SCHOOL BASED PROJECTS

The Peer Mentoring Program for Aboriginal Youth has been implemented successfully in various areas across North America.

The program connects senior secondary school students demonstrating student success with younger secondary school students, helping to smooth the transition from elementary to secondary school for the younger individual. In gathering each week for a minimum of eight weeks per semester, peer mentors and peer mentees worked together in pairs, as a large group, and with the community mentor for their school who visited the school on a monthly basis to engage students in cultural teachings.

The Peer Mentoring Program has grown to include a large number of new and returning students.  Some students who started off as mentees have become mentors, enriching the program with their experience.

The program includes a Peer Mentor Training Day each semester.  Throughout the training, peer mentors learn about the roles and responsibilities of being a peer mentor, effective communication, and conflict resolution, while having an opportunity to practice mentoring scenarios in preparation for the program. Peer Mentor Manuals summarizing this information are supplied to each peer mentor to keep as a resource throughout the duration of the program.   

A Peer Mentoring Program for Aboriginal Youth Implementation Manual has been developed to assist educators in creating a Peer Mentor Program for Aboriginal students at their school.