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TOPICS
1. Use a Magic Bag to Make a Difference
2. Join the Peer Resources Network and Receive Information Bonus
3. Attend any of 11 Peer Conferences or Training Events
4. Use Research and Resources to Strengthen Peer Practice
5. Champions for Peer Assistance
6. A Seasonal Warm-Up and Engergizer
7. Subscribing, Unsubscribing, Distribution and Copyright
USE A MAGIC BAG TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Last week I went on a business trip by plane across an international border. Airports and flying are not my favorite things to do or places to be, but air travel is a necessity. Air travel doesn't scare me, but if I have to wait in a long, slow-moving line-up for what seems like hours, I'd rather be waiting to ride on the latest Disney creation, than just waiting to check my suitcase, have my passport checked, or shoes x-rayed.
Unfortunately, the experience of air travel is getting worse. Security concerns require longer times and line-ups at the airport, and the latest regulations about what cannot be included in carry-on baggage (gels, creams, liquids, scissors, etc) make travel even more difficult. At the same time, the carry-on regulation made me reflect on this month's topic: opportunities for kindness. And I had plenty of time at the airport to work on this essay.
The reason the carry-on restriction prompted me to think about kindness is because when I travel with my wife, she always brings a small suitcase full of things as part of her carry-on luggage. Her bag includes personal "lotions and potions" but also reflects a philosophy of 'you never know what you might need when travelling and your checked baggage gets lost.' She carries a similar bag of stuff even when we walk or travel by car. I typically tease her about the amount and weight of such "stuff," but much to my own chagrin, she often is able to provide something that makes our outing much more pleasurable.
Most importantly, she doesn't wait until she's asked. She quickly can recognize a need, and will volunteer something from her magic bag that can help; it could be a safety pin, a bandage, a notebook, or a postage stamp. If we're walking down the street and she sees someone looking at a map, she'll stop and ask them if they need directions. When she goes shopping, she asks me if there is anything I need at the store. She'll often recognize that I've experienced something, and from the look on my face, my body language, or mood, ask if there is something I want to discuss or say.
Her ability to lend a hand or provide a kindness for others instead of waiting to be asked is the essence of peer assistance. Too often the more formalized version of peer assistance is characterized by the practitioner waiting for the "client." In many peer programs, for example, peers are often trained to be peer assistants and then set up "office hours" expecting (with disappointing results) to be contacted by their peers. Instead, these newly-trained peer workers need to roam the halls, lunchrooms, and service or work areas looking for opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. This type of delivery has been described by Rey Carr (1982) as the "outreach" model.
Not everyone needs peer support. There are boundaries and limits. When I was asked by another passenger at the airport if I could point out the nearest restroom, I didn't say: "So, you're interested in finding the bathroom;" or "What do you hope to achieve by going there?" or "Gee, I'm going there myself, let's go together."
In our roles as peer assistants we have the ability to recognize the needs of others and use our expertise to volunteer to act in a way that will help others and make a difference in their lives. We need to go beyond waiting for an invitation and be prepared to spontaneously deliver from our own magic bag at every opportunity. This may even include offering a kind word to airport security personnel.
Reference:
Carr, R. (1979). The theory and practice of peer helping. Victoria, BC: Peer Systems Consulting Group.
"One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider our problems, can change our whole outlook on the world."
~ Elton Mayo ~
(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 March, 2007, 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.
"Giving your gift away causes you to continue having it."
~ Neale Donald Walsch~
(Who is this?)
ATTEND A PEER CONFERENCE OR RELATED EVENT
International Mentoring Association Conference
March 22-24, 2007
Renaissance Atlanta Hotel Downtown, Atlanta, Georgia
www.mentoring-association.org
(269) 387-4174
cedu_ima@wmich.edu
Mentoring Ministry: Making a Difference in a Hurting World
March 30-31, 2007
Toronto, Ontario
www.caym.org/calendar.html
(877) 336-3686
barbara@caym.org
Third International Conference on Bullying
(Keynote by noted peer program leader/researcher from the UK, Dr. Helen Cowie)
April 2-4, 2007
Ottawa Congress Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
iamsafe.ca/conference_en
(613) 244-3803
conference@iamsafe.ca
Basic Peer Support Training for Emergency Personnel
Sponsored by the California Peer Support Association
April 12-13, 2007
Santa Clara Police Department, 601 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, California
www.californiapeersupport.com
(619) 667-1447
mlynch@ci.la-mesa.ca.us
Tutor/Mentor Leadership Conference
May 17-18, 2007
Northwestern University Law School, 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
www.tutormentorconference.bigstep.com
(312) 492-9614
Mentoring in the 21st Century (Supporting New Teachers)
May 21-22, 2007
Washington, DC
www.askeducation.com
(800) 940-5434
registrations@askeducation.com
PAL® Peer Assistance Leadership Program: Secondary Conflict Mediation Training
June 5-6, 2007
OCDE, 200 Kalums Drive, Costa Mesa, California
www.ocde.us/pal
(714) 966-4358
eshattuck@ocde.us
3rd National School-Based Mentoring Conference
June 13-14, 2007
Kansas City, Missouri
www.mentormap.org
(816) 842-7082
Advanced Training for Certified Peer Trainers (First Nations, Diversity)
July 7-8, 2007
University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
www.peer.ca/trng.html
(800) 567-3700 or (250) 595-3503
rcarr@mentors.ca
Comprehensive Training for Peer Program Development (First Nations, Diversity)
July 9-13, 2007
University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
www.peer.ca/trng.html
(800) 567-3700 or (250) 595-3503
rcarr@mentors.ca
Mentor Michigan 2nd Annual Statewide Mentoring Conference
October 24, 2007
Location in the State of Michigan to be determined
www.michigan.gov
(517) 335-4295
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.
"Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you."
~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr. ~
(Who is this?)
CHAMPIONS FOR PEER ASSISTANCE
PeerNetBC has just been officially launched and is now available to anyone who wants to set-up an online peer support or self-help group. The site provides free group discussion opportunities as well as news, links and resources related to peer support and self-help. Contact: Ellen Clague, PeerNetBC Coordinator, Self-Help Resource Association of British Columbia; Tel: (604) 733-6186; email: shra@telus.net
Lora-Beth Trail, a Peer Resources Network member and Level II Certified Peer Trainer/Consultant, and an eighteen-year veteran in developing and supervising elementary peer helping programs, has retired from 36-years of teaching and opened her peer program consulting and training service: Trailway Communications. In addition to her student training and peer program development experience, she provides compelling presentations to school board trustees and parents on the value and benefits of peer helping. She has also created a line of peer helping clothing such as t-shirts, fleece vests, and ball caps. These can viewed at http://www.peer.ca/pubs.html To contact Lora-Beth, email lbtrail@shaw.ca or call in Victoria, British Columbia, (250) 384-4628.
Mentor Michigan has developed a set of Quality Program Standards for Youth Mentoring. Developed by expert mentoring professionals, the 11 Standards identify the key characteristics that are critical to high-quality mentoring programs. The Standards do not certify or accredit programs, but they do impart a planning and evaluation framework for providing exceptional mentoring experiences. The Standards are accompanied by a checklist that provides youth mentoring programs with a self-assessment tool. As programs work to continually improve their operations and services, the checklist can help identify a program's strengths and areas of improvement as a quality youth mentoring organization. This instrument can also provide benchmarks for progress in meeting the Standards.
Meredith Hunter, a Level III National Peer Trainer and Consultant, co-facilitated a highly successful workshop on "The Framework for Peer Recovery Practitioners" at the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Canada Conference in Kingston, Ontario. She partnered with Lisa Levesque, the Coordinator of the Mental Health Support Project of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville of Smiths Fall, Ontario. Their session highlighted the Peer Resources peer training model as well as the framework for peer recovery that was developed in a partnership by the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (ERN), a group of peer-led initiatives across Eastern Ontario. ERN has taken a leadership role in helping to define and integrate recovery into the mental health system.
SMARTRISK No Regrets (www.smartrisk.ca) is a peer leadership program for Canadian high schools. Students are trained using intensive, fun, and experiential methods to learn injury prevention facts, teamwork, leadership skills, program and event planning and media relations. Their injury prevention messages center around "Buckle Up," "Look First," "Wear the Gear," Get Trained," and "Drive Sober." The program began in five diverse communities across Canada, and has now reached more than 50 schools around the country. A report released by SMARTRISK in September, 2006 revealed that intentional and unintentional injury costs in Ontario alone amount to $5.7 billion each year, and more than 4,000 people lost their lives in Ontario last year due to injuries.
The California Peer Support Association will be providing a 16-hour, two-day workshop, April 12-13, 2007, on basic peer support training for emergency responders in the State of California. Individuals can expect to gain an understanding of peer support concepts, information and sample department instructions; the need for confidentiality and effective peer support team member selection; and the importance of a critical incident stress management program and the essential components. Part of the workshop will be devoted to practicing active listening skills, addressing the need to work closely with a mental health professional who understands the personality traits of an emergency responder and the trauma they deal with each day; and how to best respond to issues of substance abuse, grief, marriage and family conflicts, alcoholism/addictions, and suicide. The session will take place at the Santa Clara Police Department in Santa Clara, California. For more information contact Maxine Lynch at (619) 667-1447 or email: mlynch@ci.la-mesa.ca.us
"I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people who call others weird that are weird."
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. Recent additions to the searchable, annotated bibliography at http://www.peer.ca/SearchB.html are:
Ginsburg-Block, M.D., Rohrbeck, C.A., and Fantuzzo, J.W. (November, 2006). A meta-analytic review of social, self-concept, and behavioral outcomes of Peer-Assisted Learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 4, 732-749.
