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TOPICS
1. Learn to be a Peer Coach
2. Student Leadership Training Book Available at a Discount
3. Attend a Best Practice Peer Conference or Seminar
4. Three Key Studies from Peer Research
LEARN TO BE A PEER COACH
A recent survey conducted by Training Magazine showed that while 32 percent of managers use manager-to-employee coaching to deliver training, an additional 24 percent rely on peer-to-peer coaching as a training method. How peer coaching is accomplished, and how it is both similar to and different from "traditional" coaching is the subject of a two-day workshop offered by Peer Resources in Victoria, British Columbia, December 1-2, 2004.
Participants in the seminar will learn the skills used by successful coaches and how these skills can be integrated into a simple model so that peers can learn how to coach each other. The seminar includes a live demonstration by an experienced peer coach, hands-on opportunities to practice peer coaching, supervised training experiences and details on how to implement and tailor a peer coaching system within an organization. The peer coaching model, developed by Rey Carr in 1982, allows the coach to not only empower a peer, but also to educate a peer to use the coaching model with others as well as for self-coaching.
The foundation of peer coaching is based on a simple structured interaction that relies on mutuality, deep listening and power questions. Peer coaching combines principles of effective team work, communication skills, goal-setting, personal support, and solution-focused interaction.
The workshop is based on principles of adult learning and uses experiential skill-building exercises and activities, provides a library of relevant resources, and includes a notebook and take-away trainer materials for each participant. The workshop is suitable for workers, managers, teachers, administrators or others where helping each other is a key element of productivity, job satisfaction, and fulfillment. The fee for the workshop is $749.00. Additional information and online registration are available at http://www.peer.ca/trng.html, or by calling: 1.800.567.3700.
"When I was coming up, I had to learn from my peers around the world what it means and takes to be a champion."
~ Adam Van Koeverden, 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist in Kayaking ~
STUDENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING BOOK AVAILABLE AT A DISCOUNT
The practice of students helping each other to achieve their goals and dreams has a long historical tradition. Tutoring, for example, has ancient origins and remains today one of the most powerful ways that students learn from each other. Student leadership has a more recent beginning but is equally as widespread in schools across North America. But the most profound example of students helping each other and one that has the most power for creating a safe and peaceful world is when students actively demonstrate their care for one another.
Typically called peer helping or peer assistance, this method of students helping other students is based on their natural willingness and desire to talk to someone who will listen and understand, be non-judgmental and accepting and in many cases has similar life experiences. What I discovered thirty years ago when I first started in this field is still true today: young people when experiencing a worry, frustration or problem are more likely to seek the council of another young person rather than discuss the issue with an adult.
Why not help young people to have better skills to help their friends? Why not provide them with the training and supervision to turn peer pressure into peer support? Through our research we learned many years ago that not only was this possible, but that young people could easily take responsibility for exceptional leadership in this field.
But youth cannot do this completely on their own. They need the support and assistance of highly skilled and caring professionals who can be role models. At the same time these adult professionals must know how to nurture the abilities of youth without taking over or "professionalizing" what young people can do for and with each other.
Long-time Peer Resources Network member and one of North America's top peer trainers, Diane Taub exemplifies the caring professional. With the assistance of some highly talented and skilled peer helpers, Ms. Taub, former Coordinator of Student Leadership Training at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, has authored a new workbook that provides exercises, activities, and information that will accomplish two major school-based peer program goals: (1) provide proven, high quality experiential training for students; and (2) serve as a credible and tested curriculum guide for peer programs that give student volunteers credit towards graduation requirements.
This student workbook, published by Scarecrow Press, was originally inspired by The Peer Helping Starter Kit, available from Peer Resources. However, the thoroughness of the workbook enables it to match up with many other training guides. Most importantly this workbook will benefit any student leadership program where students want to put their caring for each other into practice.
