from yaprap August - September 2009
by Jennifer Bulley
Peer Education Project Co-ordinator
Holroyd City Council
Peer education has become a renowned model of working with people of all ages, communities and backgrounds to create social change and build sustainable outcomes in individual behaviour and communities.
Peer education occurs in a variety of settings: in the playground, shopping centre, library, church, parties, sporting event, over coffee, on the phone, through emails or blogs. It takes advantage of the natural forms of interaction amongst peers by engaging a trained ‘peer educator’ to send messages, share information and motivate their peers to create change in behaviour. Peer educators assist others in their peer group to make informed decisions about their health, well-being and other options affecting their life.
Peer education is an approach that can be used with people of all ages, communities, abilities and lifestyles. It can be applied to work with peers in a community setting or be transferred to working with peers in a corporate setting.
Why consider peer education?
Within any peer environment, people share and learn information and values from each other. There is a risk of this information being inaccurate and unchallenged, therefore becoming potentially harmful. Being able to tap into this natural exchange of information can provide the educator with an opportunity to challenge misinformation and provide accurate information.
Peers are more effective in providing accurate information and sustaining it, for example, young people are likely to discuss concerns and issues with their peers before approaching an adult. They are able to deliver culturally sensitive messages in an appropriate way.
A peer educator automatically break down barriers and opens channels to access a wider group of young people. Peer Education Projects have been particularly successful in promoting a greater understanding of health issues.
Peer education is a community focused approach that supports, complements and builds links with other community services and programs.
Benefits
Youth peer education provides a great deal of benefit to the young educators themselves:
- Personal satisfaction and personal growth
- Improved personal health
- Improved career opportunities
- A sense of belonging to a group with common goals and interest who are actively involved in making change in the community
- A sense of achievement in being involved in a productive and creative project
- An increased self-esteem and level of confidence and resilience, and
- A broader social network.
Holroyd Youth Peer Education
The Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project, coordinated by Holroyd Council’s Youth Services, has two broad aims:
- Community capacity building.
- Investment in communities (short and long term) and the future by utilising young people’s skills, talents, motivation, creativity and networks, thereby encouraging young people in community participation.
The project model has been adapted from a 1991 project which engaged young people aged 12-25 years from western Sydney to pass on accurate information about HIV/AIDS and related health issues.
Recruitment & selection
The recruitment and selection of the target group commence in February – March each year. Advertisements are widespread in schools and educational institutions, youth and community organisations and groups and in the public media, eg, websites, local newspapers and other publications.
This process involves the young people interested in joining the project to submit an application form and attend an informal interview. This is to assess the level of commitment by the young person, identify their interests and gain some understanding of their attitudes.
There was an overwhelming interest by young people to be involved in the project. Almost 200 young people enquired about the project, 70 applications were received, 55 young people were interviewed and 45 young people have been trained. Young people were happy to dedicate their time and energy to help their peers.
Group development & education
The group development and education stage of the project involves the selected young people getting to know each other, building relationships, developing teamwork and communication skills and enjoying each others strengths, abilities and talents. This process takes place on a 3 day camp, free from distraction, in a place of tranquillity, facilitating lots of personal growth.
A pre-camp information session is held with the peer educators, and parents are also invited. This session aims at informing the peer educators about the requirements and details of the camp and allowing them to meet each other for the first time.
The peer educators get to introduce themselves and how they are feeling about being involved. Icebreakers are used to help them mingle and break down any isolation or tension.
The purpose of the camp is to:
- Allow peer educators to get to know each other on a deeper level
- Educate peer educators on team work, roles and responsibilities, relationships and youth culture
- Provide peer educators with great knowledge on the Peer Education Project – challenges, issues and vision; and
- Create a sense of unity between the peer educators and identify a common vision.
