Through connections at Concordia University, we provide the Peer Support Ambassadors at their Black Perspectives Office (BPO) with monthly training in topics relevant to their work supporting Black students. Through our Peer Support program, we have gained knowledge about the core values and competencies of peer support and have been able to tailor and alter them to better support our work within Black communities thus increasing our ability to provide culturally competent care.

Through these monthly training sessions, offered during the academic year, we are able to enact our values of cultural empowerment and community care by supplementing the education of the BPO Student Ambassadors with tools to better support the mental health and well-being of themselves and others. The sessions we offer cover topics foundational to peer support, like facilitation, active listening, and creating safer spaces. They also cover topics like self-care that ensure the Ambassadors are able to take care of themselves, while they provide care to others.

More information on our Peer Support Program can be found here.

More information on Concordia’s Black Perspectives Office can be found here.

To learn more about our approach, check out the Peer Support Guiding Principles and Theories Summary.

Highlights