Here4Peers

Jun 9, 2023

Here4Peers

Here4Peers is a youth-driven, evidence-based, mental health awareness and skill building program which involves training older grade 10-12 “peers” from high schools to facilitate an interactive mental health workshop to grade 7 classrooms in catchment elementary schools.

The program grew out of a unique partnership between the Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver-Fraser Branch, Vancouver Police Department, Vancouver Police Foundation, City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Vancouver School Board with a common goal of developing a youth-oriented and youth-delivered mental health awareness program.

How does it work?

The Here4Peers Program recruits and trains teams of high school students (grades 10-12) to become Here4Peers Youth Facilitators. These Youth Facilitators then facilitate the Here4Peers Youth Mental Health Awareness workshop in teams of three for grade 7 students who are experiencing both: a transition into adolescence, and a transition to high school. The workshops are supervised, and designed to be interactive, utilizing challenges, games, discussion groups and media to engage participants.

The Here4Peers Workshop goals are to:

• Diminish attitudes of stigma
• Increase awareness of mental health issues and coping tools
• Encourage peer-to-peer supportive responses
• Improve access to resources

Since 2017, over 541 Youth Facilitators have been trained to deliver the workshop.

Over 303 Here4Peers Workshops have been delivered during this time.

In 2021-22, we reached 992 students across the Greater Vancouver Region.

• “Whenever I finish a workshop, I always feel that I made a difference in somebody’s life. I may not give all the solutions to their problems, but I feel that I left a mark and impacted them.” ~ Here4Peers Youth Facilitator, Gr.11

• “Here4Peers is an incredible program that informs and educates students about mental health issues and supports. I love that it is peer driven. Keep it up!” ~ Gr.7 Teacher

• “By raising awareness, naming it, providing options and dialogue around strengthening mental health and protective factors, and pointing students toward trusted resources, Here4Peers operates where current systems cannot – before the onset of significant mental health issues.” ~ Ashley Currie, Here4Peers Program Coordinator

If you are interested in receiving the workshops in your school, please contact the Here4Peers program at here4peers.vf@cmhavf.ca

We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia