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The Peer Skills Workshop is also designed to be used by schools and agencies as a foundation training for peer based programs and structures that will assist in the development of supportive networks in schools and communities.

The Peer Skills Workshop was developed by Boystown’s national telephone counselling service, Kids Help Line, in 1994 in response to young callers concerns about how to best help their friends. The development of the program was supported by national and international research that showed that young people often talk or turn to a friend when they have a problem, before, or instead of, seeking help from adults or helping services.

As a Boystown service Peer Skills was delivered to over 16,000 young people nationally. In September 2005 Boystown ended its national delivery of the program. At this time, Lifeline Community Care Queensland and Lifeline A.C.T have undertaken carriage of the program in their regions.

Now with Lifeline Community Care in Queensland, Peer Skills aims to build on the existing partnership model, including the training of school and agency workers as facilitators of the Peer Skills Workshop.

The Peer Skills Workshop and associated peer programs greatly enhance the ability of workers, schools and agencies to make problem prevention and health promotion a focus of their work with young people and communities.

Peer Skills exists to provide skills, knowledge and strategies to assist young people to develop self understanding and effective supportive relationships.

Underlying this mission is a belief in the worth of young people and their capacity for effective engagement with each other, family and community.

The Peer Skills program is underpinned by a philosophy of child centred practice and empowerment. Peer Skills aims to be child centred and empowering in both content and process.

A Peer Skills Workshop is designed to be run over two consecutive days. It aims to;

Create a safe, fun learning environment in which young people are introduced to the concept of peer skills;

Assist young people to understand the concept of values and to relate this concept to their own lives and to the context of helping friends and peers;

To develop listening and responding skills and to provide a safe and constructive environment in which to practice these skills;

Provide a framework for problem solving that can be used in many different situations;

To encourage young people to be aware of their strengths and limitations when helping friends and peers and to develop appropriate self-care strategies;

To identify obstacles to helping seeking for young people and to assist young people to know when and how to seek adult or professional help. • • • • • •