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The Power of Peers24th November 2015
About Cyrenians
• Supporting people excluded from family, home, work or community
• Helping around 4,500 people each year
• High prevalence of poor mental health amongst those we see
Key features of Cyrenians work
• Relating to people rather than intervening with people
• Interdependence rather than independence
• Bringing people together to enable social support to happen
Peers
• What do we mean?• Why do we do it?• Some examples: • Informal peer support – Community Gardens, Cyrenians Good Food Project • Formal peer support – Cyrenians Communities, Cyrenians Recovery Hub• Paid peer support – R:Ed Peer Support Project
Cyrenians Communities
• Cyrenians Farm Community and Cyrenians City Community• Residential projects for young people aged 16-30 • Community living • Peer mentoring an integral part of the model
Cyrenians Communities
• The benefit of peer support in the Communities
• People choosing to be there• The learning still happens when the staff go home• More akin to real life
Cyrenians Recovery Service
• Supporting people to overcome addiction• Recovery Hub central feature • Peer support an integral part of the model
Cyrenians Recovery Service • The benefit of peer support in the Recovery Service
• Opportunity to establish new social networks • Explicit mutual benefit from relationships• Strength in solidarity
NHS Community Gardens
• Sites at the Royal Edinburgh and Midlothian Hospital • Growing, cooking, green learning• Inpatient, outpatient and community resource • Informal peer support a key ingredient
NHS Community Gardens
• The benefit of Peer support in the Community Garden
• An equality amongst volunteers • A common interest not a common problem• No ‘worker – client’ dynamic, just experience guiding the novice
Conclusions
• We have a much bigger reach when we make space for people to be with others
• Where we have opportunities for peer support we see a decline in the length of time we provide formal support to people for
• It’s a virtuous circle