PeerNetBC Community Standard Workshops are an opportunity to get a sense of what our curriculum is like and what we offer. Our Community Standard Series is open to everyone, and our Youth Standard Series is for folks 25 and under.
Usually hosted twice a year by our facilitators, each series includes 4 to 5 workshops on core themes that can also be adapted or expanded to create custom workshops. Individual workshops range from 4 to 6 hours depending on capacity, and participants are eligible to receive a certificate signifying the completion of training.
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What themes do we cover?
Our workshops themes include:
- Diversity & Working Together
- Introduction to Facilitation (An introductory level workshop which is also a prerequisite for “Exploring Facilitation”)
- Exploring Facilitation
- Community Engagement
- Boundaries and Self-Care
- Topics for youth 25 and under.
For a more in-depth look at each of these topics, and to see youth-specific topics, please visit our workshop themes page.
How much do workshops cost?
PeerNetBC’s Community Standard Workshops are offered at a sliding scale fee where participants choose their fee based on their resources or those of the organization sending them.
PeerNetBC is committed to fostering more accessible and equitable learning spaces. We offer sliding scale rates to increase access for individuals with limited funds or holding identities that have historically been left out of facilitator-led training spaces. For example, Indigenous, People of Colour, 2 Spirit people, disabled folks, sexual and gender diverse people with limited funds, or folks in peer-led groups operating on volunteer labour. We ask that individuals pay on the higher end of the scale if they can as it allows us to continue offering sliding scale rates to those with limited funds.
Please see our Event Descriptions on our individual registration pages to learn more about cost.
What you can expect at a Community Standard Workshop:
Community Standard and Youth Standard workshops are hosted in-house, at the PeerNetBC office, where we dim our lights and offer pillows, blankets, and small toys to create a cozy environment. We provide light snacks and refreshments throughout the workshop, and folks are always free to step outside or grab a bite to eat. Workshops range from 4 to 6 hours long, with ample break times.
Our workshops value and practice facilitating with an Experiential Learning lens:
Interactivity:
Our workshops incorporate activities that facilitate interaction and connection among participants and the facilitator, and can be movement-based to support this learning (while keeping in mind the different access needs that may exist within a space).
Play-based learning:
The use of ‘games’ is invaluable and serves as a unique way to facilitate reflection-based learning while engaging folks in a comfortable and fun space.
Principles of peer support:
We believe in supporting the needs of a group by ‘meeting them where they are at. Our content and delivery methods strive to reflect the best way to meet the needs of a group by centring lived experiences.
Capacity-building:
by acting on all the above characteristics, our workshops aim to support participants in building capacity based on a combination of reflecting on the wisdom of their own lived experiences and by offering new frameworks, skills, and resources where they are needed.
While workshop themes vary, we always begin with a grounding practice that allows us to acknowledge the Indigenous homelands we are on as we settle into the space. This land acknowledgement is then carried through each session as we strive to examine colonized ways of facilitation and delve deep to unlearn and learn ways to decolonize our practices. Next, we introduce ourselves, which includes sharing our pronouns and access needs (see our values page for more information about land acknowledgements, pronouns, access needs, and more). We end each workshop with an opportunity to debrief the session’s lessons and take-aways. If you’d like more information about our workshop formats, feel free to reach out to us.
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Participant Reflections
I had a great time at the Diversity and Inclusion workshop! The facilitators, Cadence and Lydia, were friendly and engaging, and went to great lengths to ensure all attendees felt welcome. The group activities were fun and also helped demonstrate concepts like equity versus equality. I didn’t get bored!
I attended the PeerNetBC Youth Summer Series. What a wonderful way to end my summer! The workshop was a four part series, and I attended all of them. They were facilitated by Simran, and were amazing. It was a transformative experience for me, and I found myself gushing to my friends about what I learned everyday.