Youth Supporting Youth

Ray Pidzamecky M.S.W. RSW

raypidzamecky@gmail.com

53rd Annual Institute on

Addiction Studies

July 8th - July 12th, 2012

Kempenfelt Conference Centre

Barrie, Ontario, Canada

In times of difficulty, youth often do not seek out professional resources, they go to friends

The number of certified professional counsellors

is limited and the needs of students are more extensive than most professional staff can meet

Students provide a practical and economical means for meeting the increasing number of guidance and counselling needs

Research indicates that student counsellors and facilitators can often be as effective as professional counsellors and in some cases they are accepted even more so, especially in the initial stages of developing a relationship

Sometimes information can be presented to students in an informal and less intimidating manner when peers provide the information

Many times adults do not understand the straight-forward language and customs of the younger generation; student facilitators can help bridge this gap and assist professional counsellors in gaining a better perspective on student problems and issues

The range of guidance services can be extended in a school when peers are used as resources

A peer counsellor program provides an “outreach” approach to counselling, which is most appropriate for contemporary times

Peer facilitators can function as models within a work or educational setting

Learning is more efficient when students assist other students and accept more responsibility for creating the learning climate

“Training as treatment”, the peer counsellor gains from being a facilitator of others

Peer counsellors/facilitator programs are the heart of a developmental approach to guidance and counselling. In developmental guidance programs, life skills are developed prior to a crisis

(Source: Peer Counselling Starter Kit, A Peer Training Program Manual, Rey A. Carr, Gregory A.K. Saunders Peer resources Victoria, B.C. 2006 www.peer.ca)

Youth of today are the promise of the

future and represent a tremendous

untapped resource

They are energetic, positive

Through inexpensive and purposeful training,

young people themselves can provide an

effective and efficient resource to one

another and support caregivers responsible

for the well being of today’s youth.”

Assist the youth by helping to empower and

sensitize them, the results will not only

benefit individual adolescents but also the

communities in which they reside

A peer helper program is an alternative

service delivery model that acknowledges

adolescent strengths, personal resources

and their ability to harness those attributes

to benefit each other and their community

Through peer helper relationships students

can begin to shape their own culture to

foster positive personal growth and support

for each other

What is PEP? 1998

The PEP program is an intensive, short-term,

interactive program intended to shape and

support crucial decision-making processes for

young adolescents as they adapt to the

culture of high school

The program can be used by any high school

as the issues affecting teens today cross all

geographic and socio-cultural boundaries

Key Components:

Groups of 25-50 same gender grade 9

students receive in-service from trained

senior students - one session each from

female and male senior mentors

At least one School Social Worker or School

Child Care Worker facilitates each session

with a team of 5 -10 mentors

An assembly presentation by the police

School Resource Officer (S.R.O.)

An assembly for all grade 9 students

presented by the senior mentors

Training manuals for staff and peer mentors

Objectives:

1. To dispel myths held by grade 9’s about what

is cool and reassures them that high school is

okay and that development takes time

2. To give youth information coupled with

abstinence and harm reduction messages

3. To encourage discussion about discrimination,

victimization and other issues and help identify

students who are possibly at emotional, physical

or psychological risk

4. Start identifying, in a proactive manner,

students who are possibly at risk rather than

identifying them reactively following a crisis

5. Teach mentors to be aware of various mental

health issues such as depression/eating

disorders/ so that timely intervention can be

offered to their peers

6. Impact in a meaningful way as to reduce the

risks of death and harm to our youth whether

that is through intentional or accidental actions

7. To help anchor younger students with older kids

for support and identification and foster a sense

of community between senior and junior

students

8. Provide an unencumbered opportunity to ask

the questions they need to ask

9. Reduce acting out and impulsivity and

alienation

10.Welcome the grade 9’s into the school.

