Rethinking Organizations & Community Through Peer Programs,
Restorative Practices, Conflict Resolution, Conscious Communication
Services
Peer Advocates and Training offers a variety of training and consulting services to help you and your organization develop programs, build skills and practices, and strengthen relationships. In addition to the listings below, we can customize trainings and workshops to fit the needs of your organization. When you contact us, please let us know what you need.
Peer Programs
A strong and effective Peer-to-Peer Program trains people in the development of very specific skills in an organized, step-by-step manner, to provide services to other same-age people. Generally found in schools, Peer Programs provide social-emotional support, prevention, education, intervention, and referral services to individuals by training their peers in communication, self-awareness, decision-making and other assistance skills.
Although elementary and secondary schools are probably the most popular sites for Peer Programs, these programs and services have been established in universities, colleges, hospitals, clinics, community centers, unions, businesses and corporations
We offer Workshops, Classes, Training, Consulting and Support to:
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Train the Trainers in running a Peer Program and also directly teach skills to students
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Implement the foundational elements of building a Peer Program
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Implement the daily nuts & bolts of running a Peer Program
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Develop and use Peer Program curriculum
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Bolster existing Peer Programs
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Interweave Restorative Practices and Conflict Resolution programs into Peer Programs
Restorative Practices
Restorative Practices are based on principles that emphasize the importance of positive relationships as central to building community and involves processes that restore relationships when harm has occurred. The essence of Restorative Practices is that people are happier, more productive and more likely to make positive changes in their behavior when others with whom they inter-relate, do things with them, rather than to them or for them.
A sub-set of Restorative Practices - Restorative Justice - is an effective alternative to punitive responses to wrongdoing. In a safe and respectful space, Restorative Justice brings together persons harmed with persons responsible for harm, promoting dialogue, accountability, and a stronger sense of community.
Restorative Practices are based on a philosophical framework that can be applied in a variety of contexts -- the justice system, schools, organizations, the workplace, families, communities, and other arenas.
We offer Workshops, Classes, Training, Consulting and Support to:
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Train the Trainers to teach restorative practices
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Teach restorative practices to students, managers, employees, leaders, first responders, educators, people who are incarcerated, families, community groups
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Design and implement site-based Restorative Practices programs
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Roll out self-sustaining, district-wide programs
We will also be Circle Keepers and hold:
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Restorative Justice and Community Building Circles for your group
Conflict Resolution
Conflict Resolution is a voluntary collaborative process where individuals who have a conflict with one another identify issues, consider alternatives, develop options, and develop an agreement. Participants in resolution sessions determine their own outcome which, in turn, helps to stabilize the situation – providing a proven model for future conflict resolution.
We offer Workshops, Classes, Training, Consulting and Support to:
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Teach conflict resolution to individuals, students, families, and groups.
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Train Trainers to teach conflict resolution in their schools, universities and organizations.
We will also hold:
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Conflict Resolution sessions for individuals and groups
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Diversity is the range of human differences, including - but not limited to - race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, sexual orientation, religious or ethical values systems, national origin, education, and political beliefs. Equity is the recognition that we do not all start from the same place and must make ongoing adjustments to imbalances. These require us to identify and overcome the intentional and unintentional barriers that arise from bias or social structures. Inclusion is the involvement and empowerment of this diversity, where the inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized, respected, and supported.
In simple terms, diversity is the mix, equity is creating fairness in the mix, and inclusion is getting the mix to work well together
Through the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training program, you will deepen your understanding and awareness of unconscious and implicit bias, micro-aggressions, privilege, and the intersectionality of social identification. Participants will develop tools and skills to utilize diversity in ways that strengthen both the individual and the group as a whole, and to positively impact site culture, and create a more productive environment for all.
We offer Workshops, Classes, Training, Consulting and Support to:
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Train students, managers, employees, leaders, first responders, educators, students, families, community groups
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Support implementation of diversity inclusion practices in the workplace and at school sites
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Support culturally responsive pedagogy for educators
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Provide assessments of existing organizational practices
Our Training and Program offerings:
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion across all social identities
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Racial Equity & Inclusion
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LGBTQI+ Inclusion & Awareness
Trauma Resilience Training
Trauma is a word used to describe experiences or situations that are emotionally painful and distressing. Trauma can overwhelm a person's ability to cope and function effectively. It may involve a single event or may stem from repeated exposure over time that becomes part of one’s ‘normal’ experience. Practitioners have learned that trauma resides in the body and that this ‘stored’ trauma may then be the cause of both mental and physical health problems
Trauma Resilience Training provides counselors, teachers, psychologists, and others with hands-on skills that can help reduce the symptoms of acute traumatic stress and stabilize the nervous system in high arousal and urgent situations. This approach helps create a bridge between survival mode and a return to normal functioning. Trauma Resilience Training teaches participants how to talk individuals “off the ledge”, reducing panic or anxiety enough to cope better in the moment. That grounding allows them to function, and later seek additional help.
This interactive workshop will explore the central nervous system’s role in trauma, differences between cognitive and somatic approaches, and the effects of trauma beyond ‘mental health’. Participants will leave with a set of skills to re-establish a sense of safety and help manage emotions. This Trauma Resilience Training will provide skills needed to help others, as well as oneself, when experiencing high stress and emotional responses to trauma-activating events.
We offer Workshops, Classes, Training, Consulting and Support to:
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Train educators, counselors and peer-to-peer mentors to assist youth and others, and directly teach the skills needed to regulate one's own responses.
Conscious Communication
Conscious Communication is fundamentally about awareness, perspective, choice and some important verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Organizational life, as well as family and social life, are rife with misunderstandings, missed opportunities, mistakes, and conflict. By understanding the dynamic process that occurs with communication, and equipping yourself with a verbal and non-verbal skill set, you can become a more effective communicator, faced with less conflict and discord.
Through the Conscious Communication Training Program, you can increase your versatility with all the major modes of communication, and be better equipped to consciously choose the most helpful way to respond to a given situation. Conscious Communication is at the core of all our trainings.
We offer Workshops, Classes, Training, Consulting and Support to:
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Train educators and students, managers, employees, leaders, first responders, individuals, families, community groups, marginalized youth and adults, clergy, and more