Year 10 Peer Support Program
Are you interested in building your leadership skills?
Are you interested in developing your employability skills for life after school?
Are you interested in teaching year 7 students the knowledge and skills to be an effective learner?
Are you interested in nurturing and supporting the transition of year 7 students into high school?
Then the Year 10 Peer Support program in 2020 is for you!
- Any year 9 student interested in the Peer Support Program for 2020 must complete and submit an expression of interest form to Middle Years by Friday 26th July.
- This form can be found on Compass, alternatively can be collected from the Middle Years office. A recommendation from two of your teachers must also be included in your application.
Program Description
The Peer Support program aims to educate students on the value of peer-to-peer support. It is designed to provide support between groups of junior students and trained senior leaders. By applying the “student-help-student” principle, Peer Support taps the energies of the most valuable resource a school has - the students. The empowerment of young people in this way encourages them to grow in confidence and responsibility. It has been shown that pro social behaviours amongst the school community are encouraged by educating peer support leaders on the effects they can have on younger students.
The Peer Support program aims to create a thriving school environment that puts students at the centre of their learning, nurturing them and providing them with the necessary skills and strategies to navigate school and life. The program allows students to develop empathy, form relationships and develop a sense of responsibility towards students they might not typically engage with. While working within these structured groups, older students (year 10 students) lead younger students through planned and engaging lesson activities that explore a range of topics. Students take responsibility for a number of incoming Year 7 students and create a supportive learning environment for younger students during Semester 1, in which Year 7 students develop:
- Character building and respect for self and others, including empathy and compassion
- Positive and respectful relationships and social skills
- Skills needed to be an effective learner
- Strategies to promote mental health, through resilience, mindfulness, gratitude and kindness
- Student agency
- School connectedness
- Responsibility for self and others, including values, friendship and anti-bullying.
- And to empower young people to build improved help-seeking behaviour through increased knowledge of available support, the development of positive coping strategies and the development of skills needed to access help.
Becoming a trained peer support leader and undertaking the program creates a sense of empowerment that results in their ability to take responsibility for the learning of younger students. It also empowers them to take ownership and responsibility over their own learning and wellbeing, including an increase in self efficacy. It also provides students with leadership skills and opportunities for self-development and self-reflection. Year 10 students learn how to become an effective leader in the 21st century and develop employability skills such as communication, creativity, collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, self-management and planning and organising.
The introduction of peer support programs have been conclusively proven to have a long term preventative effect on the incidence of bullying by contributing to the development of positive relationships and a safe school culture (McGrath, H & Stanley, M 2006).
If you have any questions regarding the Peer Support program, please speak to Mr Black, alternatively contact him via email (bla@wantrinacollege.vic.edu.au).
David Black
Physical Education, Health and PE