Connecting student leaders across Canada, guard.me has been named PIEoneer Award finalist for its Campus Ambassador Program.

Students living away from home for the first time have a myriad of new skills to learn and obstacles to contend with – even more so for international students adjusting to a new culture and language. That’s why guard.me International Insurance, Canada’s leading student insurance provider, created the Campus Ambassador Program.

A key component of the guard.meCARES health and wellness platform, the Campus Ambassador Program engages volunteer student leaders across Canada and provides them with meaningful leadership, business, and community experience as they prepare for their transition into the workforce.

Building on five years of growth and success, the program is now earning international acclaim. The PIEoneer Awards, a global initiative that celebrates innovation and achievement across the international education industry, recently named the Campus Ambassador Program as a finalist for its 2020 PIEoneer Student Support Award.

“We started the Campus Ambassador Program as a pilot in just a handful of schools with about 20 student ambassadors,” says Jesse Poulin, Program Manager. “Now with more than 80 ambassadors on more than 25 campuses across the country, we are thrilled to be named a PIEoneer Award finalist. These awards recognize individuals and organizations who are pushing professional standards, evolving their engagement, or redefining the international student experience – something we strive to do with guard.meCARES every day.

June has been a landmark month for the Campus Ambassador Program, which hosted its first Virtual Summit last week. In past years, the annual leadership summit has been held as an all-expenses paid retreat for student ambassador volunteers, featuring in-person workshops, guest speakers, and cross-cultural experiences. This year, the three-day virtual event included live and on-demand content developed specifically for the Ambassador team to support their professional development, foster collaboration, and honour their hard work with our annual awards of excellence.

The Campus Ambassador Program

The guard.meCARES Campus Ambassadors Program was developed in 2015 to better support and serve the international student population on post-secondary campuses across Canada. Through collaboration and coordination with its partner institutions, guard.me created a robust volunteer program that provides students with a meaningful opportunity to

be a leader on campus and gain lifelong skills that will benefit them both personally and professionally.

Over the past five years, the Campus Ambassador Program has continued to expand its mission to serve all students, both international and domestic, providing them with opportunities for personal and professional development. During the COVID-19 crisis, the program has evolved to include educational webinars designed to help students cultivate personal growth, develop resiliency, and break down stigma around mental health issues.

guard.me is always looking for energetic and enthusiastic students to join the Campus Ambassador team. Students who would enjoy this unique opportunity for team work and professional growth should email [email protected] to learn more.