Since nearly the beginning of West DePere Middle School, Peer Helpers have been available to the student body as another option for students who have issues or concerns. Students are often their own best counselors, approaching another student before they will turn to an adult when a conflict arises. The goal of the Peer Helper program is to provide another resource for students to go to, and peer influence can be one of the best methods of organizing and using this resource in a positive way. As a supervised program, peer influenced modeling can be a most effective method of alleviating many student conflicts, directing students toward someone who can help with problems, or just being a listening ear. Research has documented the importance of peers as helpers. In times of crisis and in the normal course of development, students often turn to fellow classmates rather than professionals.
Peer helpers recognize when a student may have a problem. Examples could include depression, drug use, problems with other students or teachers, family issues, or just being lonely. Peer helpers are not considered counselors, but another support for students. There are numerous goals of the peer helper program. These include helping young people develop the capability to prevent some of the problems of adolescence, help young people develop the capability to intervene effectively with troubled friends, help young people develop the capability to choose positive ways of taking care of themselves, help young people develop the capability to improve their school, empower students to lead, lower the amount of abuse among students, help develop more ways to problem solve, and develop communication skills.
Peer helpers are taught skills which help them help their friends and themselves. One of these skills is peer mediation. The training includes communication skills, listening skills, respecting different view points, and identifying alternatives and how to reach an agreement. Peer mediation is based on the idea that students can resolve common interpersonal conflicts by themselves. The power and responsibility are placed in the student’s hands.
The benefits of peer mediation include problem solving, critical thinking skills, communication skills, learn a collaborative style of conflict resolution, develop leadership skills and assuming personal responsibility. Other benefits include improved school climate, decreased harassment, violence and abuse among students, and reduced discipline. Hopefully these skills will carry over into the family and through life and employment someday.
