1. Building Wisdom from the Inside Out
2. Join the Peer Resources Network and Receive Information Bonus
3. Attend any of Twelve Peer Conferences or Training Events
4. Use Research and Resources to Strengthen Peer Practice
5. Peer Mentoring Challenge Learning Cycle
6. Improve the Quality of Youth Peer Education Programse
7. An Energizer for Trust-Building in Groups
8. Subscribing, Unsubscribing, Distribution and Copyright

BUILDING WISDOM FROM THE INSIDE OUT

A short time ago I was invited to tryout for a master's softball team. I hadn't played for many years, and at first I was delighted by the prospect of playing again. However, dread filled the day of the tryout. What if I didn't make it? What if I embarrassed myself, looked foolish, struck out, made an error on a routine ground ball, or dropped an easy pop-up? Did they make uniforms for more mature body types?

I was flooded with feelings and memories from long ago. I had played baseball from the beginning of elementary school through university graduation. At one time I planned on being a professional baseball player. My reverie reconnected me with the role that peers played during these early years. I remembered that from dawn to dusk my friends and I spent virtually all our free time playing a variety of sports, but mostly baseball. We organized our own teams; we were responsible for our own equipment and for transporting ourselves to the parks where we would be the visiting team. On a daily basis we "chose up sides." Everyone knew who the best players were, but the role of "chooser" rotated on a regular basis so that eventually everyone had an opportunity to be chooser and chosen. Nobody told us to do this; it seemed like the natural thing to do.

We also adjusted the rules to maintain equity and compensate for our own growing physical abilities. For example, I remember the 15 meter foot high cyclone fence 220 meters from home plate in right field. When we were little kids, if you could hit it over that fence, it was a home run, and nobody minded the time it took to get the ball and bring it back. As a matter of fact, sometimes we would all search for the ball and maybe stop off at the store for candy or baseball cards.

As we got older and stronger, we changed the rule so that hitting the ball over the fence was an out. Everybody wanted to keep the rhythm of the game going, and not spend time chasing the ball down the street. Nobody told us to do this; it seemed like the natural thing to do.

I remember the thrill of victory, our cheering each other, and deciding where or what we would do to celebrate. I remember the despair of defeat and the temporary nature of our gloom, the silent walks or public bus rides home, or the desire to blame somebody else for the loss. Yet the next day, everyone emerged ready to practice, choose up sides, and figure out what we learned from our previous game. Nobody told us to do this; it seemed like the natural thing to do.

I lived in a dense urban area: a mixture of black, white, Latino and Asian families. A lot of kids went to private or Catholic schools; I walked 15 blocks to my public elementary school. From time to time new kids would move into the neighbourhood. They would drift down to the park, maybe even carrying a bat or a baseball glove. Somebody would always ask them if they wanted to join in the game or wait for the next choose-up. Nobody told us to do this; it seemed like the natural thing to do.

Although the park had adult directors (physical education students from a local university), and they would sometimes coach us and help us arrange to play other teams, we were pretty much left unsupervised by adults. We often played pranks and practical jokes on each other, destroyed or defaced property, or got into fights, and now and then said some mean or hurtful things to one another. But apologies, shaking hands, repairing damage and resolving disputes were equally as common. Nobody told us to do this; it seemed like the natural thing to do.

Diminished Opportunities to Draw Upon Internal Wisdom
Kids today are growing up in the most highly organized society imaginable. Opportunities for youth to impact their environment or determine things for themselves are shrinking. Safe play areas are important, but these areas are not designed to be changed by kids; instead they are designed to resist change. Adult organized activities tend to limit opportunities for kids to learn how to make their own assessments of equity, mutuality, and the true purpose of rules.

Times have changed. When I was a kid, there were only two things my parents were concerned about: things that would "poke my eye out," and things I might do to "break my neck." Opportunities for spontaneous play and peer interaction, the kind where kids can develop their own guiding principles, are on the decline. Increasing concern for the necessary physical safety of kids limits the time kids have to be on their own, travel freely into other neighbourhoods, or receive spontaneous mentoring from a variety of adults. Kids have fewer occasions where they can develop care and concern, skills and behaviours on their own.

