CYP & the Peer Support Approach Dominic Parkinson

Mindkit In different areas across London we delivered a program called Mindkit (funded by DoH/Volunteering Fund), with sessions focussed on improving resilience and wellbeing in adolescents and young adults. In each London borough we recruited a cohort of volunteers for each year of delivery (3 year project), who then went through training to deliver sessions in schools/universities/community groups. In total 15 recruitment rounds took place, across the 5 boroughs. All volunteers had their own lived experience of mental health.

The aim Overall aims of Mindkit: For those experiencing early signs of deteriorating mental health, our aim was to ‘give them a nudge’ to engage with support/services Help to prevent others from travelling down certain paths that may impact negatively on their heath Help them to learn new ways to look after their general health and wellbeing

Co-production Everything within the project was co-produced with young people including: Website and promotional materials Workshop content Language and terminology used Feedback questionnaires

Training the volunteers Mindkit was designed to train each group Volunteers completed a 13 week course, accredited by Middlesex University Part of the training included Presentation Skills and summarising their own life experiences Volunteers stayed for approx. 12 months Each cohort was supported to move on into further education or employment

The Volunteers Their experiences were designed to show what had happened to them, how it had affected them, how things may have been different if they had recognised some of their early symptoms and looked for support or taken a different path.

Why deliver programs through volunteers? Some similar models (to Mindkit) have employed paid staff to go into schools/youth groups with comparable outputs/outcomes reported. Requires regular training for volunteers A challenge to keep a consistent approach to the workshops/presentations High numbers of staff (volunteers) to support and line manage

Social Impact Theory Findings from a Social Impact Theory (by Simoni, Franks, Lehavot & Yard 2011) suggest: “The impact of information is increased if the delivery is through a similar, credible facilitator”. “Peer education is also thought to be effective through changing social norms, both in behaviour and reducing stigma”

Peer Support “behaviour change may be influenced by how the listener views the status of the person delivering the information, where more successful outcomes are associated with a peer who is considered ‘trustworthy’ and highly regarded”

Connecting with the Audience A group of volunteers have the potential to connect by: Providing a broader demographic May be more relatable (less polished) not a teacher or authority figure Opening up about their own personal experience and creating trust

The Challenges Supporting Volunteers (chaotic/busy lifestyles) Recruiting male volunteers Supporting volunteers to have the confidence to undertake the work Supporting individuals who were struggling with their own mental health

Volunteer Outcomes 51% of volunteers entered work during their involvement with Mindkit Pleased to have been able to have made a difference Increased confidence and self esteem Found the training very effective and useful for moving into work

Thank you for listening Any questions?