ANAD Student Ambassador Program
Only 1 in 5 adolescents seek the eating disorder treatment they need. This needs to change ASAP!
What Is the ANAD Student Ambassador Program?
The ANAD Student Ambassador Program (ASAP) is an initiative to empower students interested in bringing awareness of eating disorders and available support and educational resources to their high school or college community. Through this program, students have the opportunity to create life-changing conversations at schools across the country.
Student Ambassador Paths & Opportunities
Students get to decide the best path for them or create their own as individual ambassadors! They can collaborate with ANAD to design meaningful, flexible initiatives that fit their schedule and community’s needs.
Past examples of individual ambassador projects include:
- Hosting events
- Launching social media campaigns
- Advocating to local lawmakers and media
- Promoting school education and faculty training
- Fundraising to support ANAD
Project EDSA chapters are student-led clubs at schools, universities, or within the community, dedicated to expanding access to local eating disorder awareness and mental health education. As ANAD’s premier student-led initiatives, each chapter receives professional development resources, ongoing support, and connection to a global network of youth leaders.
Get involved in several ways through the Becoming Initiative which centers around the healing powers of journaling and community. Specifically designed for youth in performance-based athletic programs, such as dance, gymnastics, cheer, and figure skating.
Designed for high school and college-aged individuals, the Body Project helps participants push back against societal pressure to be thin. The program works on the principle that when young people actively speak out or write against narrow beauty standards, they naturally start to distance themselves from those ideals. This change in perspective helps decrease body dissatisfaction and unhealthy eating behaviors.
What are the benefits of becoming an ANAD Student Ambassador?
♦ Training & Education
Receive formal training and deep dives into eating disorder awareness, diet culture, and mental health support.
♦ Skill Development
Build leadership, public speaking, and team-building skills through exclusive monthly workshops.
♦ Networking
Connect with a national community of ambassadors, mental health advocates, and treatment providers.
♦ Visibility
Stand out to colleges and employers with verified volunteer hours, resume references, and letters of recommendation.
Most importantly, make a difference in your community!
What are the requirements?
All student volunteers must currently be enrolled in high school or college to participate and required to complete self-paced online training modules before getting started in the program.
While time commitment will vary depending on the projects you are leading, we encourage all volunteers to set aside at least 5 hours per month for awareness planning and activities.
How do I apply to become an ASAP student ambassador?
Commonly Asked Questions
Absolutely! We welcome existing clubs and student-led organizations to join the ASAP program. We’re here to support you in any way we can!
No, this is not required. Starting a chapter or club is a great way to reach more students and keep this work going after you graduate, but we realize it can be a big undertaking.
While we are happy to support you in starting a chapter or club, we are also excited to work with you on other ways to get involved.
We highly encourage student ambassadors to have a faculty advisor or sponsor to help you on campus but this is not required to apply. Advisors will help you meet all of your school’s specific requirements for on-campus activities and will also help in the continuation of the program after you graduate!
We recommend reaching out to teachers in the mental health, nutritional health, psychology, or student support departments at your institution. We’ve included this overview packet to share with potential advisors or sponsors.
As the leader in eating disorder peer support, we are excited to expand our support group program to colleges and universities across the country. If you’d like to bring an ANAD support group to your college campus, apply now or reach out to for more information.