MLL Peer Support program
The peer support program operates in secondary schools and is based on the idea of peer support. A peer supporter is an ordinary student that works voluntarily in order to strengthen the school community and to help other students. Peer supporters are given a training course. The activities are supervised by an adult instructor that works in the school, often as a teacher.
The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare (MLL) started peer support activities in Finland in 1972. Since then the peer support programme has developed over the past fourty years or so into a broad national multi-layered network encompassing over 10 000 peer students, 900 coordinating teachers and 40 trainers.
In the peer support program students give support to each other by discussing and organising common events. The activities increase the students’ shared sense of responsibility and enhance the overall cooperation at school. The aim is to promote a feeling of companionship among the students, make schooling more enjoyable, increase social responsibility and secure a safe, enjoyable and supportive school year for all.
The peer support program benefits the whole school community. As students of the school, peer supporters know what is going on in the world of the young. Peer support activities address common concerns and the voice of the young is heard and acted upon. The programme is a dialogue between the young and adults, enabling the students themselves to be active participants in the decision-making processes.
The activities are coordinated by the MLL’s main office and regional branches. At the moment there are peer support activities in some 90% of the secondary schools in Finland. There are also mentoring activities in grades 1 to 6 of primary schools and peer tutoring in senior secondary schools.
Every school has its own culture, and ways of doing things vary from school to school. This is the case also in the case of peer support activities. The main peer support activities are the mentoring of newcomers and the support for the grouping process. This is done by providing information about school services and activities, organising games and experiential learning opportunities for the students, and acting as trustworthy partners with whom to talk with about difficult personal issues. In serious cases, such as of school bullying, the peer supporter can inform the school staff and student welfare officers about the situation. Peer supporters also arrange various theme days, events and campaigns. At the beginning of the school year peer supporters organize a kick off in their own school for the School Peace programme for the whole school year.
Peer supporter activities offer opportunities for non-formal learning and activities within the framework of formal schoolwork. At best they offer a learning environment in which groupwork and cooperative skills are learned, other students are helped, and a pleasant supportive school community spirit is created. Doing things together is also a lot of fun and improves motivation for schoolwork. For the individual peer supporter the system gives tools for life and the certificate of being trained and working for other students may help in getting a job or in applying to a higher educational institution.
The staff at the MLL’s regional branches gives support to schools’ peer support activities in all situations. They give advice and information to the leaders regarding the training of peer supporters and provide a network of trainers that the schools can use. The system provides beginners and advanced training courses for both peer support instructors and peer supporters.
The MLL’s local association is an important partner to a school’s peer support activities. Many associations have appointed a volunteer responsible for peer support activities and youth work. The local association can take part in training peer supporters, assist financially or help in arranging events. The cooperation can start by, for instance, inviting the local volunteer responsible for peer student activities and youthwork to common meetings, which can address what support the school needs, what the association has to offer, what resources already exist and what kind of resources are needed. Working together is often more fruitful and can identify better ways of working. Addresses of local associations are available from MLL’s local regional branches.
Material about the peer support programme can be of great assistance in planning and organising events and campaigns. The training manual on peer support is a useful guide containing, for instance, the script of basic training for peer supporter. It is also worth reading the MLL’s range of other publications about peer support activities. Materials are at the moment provided in Finnish and to some extent in English.
The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare is an expanding and active Finnish non-governmental organisation working for the benefit of children, young people and their families. It encompasses more than 96 000 individual members, more than 566 local associations and 10 local regional branches.