The book is called Student Leadership Training: A Workbook to Reinforce Effective Communication Skills. Peer Resources has acquired a limited number of copies of the book and is providing these copies at a discount to Peer News readers. The book normally sells for $22.95 plus shipping, but is available to readers at $16.95 each plus shipping. Persons who order seven or more copies will also receive a CD, prepared by the author, that includes all of the book's forms and training sessions and allows users to customize the material to suit their specific peer program. To order, call 1.800.567-3700 or email: peernews@peer.ca.
"A true friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else."
~ Len Wein ~
PEER CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
National Peer Helpers Day
October 27, 2004
Sponsored by the National Peer Helpers Association
www.peerhelping.org
Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference
November 15-16, 2004
City Colleges Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois
www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com/
tutor/mentor2@earthlink.net
Fourth Annual National Peer Support Conference
January 14-16, 2005
University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
Call for Proposals:
entraide@uottawa.ca
Pomona Peer Conference
February 3, 2005 (Middle Schools Conference)
Cal Poly Pomona Bronco Center
February 10 (High Schools Conference)
Pomona First Baptist Church
Pomona, California
Tel: (909) 397-4711 ext 6423
www.pusd.org
"A friend is the best gift we can give ourselves."
WHAT'S NEW FROM THE PEER ASSISTANCE LITERATURE
Peer Resources continually scans the professional and popular published literature to find articles of interest to people involved in peer assistance. Three of several hundred recent additions to the searchable, annotated bibliography at www.peer.ca/SearchB.html are:
Aseltine, R.H. and DeMartino, R. (2004). An outcome evaluation of the SOS Suicide Prevention Program. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 3, 446-451.
The SOS High School Suicide Prevention Program is described as the "the first school-based suicide prevention program to demonstrate significant reductions in self-reported suicide attempts" and that it is "cost-effective and easily implemented by school personnel." The article describes the ACT (acknowledge, care, tell) model, which is the key component of this program. The results showed that SOS significantly lowered rates of suicide attempts and provided students with greater knowledge and more adaptive attitudes about depression and suicide. This intervention is not exactly a peer-led program, but it does help students learn how to attend to signs and symptoms in peers and what action to take to intervene effectively. The original article is available for free download from Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
Thwing, N.C. (2003). Predicting students' satisfaction with peer helpers: An examination of three factors. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Truman State University.
This study examined the relationship between student satisfaction and peer listeners' styles of helping. All seventh through twelfth grade students at two rural midwest high schools with peer helping programs were surveyed using the Peer Counseling Helping Style Questionnaire and the Peer Counseling Consumer Satisfaction Questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with the peer listener, what problems were discussed, and what style the peer used.
Cottrell, C.A. (2002). A case study of disputant and mediator perceptions of a high school peer mediation program. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Roosevelt University.
A Chicago secondary school with a diverse population of 2,716 students implemented a peer mediation program to reduce student conflict and help to prevent students from engaging in repeat disputes before they reached a violent stage where detention or suspension would be imposed by the school administration. The participants of this study consisted of four high school students, two disputants and two mediators, who participated in the same successful peer mediation session. Interviews conducted before and after the peer mediation session with each participant, and observation of the peer mediation process revealed that (1) the mediation was successful both immediately and in the long term; (2) both the mediators and the disputants articulated their respective roles because of their understanding of the process; (3) the mediators and the disputants all identified the same factors as important to the success of mediation (closure of the conflict, immediate resolution to the conflict with a written agreement, a resolution that lasts, communication, and personal growth); and (4) it is not necessary to the final success of the mediation that all parties believe initially that it will be successful.
The Peer News has been provided by Peer Resources <www.peer.ca/helping.html>. To become a member of the Peer Resources Network and receive a similar monthly publication as well as a print magazine on peer assistance, mentorship and coaching, visit <http://www.peer.ca/PRN.html> or call 1.800.567.3700 in North America or 1.250.595.3503 outside of North America. To be removed from this mailing list send an email to <info@peer.ca>.
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