An electronic search of two article databases resulted in finding 36 relevant PAL interventions that focused on elementary school students. Overall, the impact of PAL ranged from small to moderate across the three outcome variable domains. Both social and self-concept outcomes were positively correlated with academic outcomes. Specific PAL components--student autonomy, individualized evaluation, structured student roles, interdependent group rewards, and same-gender grouping--accounted for most of the impact. PAL interventions were more effective for low-income versus higher income, urban versus suburban-rural, minority versus non-minority, and Grades 1-3 students versus Grades 4-6 students. Results suggest that PAL interventions that focus on academics can also improve social and self-concept outcomes.
Hampton, G. Rhodes, C., and Stokes, M. (2004). A practical guide to mentoring, coaching and peer-networking. London: Routledge (Taylor and Francis Group).
Written for staff in schools and colleges, this books offers the challenge and support necessary to understand, analyze and adopt coaching, mentoring and peer-networking models as an essential part of the development of professional learning within an organization. This book can be purchased through Amazon.ca (for Canadian orders), Amazon.com (for US orders), or Amazon.co.uk for international orders.
Planty, M., Bozick, R., and Regnier, M. (2006). Helping because you have to or helping because you want to? Sustaining participation in service work from adolescence through young adulthood. Youth & Society, 38, 2, 177-202.
The researchers examined whether the motive behind community service performed during high school—either voluntary or required—influences engagement in volunteer work during the young adult years. Using a sample of students from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (N= 9,966), service work in high school is linked with community service in young adulthood. The findings show that participation in community service declines substantially in the two years following high school graduation but then rebounds slightly once members of the sample reach their mid-20s. In general, community service participation in high school was related to volunteer work both two and eight years after high school graduation. However, those who were required to participate in community service while in high school were only able to sustain involvement eight years after graduation if they reported that their participation was voluntary. Strengths and limitations of the analysis as well as implications for youth policy are discussed.
Roesler, K. (August 24, 2006). How schizophrenia survivors are offering a helping hand. Ottawa Citizen. (Retrieved August 31, 2006 from http://tinyurl.com/yl2dxr )
A description of the peer support program at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, where schizophrenia survivors help others with recovery. The hospital's schizophrenia patients are paired with volunteers who have experienced mental illness and have participated in a ten-day peer training program. The patients are typically ready to be discharged from the hospital, and are referred by their doctors to connect with a volunteer in the peer program. The pair meet weekly and develop a "wellness plan" or strategy for coping and managing their health. In most cases the plans help survivors gain strength and hope, and build lives beyond the stereotypical expectations for mental health survivors. (Note: the trainers in this hospital program took their train-the-trainer training from Peer Resources Network Level III Certified Peer Leader, Meredith Hunter.)
Sokatch, A. (2006). Peer influences on the college-going decisions of low socioeconomic status urban youth. Education and Urban Society, 39, 1, 128-146.
The roles that peers play in the decision to go to college are not well understood. A sophisticated statistical model was used to explore the role that peers play in the college-going decisions of a sample of low-income urban minority public high school graduates drawn from the National Education Longitudinal Study database. Friends’ plans are found to be the single best predictor of four-year college enrollment for these low-income urban minority students, even when controlling for variables traditionally assumed to affect college going. These peer variables are stronger predictors of four-year college-going behavior for this group than they are for a comparison sample of all U.S. high school graduates. These data are important for the formation of policies to improve all levels of college access programming.
"When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it."
~ Bernard Bailey ~
(Who is this?)
A SEASONAL WARM UP or ENERGIZER EXERCISE
Here is a very simple exercise created by Alicia Smith (http://www.DISCNinja.com) that can be debriefed in many ways, and is suitable for virtually any size group.
Give every one a piece of paper (printer paper will do). Then ask them to follow your directions. Do not elaborate on these directions.
1. Fold the paper in half.
2. Fold the paper in half once more.
3. Once again, fold the paper in half.
4. Tear the upper corner out.
5. Tear another corner out.
6. Ask everyone to open their papers. A variety of snowflakes will have been created, each one somewhat different than the next.
Why? Because when you ask people to fold the paper in half not everyone will interpret that the same way. Some will fold lengthwise while others will fold width wise. When you ask people to tear their paper they will all do it a bit differently.
This exercise can be used to debrief diversity, listening, communications, or following instructions, etc. You can ask people to find their snowflake "mates" and have similar snowflakes group together. It's light, fun, and inexpensive.
Alicia has used this in the past with supervisors in teaching delegation. When the group members have completed the task in the group, she has them pair up with their backs together and one person is the delegator and one person the delegatee - their goal is to make their snowflakes identical. She encourages them to keep making snowflakes until they get it right. For some pairs it happens with the first try, with other groups it takes two or three tries.
SUBSCRIBING, UNSUBSCRIBING, COPYRIGHT AND DISTRIBUTION
The Peer News has been provided by Peer Resources. All items in this publication are written by Dr. Rey Carr unless otherwise indicated, and 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 peernews@peer.ca. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to a colleague.
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