Peer Listening – Description

The Peer Listeners are trained to help other students deal with the following: relationships, conflicts with teenagers or adults, anger, loneliness, discouragement, failure, depression, loss, substance abuse, teen pregnacy, and divorce in their families. Peer Listeners are trained to be effective listeners, communicators and conflict mediators.

Peer Listeners provide support and assistance to students experiencing stress, social or emotional difficulties at school. Peer Listeners help students find ways deal with their problems and be more successful at school.

Service – Learning & Peer Listening

Peer Listening is a Service Learning experience for students and advisors. Students provide leadership in all aspects of Service Learning including: needs assessment, goal setting, program planning, skill development, promotion, implementation, evaluation, reflection and celebration.

Peer Listening Training

Kent ISD sponsors two (2) day Peer Listening trainings for teams of middle or high school students and their advisors. The training is highly interactive for partipants. Students learn through observation, modeling, role playing, discussion, practice and open forums. In addition, new students will learn from experienced older students. Peer Listeners are student leaders representing many different groups of students in a school. Peer Listeners are volunteers. Peer Listeners are not "counselors". Participants understand their limitations and recognize the need to refer students to professional counselors, social workers or community agencies.

Individual Certificates are provided to students and advisors participating in the entire two day training. At the conclusion of the workshops, schools will be prepared to start or improve their Peer Listening program. After a program is implemented in a school, Advisors may receive Program Certification for their entire program. The training is cosponsored by the Peer Listening Advisory Committee.

Training - Short Description

A two (2) day Peer Listening Training for teams of middle or high school students and advisors. Peer Listeners provide assistance to students experiencing stress, social or emotional difficulties at school. Participants learn to be effective listeners, commicators and conflict mediators through observation, modeling, role playing, discussion and practice. Peer Listening is a Service Learning experience as students provide leadership in all aspects of program planning, implementation and evaluation. Individual Certification is provided for participants meeting program expectations and completing the entire training.

Leadership

Kent ISD sponsors Peer Listening Training. Presenter: Bob Allers, L.L.P., Psychologist

A former Forest Hills Public Schools psychologist, Bob Allers is psychologist with Plainfield Community Counseling, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Contact Information stevedieleman@kentisd.org