Session Goal & Learning Outcomes
Today’s session goal is to get to know ourselves and each other a little better from the perspective of a peer educator or leader.
After the session you will be able to:
Peer Education
Peer education is an education model used to change and improve attitudes, behaviours, and knowledge in groups interacting socially and having similar attitudes and behaviours regarding age and educational status.
(Sakru, Aldi, Cakmakci, et al., 2023)
What is a peer educator
A peer educator is not a teacher, therapist, or authority figure. They are a trained young person who supports, listens to, and guides others in a safe and respectful way.
Being a peer educator means:
- Supporting, not solving.
- Listening, not diagnosing.
- Caring, not carrying everything alone.
A peer educator should: | A peer educator should not: |
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When something is too serious: A peer educator’s role is to pass it on to a trusted adult, youth worker, or support service.
Peer Education & Leadership videos
Peer Educator Characteristics
So, is your backpack filled with:
- Empathy – Listen and understand how others feel
- Positive Role Model – Show healthy digital habits
- Supportive – Encourage and check in on others
- Knowledgeable – Know where to find good information
- Inclusive – Make everyone feel welcome
- Great communicator – Explain clearly and listen well
- Responsibility – Know when to get extra help
- Integrity – Be honest and respect boundaries and confidentiality
- Self Awareness – Know your own limits
Roleplay – Unpacking your Backpack
- Pair up & use the scenarios provided.
- In pairs, play out the roles & then reverse the roles.
- After each scenario, have a discussion with your partner about:
- Which qualities from your backpack did you use?
- What worked well and what did not & why?
- What can you use in real-life situations?
- Reflect with the whole group on how you felt after and during the exchanges, and if you used any characteristics discussed earlier and the information gained during the videos!
Each pair will select one positive take away from the activity to bring with them to use in the future.
Circle Discussion
Let’s all form a circle
Now choose a person from the circle who you think is a great peer educator/leader or has an opportunity to become one. What characteristics are in their “Peer Educators’ Backpack”?
Discuss some of these characteristics that you feel like you could work on and want to learn more about. (Optional – this activity can be done as an individual reflection step.)
Group Debrief
Think of an example when you witnessed a peer being great at educating/leading others. Why does the example stand out, and what made you think of it?
What is the benefit of peer education within the community?
How can you encourage more of your peers to step up and lead the way?
Why would anyone want to become a peer educator?
What are the next steps you could take to support your peers and community?
Let’s take action!
Consider ideas on how to motivate your friends and family further to become peer educators.
- Organising an event with some motivating educators/leaders.
- Creating an online/offline campaign.
- Peer Educator Awards, recognition for active educators.
- Group Projects, have teams create workshops, videos, or podcasts together to make it fun and collaborative.
“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Dr. Jane Goodall
To summarise…
A great peer educator…
- Listens with empathy
- Creates a safe and respectful space
- Communicates clearly
- Includes everyone
- Shares helpful and accurate information
- Knows their limits and when to get extra help
- Supports others without judging or fixing
- Acts as a positive digital role model
- These skills help you support others while also protecting yourself.
Reflection Time
Reflect on what you learnt about yourself during the activity, list 3 strengths and 3 areas to improve to make your Personal Peer Educator Backpack more impactful.
- Draft a plan to encourage a friend to become an educator and/or leader in your school or community.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them. Project Number: 2024-2-PT02-KA220-YOU-000287246
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