Social programs organized by adults have emerged to provide these skills, yet the programs are typically "deficiency" oriented. Rather than trying to bring out the "dormant wisdom," which helps young people reconnect with their inherent needs for fairness, belonging, friendship and fun, social skill oriented programs assume that kids are uneducated or ignorant and in need of adult-driven instruction.

Overemphasis on Professionals
Peer group interaction, a naturally occurring and powerful phenomenon, has been organized by adults through the use of peer helpers. Paradoxically, some of these organized programs along with the paranoia about negative peer pressure reduces attention to the natural support peers provide. The introduction of the counselling skill and theory approaches as a basis for peer helping typically leads peer coach trainers to train peer helpers to learn accepted techniques, rather than build on their inherent wisdom and desire to help others.

While the increased acceptance of peer helping by professional helpers strengthens the continuum of care within a community, it is often accompanied by a more rigid peer training curriculum dictated by professional interests. This "professionalization," or as one colleague described it, "manualization" of peer work can only result in re-creating the same dilemmas that professionals experience.

An example of this dilemma often occurs after peers (adults or youth) are trained by professionals. The newly trained peers are puzzled as to why their peers are not flocking to use their service. The primary reason for this consternation is that peer mentors or peer coaches have been led to expect that a "professional" model of service delivery such as waiting for their peers to make an office appointment or waiting for someone to make a formal match, for example, will be effective in generating connections with their peers. This approach, however, drains the vitality from the natural ways that peers interact with each other. The problem can be so troublesome, that many of the trained peers lose interest and drop out of the service phase of the peer program.

One way to reduce this type of problem is to focus on program standards that have been developed exclusively for peer and mentoring programs instead of standards that have been developed for professional practice. Several organizations, including Peer Resources, the National Association of Peer Programs, and the <http://www.emccouncil.org/uk/about.htm>European Mentoring and Coaching Council have established standards of practice especially suited for peer and mentor programs. Nobody told them to do this; it's just the natural thing to do.

And yes, thanks for asking: I did make the team. We played in the Canadian National Championships in Burnaby, British Columbia. I was number 24.

References:
Peer Resources (2005). Peer helping brochure and national standards. Victoria, BC: Peer Systems Consulting Group, Inc. (Available at http://www.peer.ca/broch.html)

Flohr, S. (2005). Introduction to the revised programmatic standards and ethics. Gladstone, MO: National Association of Peer Programs. (Available at http://www.peerprograms.org/publications/publications/standards/)

---

"For me it is sufficient to have a corner by my hearth, a book and a friend, and a nap undisturbed by creditors or grief."

~ Fernandez de Andrada ~
(Who is this?)

---

JOIN THE PEER RESOURCES NETWORK AND RECEIVE A BONUS

Do you know someone who could benefit from becoming a member of the Peer Resources Network? Although you are receiving this free newsletter every 45-60 days, members of the Peer Resources Network receive a monthly newsletter, the Peer Bulletin, with additional information, practical tips, announcements, mentor program descriptions, funding opportunities and job openings in mentoring and mentoring research summaries every month.

Do the quotes placed in this newsletter intrigue you? Would you like to know more about the people quoted or read more of what they have to say? Members of the Peer Resources Network receive links and more details regarding each quote when they receive the monthly Peer Bulletin.

In addition Peer Resources Network members receive toll-free coaching and consultation for all peer program development issues as an additional benefit of membership. Members also receive print versions of Compass: A Magazine for Peer Assistance, Mentorship and Coaching. This magazine has become the only advertising-free, professional, peer-reviewed publication on peer coaching and peer assistance, and is filled with timely articles and practical suggestions from experienced peer program leaders.

The Peer Resources Network is a non-profit organization and is sustained through memberships. The low fee for a one-year individual membership is $75.00 and the fee for an institutional membership, which allows up to five people to share a full membership, is $140.00 for a year. We even have a student rate of $32.10/year. For more details on the benefits as well as a secure online form to sign-up, go to http://www.peer.ca/PRN.html.

As a bonus for readers of The Peer News who become members of the Peer Resources Network during July-August, 2006, we will send you at no additional cost a CD that contains the three past issues and the current issue of Compass: A Magazine for Peer Assistance, Mentorship and Coaching as well as the past 12 months of the Peer Bulletin. This CD is free to PRN members and will be sent by postal mail at no cost to any individual category member or the group leader of any institutional membership.

---

"In the past a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people ... they no longer can lead solely based on positional power."

~ Ken Blanchard ~
(Who is this?)

---

ATTEND A PEER CONFERENCE OR RELATED EVENT

Advanced Peer Training for Peer Program Leaders (Level II)
July 8-9, 2006
Victoria, British Columbia
(800) 567-3700 or (250) 595-3503
www.peer.ca/trng.html
info@peer.ca

Comprehensive Peer Program Leadership for Aboriginal Communities (Level I)
July 10-14, 2006
Victoria, British Columbia
(800) 567-3700 or (250) 595-3503
www.peer.ca/trng.html
info@peer.ca

Comprehensive Peer Program Leadership for Schools, Colleges and Universities (Level I)
July 10-14, 2006
Victoria, British Columbia
(800) 567-3700 or (250) 595-3503
www.peer.ca/trng.html
info@peer.ca

Peer Program Development for Trainers (Level I)
July 10-14, 2006
Resurrection College, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
www.peer.ca/trng.html
(800) 567-3700
rcarr@islandnet.com

Peer Ministry Training for Adult Facilitators
August 14-17, 2006
St. Luke's Lutheran, Bloomington, Minnesota
www.peerministry.org
(877) 239-2492

Peer Helping/Peer Counseling/Peer Education Workshop
August 17-18, 2006
La Quinta Hotel LAX, Los Angeles, California
www.peerresourcetraining.com
(415) 282-5298
peersira@aol.com

First National Conference on Mentoring for Youth with Disabilities
September 13-15, 2006
Hilton Boston Logan Airport, Boston, Massachusetts
www.pyd.org
(617) 556-4075
mgallagher@pyd.org

Peer Ministry Training for Adult Facilitators
September 27-30, 2006
Zumbro Lutheran, Rochester, Minnesota
www.peerministry.org
(877) 239-2492

Peer Mediation/Conflict Resolution Teacher Training In-Service
September 27-29, 2006
St. Andrew's College, Dublin, Ireland
www.peermediation-marisela.com
01-288-2785
peermediation-marisela@hotmail.com

Peer Helping/Peer Counseling/Peer Education Workshop
September 28-29, 2006
Mardi Gras Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
www.peerresourcetraining.com
(415) 282-5298
peersira@aol.com

National Association of Peer Programs Annual Conference
November 8-10, 2006 (Training Institute)
November 10-12, 2006 (Conference)
Sheraton Hotel, Providence, Rhode Island
www.peerprograms.org
(877) 314-733
LcharleyNAPP@aol.com

International Recovery Perspectives (with Peer Support)
November 16-17, 2006
Hart House, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
(416) 285-7996 ext 227
bmckinnon@iprimus.ca

For additional peer conferences, training workshops or events as well as to learn about what you missed, go to http://www.peer.ca/peerevents.html.

---

"The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot."

~ Michael Altschuler ~
(Who is this?)

---

RESEARCH and RESOURCES TO STRENGTHEN PEER PRACTICE

Peer Resources continually scans the professional and popular published literature to find articles of interest to people involved in peer assistance. In some cases the complete article is available; however, only Peer Resources Network members have access to the full article. Three of several hundred recent additions to the searchable, annotated bibliography at http://www.peer.ca/SearchB.html are:

Adamchak, S. and Janowitz, B. (May, 2006). School-based peer education programs popular in Ghana. YouthNet Brief No. 11. YouthNet Briefs on Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS. (YouthNet, 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 700, Arlington, Virginia 22201; www.fhi.org/youthnet).

