When young people have problems, they are far more likely
to discuss them with their friends rather than their parents, lecturers,
ministers or other caregivers. Social media enables young people to share
life-changing events with strangers without ever talking to someone within
their own homes.
To equip young people to act as a resource to help other
youth with the issues they face, the concept of “peer helping” was developed.
Peer Helpers are students who are trained to recognise when their peers may
have a problem, listen to fellow students confidentially and assist them with
emotional, societal, or academic struggles.
A teacher or school counsellor is trained to serve as a
Peer Program Coordinator, the teacher/counsellor Peer Program Coordinator in
turn selects students to serve as Peer Helpers and trains them on the peer
helping system. They learn a set of skills – attending, empathising,
summarising, questioning, genuineness, assertiveness, confrontation,
problem-solving, conflict resolution and confidentiality – that assist them in
meeting the needs of their fellow students.
As a part of their training, Peer Helpers agree to keep
the issues other students share with them in strict confidence. However,
if a student threatens to harm him or herself, exhibits psychotic behaviour or
reports abuse, the Peer Helper must involve their coordinator, a counsellor or
administrator immediately.
Peer helpers not only assist fellow students by listening
empathetically, providing options for making healthy choices, becoming
advocates, and helping them get involved in campus life. In the process
of helping others improve their self-esteem, Peer Helpers can themselves become
leaders and role models.
