PEER SUPPORT
VITAL BONDS
Peer mentors and volunteers are crucial to our service, says Max Griffiths
O ur peer mentors at Via are people with lived experience who have previously used our services and are looking to give back to their community, while developing their own recovery capital. Through completing the level 2 award in peer mentoring, they can progress to become a peer mentor in our services.
For those coming into drug and alcohol services, peer mentors bring encouragement, credibility, compassion and a real understanding of what it means to navigate support and rebuild confidence. This can be a vital resource for people using our services, as well as being an amazing opportunity for peer mentors to build on their own recovery capital.
In these two stories, our peer mentors describe their volunteering as not just a role for them, but as a way of giving something back. Through representing their service, they’ re supporting others, helping people make the most of the opportunities in front of them and much more.
Their stories remind us that peer mentoring is transformative – both for the people receiving support and for those offering it.
We know how important it is to have a volunteering culture that makes this possible, and we’ re thankful to our managers and teams who are so welcoming, approachable, and generous with their time and support.
Everyone at Via is hugely appreciative of our peer mentors and volunteers and the impact they make. We couldn’ t provide the life-changing services we deliver without them.
Max Griffiths is head of volunteering and participation at Via
FIONA:‘ I show there’ s light at the end of the tunnel’
I’ ve been a peer mentor for two and a half years. My keyworker had mentioned the peer mentor course to me, and I hoped to get off drugs and then volunteer or work in drug and alcohol services.
From the early 1990s until 2009, I was injecting heroin. I was in and out of services on methadone for several years until I was on a 2ml dose, and while doing a course I managed to come off it for good. I did the NOVA and Next Steps courses at Via( on building confidence, motivation and selfdevelopment) and then straight into the peer mentor course.
Starting as a peer mentor was exciting and daunting at the same time. Even though you know what you’ re meant to be doing, you start thinking you’ re not going to live up to it or you’ ll do something wrong. Then you realise you’ re there to talk to people – and if they want to talk, great. If not, fine – you chat to them about the support they can get.
The kitchen is the area most people will go to, and as peer mentors we make sure it’ s stocked and tidy, ready for coffee and toast. We tell people how the service has helped us and how it can help them, and we try to make them feel comfortable if it’ s their first time. People can be full of anxiety, and we help them feel better.
There’ s so much support for peer mentors from staff and other peer mentors, and you can always ask your manager if you need to. Everyone is welcoming and will direct you to someone more appropriate if it’ s not them. Via doesn’ t feel clinical or like a hierarchy – it feels relaxed and comfortable.
I’ ve done lots of training that I didn’ t know I would be able to – BBV testing and other
‘ There’ s so much support for peer mentors from staff and other peer mentors, and you can always ask your manager if you need to. Everyone is welcoming and will direct you to someone more appropriate if it’ s not them.’
Vanessa Nunes / iStock
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