Peer Led Approaches to Supporting Youth

Service Description

This 2.5-hour virtual offering is more than a training—it’s an invitation into a deeper practice of care. Rooted in peer wisdom and led by trauma-informed facilitators with lived experience, this session is for those who walk alongside young people impacted by the stress and stigma of a parent’s substance use. Whether you’re a counselor, educator, social worker, or community builder, this space is for you. Together, we’ll explore how to move beyond systems that pathologize and stigmatise pain, and toward ways of supporting youth that honour their meaning-making, supports their wholeness, and increases their ability to seek out support. What You’ll Gain: 1.Understanding Beyond Labels: Explore how stigma, stress, and silence shape young people’s inner worlds—and how those experiences show up in their emotions, behaviours, and sense of self. 2. Liberatory Tools & Practices: Receive concrete, heart-centered strategies grounded in healing justice, trauma-informed care, and peer-led wisdom to support youth in reclaiming their voice and sense of safety. 3. Reimagining Systems of Support: Unpack how current systems, professionals, and policies that we identify with can make it harder for youth to seek support—and explore how you can be part of co-creating new pathways rooted in trust and liberation. Why This Training is Worth It: 1. Built by and for People with Lived Experience: This isn’t top-down learning—it’s community-grown knowledge rooted in shared realities. 2.Engaging, Relational, Real: This is not your average webinar. Expect connection, reflection, and dialogue that stirs something in you. 3. Immediate Impact: Leave with tangible practices you can bring into your work the very next day—practices that honour youth stories and centre care over control. What’s Included: To enhance your learning and support the implementation of new strategies, you will receive: 1. A 2.5-hour live session led by a trauma-informed, healing centred peer facilitator from Starlings Community 2. A 30+ page toolkit (PDF) to support your ongoing learning and integration 3. A "My Safe People & Spaces" printable poster (PDF) to use in your practice or share with young people