Trained peer educators provided 90 schools in Ghana with facts through materials and activities about reducing or avoiding risk-taking, delaying the onset of sexual activity, and changing behavior to reduce the risk of HIV infection. This article reports on the results of this four-year project. While more students typically attended meetings or educational sessions led by peer educators, knowledge and attitudes did not differ significantly from control schools. One reason for the lack of difference was, surprisingly, that many of the non-project schools also had peer education programs in operation. The authors conclude that comprehensive peer education programs need support and monitoring to ensure that peer educators convey correct information regularly on all topics for discussion, including highly sensitive issues such as the role of trust in partner condom use.

Cohen, R. (2005). Students resolving conflict: Peer mediation in schools. Watertown, MA: School Mediation Associates.

Recently updated from a previous version to reflect best practices and the latest research, the purpose of this book serves as a comprehensive introduction to conflict resolution and peer mediation; a complete technical assistance manual for those involved in the process of implementing a peer mediation program; and a reference work for those who currently operate peer mediation programs. The book includes many tools such as reproducible program forms, 12 complete conflict resolution lessons, transcripts of peer mediation sessions, and surveys to determine implementation readiness. The author provides guidance on topics and issues such as the value of collaborating when resolving conflict, the benefits of peer mediation, the relationship between peer mediation and discipline, selecting peer mediators, whether a coordinator should be part of a peer mediation session, and other valuable areas. (Peer Resources Network members receive a 10 percent discount when ordering from this source from School Mediation Associates. The book can also be ordered from Amazon.com (U.S.A.), Amazon.ca (Canada) or Amazon.co.uk (Note that ordering from these resources results in a commission to Peer Resources which is in turn wholly donated to a local charity for homeless youth.)

Flutter, J., and Ruddock, J. (2004). Consulting pupils: What's in it for schools? London: Routledge Farmer.

Had Bill and Melinda Gates consulted this UK-based volume prior to donating millions to school reform in the US, their dollars might have had a substantial impact on student success. The authors emphasize the importance of consulting students about school life and involving them as active members of their own education. Their research on student involvement yields a strong foundation for peer-led programs and services as examples of how to demonstrate respect, community, and democracy in schools while also leading to greater likelihood of academic achievement.

Nielsen, J.S. (2004). The myth of leadership: Creating leaderless organizations. Davies-Black Publishing.

The author, an international consultant, argues that most workplaces become dysfunctional under conventional, rank-based leadership. Individual workers have few opportunities to contribute to and share in the elements of organizational success. He introduces an alternative model that focuses on a peer-based organization for developing an organization into a true society of peers, more in harmony with organizational dynamics and the ever-increasing complexity of the business environment. Mr. Nielsen sees work as a continuation of, not an interruption of, our "own heroic quest for a meaningful life." He proposes the use of rotating peer leadership councils and cross-functional task forces to manage the organization's work. He believes these new entities are better suited to making decisions based on the organization's competencies and customer needs, rather than on static functional groups or other artificial divisions.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (May, 2005). Sustainability planning and resource development for youth mentoring programs. Portland, OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

This resource features a comprehensive look at how youth mentoring programs can plan for their future. Specific chapters cover effective planning strategies, corporate giving, approaching foundations, government grants, individual giving, local events, the ethics of fundraising, and board involvement, among others. All the advice and strategies have been written with youth mentoring programs specifically in mind by some of the field's leading experts, including Dr. Susan Weinberger of the Mentor Consulting Group, Craig Bowman of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition, and former NMC Director Mark Fulop. If today's mentoring programs are to keep their vital services going into the future, they need to prepare and take action. This book can be an invaluable resource along the way. (This work is available at: http://www.nwrel.org/mentoring/publications.html)

Starkey, F, et al. (April, 2005) Rationale, design and conduct of a comprehensive evaluation of a school-based peer-led anti-smoking intervention in the UK: the ASSIST cluster randomised trial. BMC Public Health, 5, 43. (Retrieved May 11, 2006 from www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1097740).

A peer-led approach, ASSIST - a comprehensive curriculum to reduce smoking, was used to determine whether peer supporters, ages 11-12, could be recruited and trained to effect a smoking uptake reduction among their fellow students. Fifty-nine schools and 10,000 students participated. Schools included a mix of private, public and single-sex institutions. The primary outcome is regular (weekly) smoking, validated by salivary nicotine, and this outcome has been obtained for 94.4%, 91.0% and 95.6% of eligible students at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and one-year follow-up respectively. Peer supporters received two-days of training and were asked to intervene informally in everyday situations over a ten-week period to encourage their peers not to smoke, and they were also asked to keep a diary record of these informal conversations. Eight hundred and forty eight young people attended this training and 835 (98%) of them then consented to undertake the intervention as peer supporters (with an equal gender balance of 418 boys and 417 girls). Eighty-two per cent of the peer supporters completed and submitted their diary as requested, suggesting that such an intervention can be successfully implemented in a school setting.

---

"What we see depends mainly on what we look for."

~ Sir John Lubbock ~
(Who is this?)

---

PEER MENTORING CHALLENGE LEARNING CYCLE

One model of peer mentoring in groups is the Peer Mentoring Challenge Learning Cycle. In this model a small group meets on a regular basis. At the start of the meeting one of the members identifies a learning challenge. The members of the group then EXPLORE THE TOPIC (discuss viewpoints, ideas, existing knowledge and beliefs) and DETERMINE RESOURCES (what else might be necessary to gain any additional information or who else might be a good contact and assign tasks to gain the necessary information such as an Internet search, etc.).

The members of the group then FOCUS ON UNDERSTANDING (review what has been learned or summarize findings from data gathering and then work to build a consensus on the topic).

Members of the group then help each other to DEVELOP ACTION PLANS (how they will put their learning into action or change their current ideas to reflect new information, etc.). The group leadership rotates and a different member introduces a new topic that is relevant to their context and takes responsibility for leading the other members through the four steps of the cycle.

---

"What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?"

~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau~
(Who is this?)

---

IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUTH PEER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

A new Youth Peer Education Training of Trainers Manual and Toolkit has been released by YouthNet. This comprehensive manual is designed as a curriculum tool to prepare master-level peer education trainers. The manual uses participatory techniques based on a variety of theoretical frameworks to ensure that future trainers are skilled and confident in their abilities to train peer educators and serve as informed resources for their peers.

The manual is comprised of four main sections:

1. From Theory to Practice in Peer Education reviews the definition of peer education and its rationale and value in the context of different behavior change theories and models.

2. Guidelines for Training of Trainers: A Curriculum provides the outline of a suggested six-day training of trainers. For each of the training topics, the curriculum provides appropriate training exercises and notes.

3. A Sample Peer Education Session on HIV/AIDS presents an example of a three- to four-hour peer education session on HIV/AIDS.

4. Participant Handouts includes 20 handouts that are used in the six-day training.

This Training of Trainers Manual is part of an expanded Youth Peer Education Toolkit sponsored by the Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER) project. The toolkit also includes the following publications: Standards for Peer Education Programs (scheduled for publication in March, 2006); Theatre-Based Techniques for Youth Peer Education: A Training Manual (also scheduled for publication in March, 2006); Performance Improvement: A Tool for Youth Peer Education Projects and Managers (scheduled for publication in June, 2006; and an Assessment Tool for Youth Peer Education Programs (also scheduled for publication in June, 2006).

The Training of Trainers Manual (1 to 4 above) is available for download at no cost to Peer Resources Network members. To obtain the URL for this download, PRN members can go to the Peer Resources password protected area, and select the "Peer Education Training of Trainers Manual" link under the "Featured Resources" category (http://www.peer.ca/Projects/Peer_Resources_Network.html).

---

AN ENERGIZER FOR TRUST-BUILDING IN LARGE GROUPS

Members of the Peer Resources Network are often involved in helping large groups to learn about peer assistance, mentoring or coaching. As a result we often receive requests for large group energizers or fun activities that can be used to bring people together, act as an ice-breaker, have fun, and achieve the interpersonal goals associated with the topic.

One of the sources we rely on for such activities is the newsletter published by Training Wheels, Inc. Training Wheels specializes in team development products and programs, and their newsletter typically includes descriptions of warm-ups, energizers, and trust-building activities as well as reviews of books and promotions for their own high-quality and affordable products.

