Peer Support

Introducing our Peer Support Program

What is the Peer Support Program?

The Peer Support program provides students with a supportive environment where children and young people develop skills, understandings, attitudes and strategies to improve their mental, social and emotional wellbeing. Positive relationships are developed across the school through a series of engaging activities with a range of students of all ages. The program enables participating students to contribute in an environment where all can join in. Students helping to lead the program also gain leadership skills.

How does the Peer Support Program work?

Our students will meet in small, mixed level groups every week for 8 weeks. Sessions will run for about 40 minutes using material from Peer Support Australia. Peer Support Australia’s mission is to provide an evidence based, peer-led approach to enhance mental, social and emotional wellbeing of young people. Peer Support Australia has trained our staff and our staff have trained our student Peer Leaders to run supervised sessions to develop protective factors and strengthen positive relationships across the school. Peer Leaders will work with small groups of students from Kindergarten - Year 5. Using Peer Leaders means we have student role models who can help our staff and parents encourage positive relationships.

How can I support the Peer Support Program in my child’s school?

Discuss with your child the activities, concepts and understandings they are developing each week. This helps to foster a positive connection between school and home.

Session 1 Week 2 - Introducing the Peer Support Program

This week our students will commence our Peer Support Program with Session 1 Feeling safe - Being me! For the next 8 weeks, they will be involved in groups of approximately 8-10 students to work with two student Peer Leaders and a supervising teacher on Stronger Together - a module that aims to support positive relationships amongst students. Starting this week, we will talk to students about their strengths and their resilience. We will discuss positive relationships or friendships and what to do if they experience harmful and hurtful behaviours. Peer Leaders have been trained and have planned their session using the materials we have from Peer Support Australia that are specially designed for student led sessions. Our Supervising/Class Teachers will prepare students, supervise sessions and check understanding at the end of the session.

Our session this week includes activities for the members of the group to get to know each other by using a range of social skill interactions that promote diversity and engagement in a sensitive yet productive manner. It also establishes a safe learning environment where the group feel able to join, share and contribute sense of belonging to better protect them from bullying. Find your safe place. Peer Support Australia provides resources for parents and carers. Visit www.peersupport.edu.au

Session 2 Week 3 - Strong me!

Our session this week for students involved in Stronger Together - our Peer Support module, encourages students to identify their personal strengths as a key protective factor to address bullying and looks at ways of utilising these positive attributes to support themselves and others to build resilience. Parents and carers of participating students might like to ask what they said or thought their strengths might be and suggest some more.