Training Packages

DiY

Some schools organise and deliver their own training. Where this is effective, it relies on a very considerable commitment from staff and the occasional free visitor. "Home-grown" schemes can suffer some disadvantages, in that finding existing staff with a wide enough range of expertise and associated good will can be difficult; the scheme can also be rather cut-off from the wider community (geographically and philosophically). Also, the usual cynic's rules apply: that nothing in life comes free; that nothing worth doing is ever easy; that there's never enough time; that people who volunteer too readily get worn out!

If you do decide to take this route, I hope this site, and the resources it links to, will be useful to you. (You are free to use this material, with the usual stipulation that you may not use or distribute it for profit without prior permission from the author/s). If you do use it, I would really appreciate feedback on what you found helpful, plus any ideas on improving the site.

A Tailor-Made Package for Your Staff to Deliver

With this option we can provide you, via consultation with your staff about your particular needs, with a course structure and all relevant materials to deliver your course. Materials can be based on half-day, whole-day or twilight (typically an hour and a quarter) sessions. They can be provided in written format with questionnaires, sentence-completion, games and role-play exercises, etc. Key learning points can be summarised in Powerpoint, if desired. Some material can be made available on video: it is especially useful for students to learn about listening skills, and to explore how spoken language and non-verbal behaviours (body language) intertwine to create tentative meanings. These exercises in observation and self-awareness are equally valid for adult educators, too!

A Typical Training Package from Peer Support Training

We can provide you with properly trained and qualified tutors to deliver your establishment's training, or to "kick-start" it - after which your staff take over, with an option for regular consultation and evaluation from ourselves. If you opt for the former, here is an outline of what you might expect. Prices are quoted on an individual basis, since requirements can vary widely.

• Initial discussion, usually face-to-face to discuss the idea in the context of the particular school's needs. We would seek to establish how Peer Support would fit in with other initiatives, systems and policies, who is and is not "on board", anticipated obstacles, sources of funding, and a time-scale for training and for the service to be operational.

• There would probably be a second meeting, involving key players, and getting down to some practical planning, and dates. We would explore selection criteria (probably outside of the main meeting) and whether I should be directly involved in the process. This would include how to deal with those whose applications are not successful, or at a later stage, how to "counsel out" those who appear unsuited or unready for the task.

• Next comes a briefing with the whole group of student volunteers key staff, and any other interested parties. As well as giving information and outlining expectations, the meeting would seek feedback about students's perceptions of issues requiring discussion and training. Students would often be given a small task (usually in pairs) ahead of the first formal training event.

• Ideally, one to two whole days need to be set aside for introductory training. This should include a separate session for appropriate staff. Suitable venues, transport (where needed) and catering arrangements will have to be settled. An outline programme will be produced, including sessions from key staff (e.g. Why Peer Support in Our School?; How it All Fits Together (or should) e.g. did you know about this, that or the other school policy?) Exercises that encourage participation and fun (put your whole self in, as the Hokey-Cokey instructs us!) are used to give direct experience of key learning tasks, but are backed up with some solid tuition too. Visitor slots are very useful, if they can be arranged, giving students and staff a better awareness of local services.
• Following this, there will be a series of "Twilight Sessions", usually from about 3:30 p.m. to about 5 p.m. Again there will be a programme of topics, but this may be modified in keeping with the needs of the group.
• Video-feedback is a very powerful tool in the training, and of course is only used with informed consent. Once over the initial embarrassment and preoccupation with appearance, students tend to be very enthusiastic about this adjunct to learning. Sometimes, they are "let loose" with the camera themselves, which is yet another way of having an "observer position" as well as learning some technical skills!
• In attempting to provide a rich experience, use is made of various media, including music/lyrics, film extracts, and searched materials from the Internet, T.V., magazines and newspapers. (Bit by bit, I'm planning to add more detail on the use of these media to the site: for now have a look at the pages on Songs and on Films in Peer Support training).
• In parallel with training sessions there will be ongoing briefings in school, which would be purely internal, and often about practical problem-solving.
• The closing training session usually needs to be a little longer, since it will attempt to "bring it all together", answer any remaining queries and run an evaluation of the course and its outcomes at that point.
• A follow-up session some weeks later is usually arranged to reflect on how things are working out in practice.
• Supervision is vital, as is support for the person providing it. We can advise you further on this aspect.

  Because each school's needs will be different, the costs of a particular training package will be negotiated individually.

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