Michelle Cummings, the creator of Training Wheels, very graciously allows Peer Resources to reprint details about some of the practical activities so that we can pass them on to Peer Resources Network members. The most recent contribution Michelle provided to us is called "Promenade" or "Double Dodgem" that she learned as a result of attending a session with Mike Anderson (author of Teambuilding Puzzles and owner of Petra Cliffs Climbing Center in Burlington, Vermont) at the national convention of the American Camp Association in Chicago (February 5-10, 2006).

Promenade
The objective of this activity is to assist participants to learn to work together with a partner, coordinating movements around the room without making contact with any other pairs of players.

Twenty to sixty-plus players can be included, but an even number of players is required. A large, open space is ideal. However, if the space is too large, pairs may find the activity less challenging - tighter quarters seems to make this one play better. Lively background music makes this one even more fun. And the whole activity can take place in four to six minutes.

Procedure
Creatively pair up players and ask the partners to stand side-by-side and hold hands in a square dancer's "promenade" position - left hand to left hand, right hand to right hand holding like you're shaking hands. Without letting go of hands, have the pairs practice rotating their bodies 180 degrees. This rotation is done by one partner pushing one hand and pulling with the other. This double action forces the partners to face in the opposite direction.

After each pair understands how to perform the 180, spread the pairs out around the playing area. On the "Go" start (or when the music starts), have pairs move forward in a straight line. As the pairs move they will encounter other pairs or other obstacles like walls. Before making contact with any obstruction, the pair must perform their 180 degree turn calling out, "Whoa!" or "Dodgem!" (or some other term that might fit your training objectives) while reversing direction. After the reverse, the pair proceeds forward again in their new direction until they come to another obstruction that requires a 180. As mentioned above, the smaller the playing area, the greater the number of switches and changes.

Call "freeze" to stop the action or simply turn off the music. Michelle provides this caution: "This activity requires a certain amount of trust. If players become reckless, trust building could be compromised - keep a close watch."

Variation
Here is a double trust progression. Connect pairs together so they are facing in opposite directions. Standing side-by-side, let's say right shoulder to right shoulder. This means that they will grab right hand to left hand and left hand to right hand. Before moving, assign a player #1 and the other player the letter "A". During the first round, the pairs will move in the direction player #1 is facing. Player "A" will not be able to see where they are going. After a turn player "A" will be able to see what the pair just missed. There will likely be significant increase in the trust factor. After a minute or so, switch directions - pairs move in the direction player "A" is facing. Michelle cautions: "Only try this one if you believe the group can handle the degree of trust required." (Women will probably have less trouble with this then men, since as dance partners, they've often had to move backwards and in high heels no less.)

Additional Recommended Resources
Armstrong, T. (2000). Multiple intelligences in the classroom. Baltimore, MD: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. (Order from Amazon.com) - Includes tools, resources, and ideas that educators can immediately use to help students of all ages achieve their fullest potential in life.

Cain, J., Cavert, C., Heck, T., and Anderson, M. (2005). Teambuilding puzzles. American Camp Association (1.800.707.0064) or http://www.teachmeteamwork.com - More than 100 puzzles, challenges and activities for teams.

Cain, J. (1998). Teamwork and teamplay. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt (1.800.228-0810) or http://www.teamworkandteamplay.com/ - An award winning book about adventure-based activities.

Cavert, C. and Hammond, D. (2003). The empty bag. Flagstaff, AZ: http://www.fundoing.com. - Adventure-based activities, challenge energizers, puzzles to stretch the mind.

Cummings, M., Stanchfield, J., and Cain, J. (2005). A teachable moment: A facilitator's guide to activities, processing, debriefing, reviewing and reflection. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt (1.800.228-0810) or http://store.training-wheels.com/temo.html - More than 120 different activities.

---

SUBSCRIBING, UNSUBSCRIBING, COPYRIGHT AND DISTRIBUTION

The Peer News has been provided by Peer Resources. All items in this publication are copyrighted by Peer Resources. Subscriptions are free and can be obtained by sending an email to info@peer.ca. 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. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to a colleague.

Peer Assistance | Mentoring | Coaching | Join the Peer Resources Network