At PeerNetBC, we design interactive and dynamic workshops that allow participants to learn from each other, gain knowledge through practicing skills in a safe environment and get to know others experiencing similar challenges. By designing workshops and small group processes that use skillful facilitation, we create safer spaces for discussion in which all voices are heard.
Current Workshop Delivery Method (COVID-19 PROGRAMMING):
As of right now, PeerNetBC will continue to host workshops virtually for the safety and access of our team members, as well as our participants. We strongly encourage virtual workshops, but if it is more accessible for your group or organization to have an in person workshop, please reach out anyway — we will handle these requests on a case-by-case basis to see if and how we can accomodate communities needs within our capacity.
What is experiential learning, and why is it valuable?
Experiential learning is at the heart of PeerNetBC’s peer-led training model. It means that we anchor our work in learning from personal experience and broaden our perspectives by listening to the experiences of others.
We immerse workshop participants in activities that connect what they are experiencing with new concepts of learning, in a space where participants can genuinely share their experiences. We won’t deny that this is hard work! Our experienced facilitators guide this process of sometimes intense sharing and breakthrough.
Through guided dialogue, participants perform self-reflection and examine old patterns of thinking and meaning. The fruits of our collective labour result in participants (and facilitators!) developing new skills, perspectives and ways of thinking. This process is often what we intimately refer to as “unlearning and relearning.”
Our Community
At PeerNetBC, we strive to serve diverse audiences and communities by approaching our workshops, outreach, and the creation of our resources and curriculum with a social justice and decolonial lens. We recognize that many systemic barriers exist that limit access to training and dialogue spaces or cause stigma and oppression within those spaces. PeerNetBC is committed and skilled at addressing these access and equity issues within our projects and workshops.
This notion drives PeerNetBC to centre people at the margin and builds equity in the way we operate, deliver, and create. We value the unique experience and knowledge that each individual brings to the table — in a peer-to-peer based environment, we learn from each other’s experiences.
Because every community (and every individual!) we interact with is unique, we tailor our resources and tools for the comfort and safety of each specific group.
Looking at team-based life experience, knowledge, and perspective: We value our team members’ perspectives and identities, which supports us in wearing many lenses and sharing diverse stories in the themes we cover. By wearing these lenses through our daily lives and practicing what we value, we can facilitate to a diverse group.
On youth-specific opportunities and workshops: We advocate and recognize that it is valuable to have spaces where people 25 and under can come together to have their voices heard. We work to create opportunities for youth to lead, grow, and reflect.
What can you expect at a PeerNetBC workshop?
We take a relational approach to everything we do at PeerNetBC, which means that all of our participants become our partners in co-creating a good learning relationship. By working with our partners and participants to identify the best path forward, we aim to create a welcoming and safe environment within each workshop. PeerNetBC’s team is eager to adapt to any situation that may arise during the planning process or during a workshop. We allow for flexibility and expect that workshops may vary as a natural reflection of each unique group and circumstance.
Workshops, even integrated with games and play, can be taxing on the mind, heart, and body. We encourage participants to take care of their needs and seeks support if necessary. For example: to eat, use the bathroom, or take a breather outside of suggested break times. We do our best to respect everyone’s time as well as our own and aim to finish on schedule.
Our workshops also value these characteristics!
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.
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.