4.3 Training and supporting peer educators

4.3

Training and supporting peer educators

After recruiting peer educators, it is necessary to provide initial training to help participants develop their competences in peer-to-peer education. Training can be delivered in a variety of formats, but non-formal education techniques which support a group of young people to work collaboratively together are recommended.

An initial peer educators training should enable young people to:

→ Develop their understanding of the role of a peer educator, and what peer education is, → Develop the communication skills relevant for peer educators - such as presentation and facilitation skills, → Learn how to use different youth information tools with other young people, → Plan and design activities to run with their peers.

By using a group work approach, participants can learn together and share experiences. They can plan and develop peer-to-peer activities that they will run together after the training. This allows them to learn from each other both during the training and through the delivery of their activities. Following the initial training, peer educators then deliver the activities they have planned to their peers. Depending on the competences and needs of the peer educators, they may still need ongoing support from a youth information worker during this period. This support can range from accounting and collaborating with peer educators during delivery, to simply providing a point of contact for further advice and guidance.

After peer educators have delivered the activity they planned, a second training can be held. This can be used to support peer educators to reflect on and evaluate the success of their work. It also provides a valuable point for them to give feedback to the youth information service on the sorts of youth information tools they need to move forward. Future peer-to-peer activities can be planned building on what has been learnt. The cycle experiential learning (Chapter 2) describes the learning process peer educators go through. Following this cycle enables peer-to-peer educators to develop their skills and potential whilst also improving the quality of youth information that is delivered.

Peer-to-peer training resources

For more support around running digital youth participation activities, try these resources: �� Peer-to-Peer in Youth Information: Training manual for youth information workers, trainers and peer educators �� European Peer Training Organisation (EPTO): Toolkit �� The EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership T-Kit 6: Training

Essentials