Make them a positive part of school culture-

full members in the ‘club’ rather than the

applicants

11. In achieving the above objectives, create a

safe student/school and community

environment

Ray Pidzamecky helped Appleby College to

provide a similarly unique opportunity for

their youth when a partnership was formed

with the Dene First Nations people of

northern Canada in 2004

At that time, Ray was the Director of Youth

Programs at Appleby College. He was working

on a program to develop E.Q. (Emotional

Intelligence) and with Appleby College,

formed a partnership with the Dene in Fort

McPherson, Northwest Territories

I.Q. –Can move plus or minus 7

E.Q. – greatest predictor of success

Emotional self-awareness, Assertiveness, Self-regard, Self-actualization, Independence, Problem solving, Reality testing, Flexibility, Happiness, Optimism, Empathy, Social responsibility, Interpersonal relationships, Stress tolerance, Impulse control

WISDOM – the experience of others

Yellowknife March 2004

In 1971, Chief Jimmy Bruneau officially opened the Edzo school in the Northwest Territories that was to bear his name. On this occasion he spoke of the importance of a model of bicultural and bilingual education where equal emphasis must be given to educating children in two cultures

Some years later in 1991, a respected Behchokö elder, Elizabeth Mackenzie, commented on her understanding of the words of Chief Jimmy Bruneau, describing his vision as "Strong Like Two People". Originally, the statement referred to young people, and meant learning from, and being competent in the worlds of two people...the traditional world of the Tåîchô elders and the modern world that surrounds people today

The project took place at Appleby College’s

northern campus on Rabbitnose Island

located on Lake Temagami. Temagami: after

"Te-mee-ay-gaming" - 'deep water' in Ojibway

Temagami is a 4,000 square mile land of

lakes and deep woods in north-eastern

Ontario, Canada. It is the homeland of

Algonquins and Ojibways of Temagami First

Nation.

The Northern Campus is a secluded spot

accessible only by boat, snowmobile or foot,

and the home of the Northward Bound

program. Through a host of outdoor activities

such as backpacking, map and compass

reading, canoeing on Lake Temagami,

camping and snow shoeing, this program

teaches students wilderness and teamwork

skills, heightens their awareness of

environmental responsibility, and instils in

them a sense of accomplishment and

leadership

A main lodge with common room, dining area

and kitchen

Lodging for 40 students and six staff

Sauna and boathouse

A director's cabin

This program involves a partnership between

Appleby College, the District School Board of

Niagara and the Niagara Native Restorative

Circle

...says “Not only have we responded to the

needs of our youth, we will also tap into one

of our community’s greatest resources, our

elders. This coming together of youth and

elders completes the circle of life and offers

great promise for our youth and new found

hope for each day in our youth’s lives.”

Tremendous resources of money and time are

invested in reactive interventions

To a lesser degree, prevention programming

In spite of the best of intentions, statistics

demonstrate that youth are feeling more

stress and alienation

Most intervention models are initiated from

the top down. The adults make the decisions

resulting in dependent young people rather

than self-motivated youth who are

responsible for themselves and each other

The project involved using a peer counselling model

as developed by Peer Resources (Rey Carr & Greg

Saunders) which is considered to be a world leader in

peer mentoring development and training

We used strategies introduced into that model by Ron

Jorgenson who wrote the resource “Kit & Culture”

which introduces First Nations traditions and

ideologies into the model

The adult facilitators were trained during the

program to ensure the students and adults had the

skills necessary to introduce a local program into

their home school

The students were made up of six students from Appleby College, six aboriginal youth and six non-aboriginal youth from Fort Erie Secondary, St. Catharines Collegiate and Lakeport/Eden High School

The supervisors consisted of six adults from DSBN and three faculty members from Appleby College

The project included two components. 1) The participants worked to establish a peer-counselling network in the community and 2) The participants learned about First Nations culture, language and traditions

For the participants, the anticipated length would be 2 days of travel and 5 days on site

To create a youth oriented programme which:

Engages the participants in a First Nation’s culturally rich experience;

Trains participants with valuable skills for supporting other youth;

Exposes youth to the wisdom of the Elders who are valuable resources;

Provides youth with supports for social issues faced within their community;

Creates a long-term youth-oriented program providing non-athletic options.

To create a program, which the community sees as a positive and supportive agenda, which benefits the community through the involvement of youth.

