. Buddies and new students are matched based on shared interests and so try to open a dialogue with the things you have in common. If it is an issue that you feel you cannot talk through on your own then please contact us at BuddyScheme@cardiff.ac.uk and we’ll attempt to mediate. If these disagreements however prove impossible to overcome, please don’t worry, there is a mechanism to assign a new Buddy to the student.

If you have emailed one of your new students and haven't heard anything within a week then please email BuddyScheme@cardiff.ac.uk with your name, student number, and the name of the new student and we will try to contact them for you and make sure they still want to be part of the scheme. Please don’t worry - there may be a very simple reason why they haven't replied.