Training Module on the Right to Mental Health in the Academe
Virtual + Text-Based Youth Peer Support. Technology-based peer support
programs allow young people to receive support virtually in ways that are
easily accessible to many. Text-based support is particularly important, as
young people are accustomed to communicating via text and may lack privacy
because they often live with others. Being able to share anonymously may
allay their fears of disclosing personal details.
Interest-based Youth Peer Support Programs. Interest-based peer support
programs empower young people to connect with peers with shared interests
and embed that support into their lives.
Embed youth peer support specialists into all youth-serving systems
Young People’s Spaces for Well-being. Place-based peer support programs
provide spaces that are youth-friendly and responsive to youth culture, such
as schools or existing community centers. These spaces allow young people to
spend time with other young people, receive peer support, learn new skills, and
connect with broader resources like housing services or education support.
Mental Health and Health Services. Young people’s integrated peer support
programs embed youth and young adult peer supporters in formal health care
settings. The peer supporters can be co-located in a specific health care setting,
may provide support as part of clinical care teams like in-patient psychiatric
units, or may serve as peer supporters in mobile crisis response.
Youth-serving Systems. Many young people are engaged with social services,
the foster care system, and the juvenile justice system. Embedding youth
peer specialists within these systems can help young people better navigate
systems, learn self-help tools, and build community.
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