PEER MENTORS - TRAINING

Peer Mentors should be committed, focused individuals who deliver a service in a professional manner. At all times Peer Mentors should consider the confidential nature of their work and value the trust that the young adult has bestowed in them.

Awareness session training will include:

• Using basic counselling skills - listening, reflecting, summarising
• Offering encouragement
• Celebrating achievement
• Presenting an open and accepting attitude
• Referring to their own experiences where relevant
• Challenging young adult’s assumptions
• Providing an opportunity for young adults to role play a situation which they face
• Helping young adults review and self assess what works best for them
• Helping young adults set powerful goals
• Providing feedback honestly and sensitively
• Sign posting young adults on to allow them to source their own information from appropriate agencies
• Acknowledging young adult’s feelings and experiences

In contrast, however, effective Peer Mentoring does not include:

• Providing counselling for deep seated emotional issues
  x Telling young adults what they should do
  x Doing it on behalf of their young adult
  x Having to be an expert in everything
  x Becoming emotionally over involved
  x Making assumptions and adopting judgmental attitudes

The training will ensure clear boundaries are set to eliminate risk and inspire the Peer Mentor’s self-confidence and belief in their own abilities.

Ideal Peer Mentors are individuals who take their work seriously and act in ways that they are seen to be a positive role model. Peer Mentors should make their young adults feel that they are the sort of person who is reliable and approachable with awareness and understanding of the issues of their young adult’s world.

So to answer the question “What skills and training does a good Peer Mentor need?” let’s make self-assessment the starting point. Understanding the Peer Mentoring process is one thing, but competent Peer Mentoring requires you to apply this process using the right skills, attitudes, and personal attributes. Skills can be easily demonstrated, practised, performed, and observed. Attributes however tend to be inherited in the personal make up of people. They are more of a question of attitudes than abilities, and are consequently more difficult to assess. Yet both are important for Peer Mentoring. Peer Mentors must reflection regularly in order to self assess and review that they are indeed portraying the skills, attributes, and attitudes that are beneficial for the rapid growth and personal development of young adults.

Working to develop a positive attitude is perhaps the most important part of Peer Mentor training. Peer Mentoring is a two way process in which the young adult has to believe and trust in the Peer Mentor and vice versa. The positive attitude that Peer Mentors display, will in all likelihood, be transferred to the young adult, as most people response well to enthusiasm.

Peer Mentors should be trained to develop skills and attributes in the following key areas:

Skills

• Establish rapport
• Explain coaching concept and techniques clearly
• Give clarification, summaries and responses at appropriate times
• Listen actively and positively
• Use questioning techniques that are appropriate
• Display sensitivity and empathy to the young adult’s thoughts and ideas
• Give feedback that is clear and concise, constructive and confidence building
• Encourage the young adult to accept responsibility for their own growth and development
• Recognise different learning styles in young adults and adapt to them

Attributes

• Be patient
• Have a sense of humour
• Be assertive, not aggressive or patronising
• Be firm but not domineering
• Be knowledgeable and skillful
• Be reflective and analytical
• Demonstrate confidence and self belief
• Be able to manage emotions both as a coach and in young adults
• Act as a motivator and achiever
• Be a positive role model

You should always remember that feedback fuels the motivation to improve performance. During training you be will provided with opportunities for both feedback and reflection to ensure that there is a clear understanding every step of the way.