BRICS Description
.jpg)
BRICS is an acronym that stands for Building Relationships in Cultural Spheres. As implied by the name, the main objective for the BRICS mentoring program is to help students form relationships with peers, faculty, staff, and services that can help guide, advise, support and encourage them through their experiences at BYU-Hawaii.
BRICS implements two mentoring venues to create more opportunities for students to make connections with the resources on campus as well as in the community. New international students are assigned a peer mentor, as well as a family mentor.
Peer Mentors are current students who are familiar with the campus and its resources.
These mentors make themselves available to help new international students throughout the
semester in every and any way possible. When mentors do not know how to help
students, they are instructed to refer the matter to someone else. In any emergency case,
students are required to inform an International Student officer immediately. A short report
about new students, activities, and observations about the program, is emailed to an
International Student Advisor at least once a week.
Family Mentors are faculty, staff and community members who volunteer to invite one or more international students to their home for a family activity or program sometime in the semester. They become another contact, and allow students the opportunity to learn about other cultures and families by visiting their home.
At the end of each semester, all participants (new international students, peer mentoring students, faculty, staff and community families), are asked to complete a short evaluation of their experience in the program. This feedback is used to make necessary changes to improve the program.