To build a common or shared set of peer skills between Elders and youth

Empower youth to support youth by increasing the profile of positive youth action within the community through strategic peer helping skills

Enhance the self-esteem of youth through activities, which encourage them to serve the members of their community who are in need

Help youth to see their strength and value to each other and the communities they reside in

Teach youth about the values, traditions and culture of the First Nations including experiences on the land, use of the language and an understanding of traditional healing techniques

Introduce strategies to reduce rates of drug/alcohol abuse and suicide

Encourage discussion on the issues of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, racism, labelling, abuse and violence

Start identifying, in a proactive manner, students who are possibly at risk rather than identifying them reactively following a crisis

Teach youth to be aware of various mental health issues such as depression/eating disorders, so that timely intervention can be offered to their peers

April 3, 2009:

Groups travel to the Northern Campus (est. travel time 6 hours)

6:00 pm: Dinner at lodge & clean up

7: 00 Introduction to facility by Director of Northern Campus (Doug Stamper)

7:30 Lesson 1 – Getting to know you

10:00 Retire to cabins

April 4 – 6, 2009:

8:00 Wake-up

8:30 Breakfast & chores

9:30 Morning lesson

12:00 Lunch & clean-up

1:00 Afternoon lesson

2:30 Break

2:45 – 4:15 Elder’s session

4:30 – 5:30 Social time – TBA

6:00 Dinner & clean-up

7:00 – 9:00 Evening lesson

9:00 – 10:00 Free time & facilitator planning

10:00 Retire to cabins

April 7, 2009

8:00 Wake-up

8:30 Breakfast & chores

9:30 Morning lesson

12:00 Lunch & clean-up

1:00 Afternoon lesson

2:30 Break

2:45 – 4:15 Elder’s session

4:30 – 5:30 Closing presentations

6:00 Dinner & clean-up

7:00 Movie night

10:00 Retire to cabins

April 8, 2009

8:00 Wake-up

8:30 Breakfast & chores

9:30 Departure to bus

Lesson Topic Description Activity/Game

1 Getting Acquainted - getting to know names

- sharing background

- structure of lessons

To be determined in Facilitator

Training sessions

2 Nonverbal attending - questioning each other

- attending skills

- FELOR concepts

3 Roadblocks - ineffective communication

styles

- roadblock role plays

4 Listening skills - concept of listening

- recognizing feelings

- empathic listening

5 Empathic Listening - Rogerian listening

- review empathic listening

- listening dyads

6 Empathic Listening (con’t) - listening dyads

- review empathic listening

- natural listening

7 Helping relationships - Questioning skills

- Open ended questions

- role situations

8 You & I messages - self disclosing messages

- “You” messages

- “I” messages

9 Feedback - facilitative feedback model

- positive feedback

10 Values clarifications - concept of values

- Fallout shelter

11 Decision making - five step decision making

model

- decision making dyads

- decision making scenarios

12 Ethics, Issues & Referral - ethics

- confidentiality

- developing a code of ethics

- a discussion of issues in

their communities

- review of available

community resources

- methods of referring

F.E.L.O.R ?

Face: Willing to be with you

Eye Contact: I care about you

Lean: I am involved

Open Posture: I am receptive

Relaxed Position: I have the energy for the

work

Where The Spirit Lives

1989

Screen Door

The Temagami Project: Youth Supporting Youth

Featuring: Youth from Fort Erie Secondary School, St. Catharines

Collegiate, Eden Secondary School and Appleby College

Students and adults from four schools will share their

experiences on learning to become peer mentors. The group will reflect about the interpersonal skills they developed, the traditions of the First Nations which they

explored and their feelings about the impact of residential schools.

Topics of discussion will include:

What students learned about themselves

How the group dynamic impacted them

Issues facing youth in today’s culture

What they learned about aboriginal traditions

How they felt about the impact of residential schools

Place: Fort Erie Secondary School, Auditorium • 7 Tait Ave. Fort Erie

Date: May 20, 2009

Time: 7 – 8 p.m.

Cost: Free