“For Teens by Teens” Near Peer Trauma-aware Training Project
Based on research proving the effectiveness of near-peer training interventions, the Wyman Center was awarded an Innovation Grant from Annie E. Casey Foundation to conduct trauma-aware trainings “For Teens By Teens,” in which six Normandy High School Students provide trauma-aware trainings to their peers during a student advisory period. In partnership with Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, these peer facilitators were selected from a pool of eighty applicants and embarked in a two-month training and co-design process with Wyman Center, Behavioral Health Response, and the SSDL. The project used CBSD to incorporate the voice and experience of the teens, the youth development knowledge of the Wyman Center, the clinical expertise of BHR, and the systems thinking and facilitation tools of SSDL into the trainings. The result was a 40-minute co-designed workshop and facilitation manual, and student-led workshops reaching 100 of their peers.
Photo Credit: Normandy High School
Project Goals
- Develop a plan for near peer trauma-aware trainings to be piloted in the Normandy Schools Collaborative
- Engage in a co-design process with teens, Wyman, SSDL, and BHR to create training content
- Prepare teens to be effective and engaging trainers for their peers
- Experiment with a new program development process that incorporates youth voice through CBSD
Media
Wyman, WUSTL, Boys and Girls Clubs teach students to help students with Near Peer Trauma Training