Our Peer Helpers PLUS program is a comprehensive, prevention and support program that partners with schools to promote the mental health of our youth, and teach them to advocate for one another.
Multi-Tiered Support System
Our Peer Helpers PLUS program has taken the traditional principles of peer support and streamlined peer-to-peer support, as well as expanded to other components, which have been identified by educators and administrators as the “missing pieces” in their schools. Peer Helpers PLUS works on a multi-tiered support system as it provides three components:
School-wide comprehensive prevention and SEL curricula, for individual grade levels K-12
Student peer-to-peer support system, elementary and secondary grade levels
Data collection and reporting tool, for data analysis and program customization.
Peer-to-Peer Support
The Peer Helpers component of the program teaches a diverse group of students core skills to help them identify and communicate with their at-risk classmates. The concept is based on the fact that when a young person is seeking help, they will likely reach out to their peers long before turning to an adult.
These trained students known as Peer Helpers offer their fellow students encouragement and assistance with the day-to-day challenges -- serving as tutors, mentors, mediators, and support systems for their peers. Peer Helpers serve as role models and assistants to youth who may not have either at home.
