The Peer 2 Peer program formally known as the Prevention Education program is funded by Vancouver Coastal Health through the Sharon Martin Community Health Fund (SMART Fund). It is a peer preventative education program that works with youths, on such topics but are not limited to drug and alcohol misuse and sexual exploitation. This unique program focuses on involving peers teaching peers about su
ch issues and providing information and tools to help them make healthy decisions. Throughout the past years of the program, we have seen a noticeable improvement in this regard within many of our young people. Our goals for this program are…
• Create a safe and accessible space where youth can come together to increase awareness, create discussion, and initiate action on various social issues which include, but are not limited to drug and alcohol misuse, homelessness, youth violence, racism, healthy relationships, safe sex, bullying and sexual exploitation
• Create an experiential learning environment for youth to explore and gain understanding on the importance of self-worth, personal responsibility, and healthy decision making
• Develop opportunities to connect youth with community service providers and acknowledge support is available if needed
• Expand relationships between youth and their community to create a stronger sense of belonging and ownership to give back to the community
• Provide mentorship for youth through their important transitional stages and environments
(such as elementary to high-school and high-school to post-secondary)
