1. Youth Supporting Youth
Ray Pidzamecky M.S.W. RSW
raypidzamecky@gmail.com
Native Mental Health Association Of
Canada 2010 Conference:
September 23 – 26, 2010
Saskatoon

2.  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

3.  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

4.  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)

6.  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.”

7.  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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13.  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

14. 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

15. Yellowknife March 2004

16.  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

20.  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.

21.  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

22.  A main lodge with common room, dining area
and kitchen
 Lodging for 40 students and six staff
 Sauna and boathouse
 A director's cabin

23.  This program involves a partnership between
Appleby College, the District School Board of
Niagara and the Niagara Native Restorative
Circle

24.  ...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.”

25.  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

26.  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

27.  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

28. 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

29.  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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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

35. Where The Spirit Lives
1989
Screen Door

37. 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