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Characteristics
of Effective Peer Education Programs
What makes
a peer education program effective? Even though the program characteristics
depend on the program's specific goals (e.g., support, or education, or
outreach, or some combination), there are some common themes.
| What
are the General Characteristics and Strategies of Effective Peer Addiction
Programs? |
Like other
youth initiatives, well-designed peer education programs follow a progression
of planning, implementation, and evaluation. ETR Associates recommends
these elements to develop a successful peer education program:
- Preparation
includes developing specific program objectives and recruiting peers
and program coordinators. (See the list of criteria
for good peer educators for more details.)
- Training
emphasizing participatory methods like small group discussions and role
plays. The initial in-depth training may take between 30 and 40 hours,
and ongoing "booster" sessions are recommended too. (See the recommended
training topics for some suggestions.)
- Program Activities
Depending on the program's goals and scope, these can include everything
from workshops and community outreach to condom education, teen theater,
radio shows, or assisting adults with similar activities.
- Monitoring and Evaluation
to understand how peer educators react to the program and detect any
changes in knowledge, attitudes, or behavior among both peer educators
and the peers they are trying to reach. (See sample evaluation forms
— Program Evaluation
and Program Coordinator Evaluation
— for some ideas.)
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Hedgepeth
and Helmich's guide to sexuality and HIV education programs offers similar
suggestions, especially for program managers:
- Allow teens to make decisions such as who is recruited, what the application
should include, and which program activities will be undertaken.
- Support the development of multiple skills — writing for school
or city newspapers and web sites, working one-on-one with friends, making
referrals, resolving or mediating conflict, facilitating support groups,
educating classes, or participating in teen theater.
- Recruit teens who are members of the target population (and don't
forget to include nontraditional leaders, such as members of disenfranchised
or high-risk groups)
.
- Train, train, train — on the content of what they will be asked
to educate their peers about (information about HIV and sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), contraception, sexual abuse, harassment, physical
abuse, substance abuse, homophobia, racism, safer sex, gender roles,
etc.) as well as the methods (communication skills, public speaking,
acting, counseling, facilitation, etc.)
- Provide incentives — stipends, clinic services, food, retreats,
etc.5
| How
Should Peer Educators be Recruited and Trained? |
Since peer
educators are at the heart of any peer education program, it makes sense
to devote resources to both recruiting and training them — and to
supporting them once they are in place.
Perry and
Sieving suggest these conditions must be met for peer programs to be effective:
- Peer leaders must be thoroughly educated about the program's theories
and approaches and committed to its goals.
- They must recognize the need for the program and the importance of
their role.
- They must be skilled in implementation, especially in handling potential
problems.6
Even though
several suggestions involve recruiting peer educators who are similar
to the groups with whom they will work, similarities are not always easy
to see or determine. Philliber points out that adolescents often subdivide
themselves into groups with labels that can mean a lot (such as "preppie"
or "nerd"). Mixing members of various groups thoughtlessly can undermine
the benefits of peer education. She suggests using existing peer groups
rather than trying to form news ones. Note that age is not the only —
or even the most important — characteristic that makes people peers.
Of course, as Hedgepeth and Helmich pointed out, teens themselves are
probably the best guides to their complex subcultures, so don't guess
— ask!
What
should you look for in a peer educator? Peer educators, according to ETR
Associates, should:
- Be responsible
- Be able to keep confidentiality
- Have parental permission
- Maintain at least a "C" average in school
- Demonstrate leadership abilities
- Have an interest and desire to help other people
- Resemble the race, gender, social, and cultural heritage of the youth
they serve
- Be open to expanding self-awareness and willing to take risks
- Be willing to sign an agreement specifying their role in the program
and how they will contribute.
See "Dos
and Don'ts of a Peer Educator"
for other ideas.
One
of the reasons peer education programs become labor intensive is the need
for in-depth initial training, followed by ongoing support and training.
ETR Associates recommends an initial training session for peer educators
that covers the following topics:
- Active listening skills, including:
- "I" messages
- Asking questions effectively
- Understanding nonverbal messages
- Giving congruent nonverbal and verbal messages
- Listening fully
- Values awareness
- Knowledge of one's own values and an ability to accept another's
values without agreeing with them
- Decision-making skills
- Local community and school resources
- Role and job expectations
- Information about when it is appropriate to make a referral to a professional
counselor
- Content topics such as reproductive anatomy and physiology, contraception,
HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual abuse, laws related
to minors, and others
- Facilitation skills such as leading large group discussions, role
plays, games, skits and other learning activities
Ongoing
support and training should include:
- Continued reinforcement of knowledge, skills, and behavior topics
from initial training
- Assisting in answering youth questions
- Teaching skills related to their specific roles and tasks
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