The camp follows an educational yet flexible itinerary. It attempts to equip the young people with the knowledge, skills and tools involved in being a peer educator. The itinerary incorporates such activities as get-to-know-you exercises, establishing group agreements and expectations, team building, reflection time, bush walks, talent show, recreational activities such as mask painting, watching a movie, sports and swimming. The workshops include communication, team building and teamwork relationships, youth culture, and peer education.
Consultations and evaluations are conducted throughout the camp. The feedback received from the peer educators was overwhelmingly positive. While many of the peer educators were nervous and timid on the first day of camp, by day three, they were open, honest and built wonderful relationships with each other.
Peer education training
The training is the largest component of the development of the peer educators. It is the avenue whereby accurate information on youth health issues is transferred to the peer educators in a manner that is appealing and appropriate for the target group. It is through this training that the peer educators gain knowledge and develop skills that assist them in educating their peers, building their leadership skills and influencing their community.
The training topics are selected and delivered based on findings of primary consultations and research on the issues affecting young people. The training consists of two stages. Stage 1 focuses on providing information and informing peer educators on youth related health issues. Stage 2 focuses on developing the skills of peer educators.
The following workshops are provided in Stage 1:
- bullying & peer pressure
- legal rights & responsibilities
- anti-discrimination
- drugs & alcohol
- sexual health
- body image
- mental health
- access to youth services
In the third and final round of training, the Project Coordinator, in consultation with the peer educators and other members of the community, focused the training on one particular health topic - specifically, depression among young people.
The following workshops are provided in Stage 2: train-the-trainer sessions, planning & developing resources, planning & facilitating workshops, counselling skills, public speaking.
Formal & informal peer education
The final stage of the project involves providing and creating opportunities where the peer educators are able to apply and transfer their knowledge and skills to educate their peers, for example:
- co-facilitating workshops or lunchtime sessions in educational institutions
- holding information sessions
- disseminating information and informal education on an individual and/or group basis
- assisting with the planning and implementation of festivals, programs and workshops within the community and youth services
- actively participating in committees and groups to voice their opinions and needs
- writing articles for youth specific magazines or writing letters to local Members of Parliament
- co-facilitating workshops and supporting the peer educators of the next generations by attending camps, training sessions and assisting with the development of resources.
Resources
The peer educators developed two youth-specific and youth-led resources for young people:
- SPEAK OUT: young people against bullying resource, a widely distributed resource receiving a lot of media coverage and promotion amongst schools
- The development of an anti-depression campaign promoting the theme: “You’re not alone” and “Depression Doesn’t Discriminate, It Can Happen to Anyone”.
Two TV community service announcements were developed to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of depression amongst young people and to promote the services available to help young people who may be experiencing depression by targeting their family, friends and others around them: A live-action advertisement of 30 seconds featuring the peer educators; and an animated advertisement of 60 seconds. They can be viewed at: www.holroyd.nsw.gov.au/community_services/youth/peer_education_project
In addition, an information booklet was developed by the young people to complement the commercials with information on depression, signs, symptoms and causes, coping skills, a depression checklist, getting help and contact details.
Getting started on peer education
Your organisation's available resources including human and financial, as well as the length of the project, the identified needs to address and other factors are important to consider before you start.
Peer education can be used in the community sector as an effective prevention strategy and to promote information on health-related issues, particularly, sexual health, drugs and alcohol issues.
A variety of models exist which vary according to:
- funding arrangements
- experience of key workers
- abilities and requirements of the target group
- resources available – human, financial, physical (eg. equipment) and environmental.
Models and practices differ in the:
- level of support that is provided to the target group – high or low
- setting in which the project is delivered – school, community or corporate
- level of the training provided to the target group
- selection of the target group – self or worker selected
- abilities, talents and existing skills and skill of the target group in educating their peers.
More information
Jennifer Bulley
- (02) 9840 9992
- jennifer.bulley@holroyd.nsw.gov.au
- www.holroyd.nsw.gov.au/community_services/youth/peer_education_project