Learning as We Teach: The Power of Near Peer Mentorship at Take Back the Halls

At Take Back the Halls, we believe in the power of connection. And sometimes, the most powerful connections happen between people who are still figuring things out themselves.

One of the relationships we intentionally cultivate is between our middle and high school students and the undergraduate students we hire as Prevention Educators.

These college students bring energy, relatability, and authenticity to our program. As near-peer mentors, they’re close enough in age to understand what our teens are experiencing, but far enough along to offer a glimpse of what’s possible. They’re role models, trusted allies, and, let’s be honest, way cooler than the average professional adult. That cool factor isn’t just a bonus. It’s part of what makes them such effective messengers.

Each fall, we hire a new cohort of DePaul undergraduate students to join our team. During their first semester, we immerse them in our curriculum and the skills at the heart of healthy relationships.

As I sat with our teams this week reviewing a session on healthy conflict resolution, I was reminded that many of our Prevention Educators are encountering these concepts for the first time themselves. I could see them connecting the dots, thinking not only about how these skills might have helped them when they were teenagers, but how they could make a difference in their relationships today.

Some might see this as a flaw in our model. After all, shouldn’t the people teaching young people about healthy relationships already have all the answers?

We see it differently. It’s one of Take Back the Halls’ superpowers, pairing young people with young adults to learn and grow together. 

Our Prevention Educators aren’t experts who have mastered healthy relationships and are coming in to teach everyone else. Most are stepping into this work for the first time. They’re learning to set boundaries, navigate conflict, regulate emotions, and communicate in healthy ways right alongside our teen participants.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Because something powerful happens when young people see that healthy relationships aren’t reserved for people who have everything figured out. Our Prevention Educators model what it looks like to be open to new ideas, question what you’ve been taught, acknowledge what you don’t know, and practice doing things differently.

Their willingness to be honest about what’s hard and what they’re still figuring out gives our students permission to do the same. It sends an important message: You don’t have to be perfect to show up, to grow, or to lead.

And that creates the conditions for real trust. When teens see that the people leading these conversations aren’t there to judge them or pretend to have all the answers, they’re more willing to share openly about their own relationships, challenges, and experiences.

We also ask our Prevention Educators to do some deeper reflection of their own: What were they taught about relationships growing up? Which of those messages are they carrying with them? How is what they’re learning at Take Back the Hals challenging those beliefs? And what gets in the way of building healthy connections?

These aren’t just questions they ask our students. They’re questions they ask themselves.

That’s the beauty of near-peer mentorship. The learning doesn’t happen in just one direction. Our Prevention Educators help teens imagine new possibilities for their relationships, while discovering new possibilities for themselves.

We’re not just teaching young people what healthy relationships look like. We’re creating a space where young people can learn, practice, and grow together.

We’re incredibly proud of the honesty, curiosity, and insight our Prevention Educators bring to this work. And we’re grateful for the reminder they give all of us.  Sometimes the most powerful way to lead is to be willing to keep learning.