The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare
FI-00531 Helsinki, Finland
+358 50 4678 670
Msaada wa Peer: Programu ya Peer inatumika katika shule za sekondari na inategemea wazo la msaada wa wenzao. Msaidizi wa rika ni mwanafunzi wa kawaida ambaye hufanya kazi kwa hiari ili kuimarisha jamii ya shule na kusaidia wanafunzi wengine. Wafuasi wa wenzao wanapewa kozi ya mafunzo. Shughuli hizo zinasimamiwa na mwalimu mzima anayefanya kazi shuleni, mara nyingi akiwa mwalimu. Shirika la Mannerheim la Ulinzi wa Watoto (MLW) lilianzisha shughuli za msaada wa wenzao nchini Finland mnamo 1972. Tangu wakati huo, programu ya msaada wa wenzao imeendelea katika miaka arobaini iliyopita na kuwa mtandao mkubwa wa kitaifa wa tabaka nyingi unaohusisha wanafunzi zaidi ya 10,000, walimu 900 wa uratibu na waalimu 40. Katika mpango wa msaada wa wenzao wanafunzi kutoa msaada kwa kila mmoja kwa kujadili na kuandaa matukio ya kawaida. Shughuli hizo huongeza hisia ya wanafunzi ya kushirikiwa kwa jukumu na kuboresha ushirikiano wa jumla shuleni. Lengo ni kukuza hisia ya ushirika kati ya wanafunzi, kufanya shule kuwa ya kufurahisha zaidi, kuongeza uwajibikaji wa kijamii na kuhakikisha mwaka wa shule salama, ya kufurahisha na ya kuunga mkono kwa wote. Programu ya msaada wa wenzao hufaidi jumuiya yote ya shule. Kama wanafunzi wa shule, wafuasi wenzao wanajua nini kinaendelea katika ulimwengu wa vijana. Shughuli za msaada wa wenzao hushughulikia wasiwasi wa kawaida na sauti ya vijana husikilizwa na kutekelezwa. Programu ni mazungumzo kati ya vijana na watu wazima, kuwezesha wanafunzi wenyewe kuwa washiriki hai katika michakato ya kufanya maamuzi. Shughuli hizo zinalingana na ofisi kuu ya MLL na matawi ya kikanda. Kwa sasa, kuna shughuli za msaada wa wenzao katika karibu 90% ya shule za sekondari nchini Finland. Pia kuna shughuli za ushauri katika darasa la 1 hadi 6 la shule za msingi na mafunzo ya wenzao katika shule za sekondari za juu. Kila shule ina utamaduni wake mwenyewe, na njia za kufanya mambo hutofautiana kutoka shule moja hadi nyingine. Hii ni kesi pia katika kesi ya shughuli za msaada wa wenzao. Shughuli kuu za msaada wa wenzao ni ushauri wa wageni wapya na msaada kwa mchakato wa kuunganisha. Hii hufanywa kwa kutoa habari kuhusu huduma za shule na shughuli, kuandaa michezo na fursa za kujifunza kwa uzoefu kwa wanafunzi, na kutenda kama washirika wa kuaminika ambao wanaweza kuzungumza juu ya masuala magumu ya kibinafsi. Katika kesi mbaya, kama vile unyanyasaji wa shule, msaidizi wa wenzao anaweza kuwajulisha wafanyikazi wa shule na maafisa wa ustawi wa wanafunzi juu ya hali hiyo. Wafuasi wenzao pia hupanga siku mbalimbali za mandhari, matukio na kampeni. Mwanzoni mwa mwaka wa shule, wafuasi wa wenzao huandaa tukio la kuanza kwa mpango wa Amani ya Shule katika shule yao kwa mwaka mzima wa shule. Shughuli za kuunga mkono wenzao hutoa fursa za kujifunza zisizo rasmi na shughuli ndani ya mfumo wa kazi rasmi ya shule. Katika hali bora zaidi, wao hutoa mazingira ya kujifunza ambapo kazi ya kikundi na ujuzi wa ushirikiano hufundishwa, wanafunzi wengine husaidia, na roho ya jamii ya shule yenye kufurahisha na ya kuunga mkono huundwa. Kufanya mambo pamoja pia ni jambo lenye kufurahisha sana na huongeza kichocheo cha kufanya kazi za shule. Kwa msaidizi wa rika binafsi, mfumo hutoa zana za maisha na cheti cha kuwa na mafunzo na kufanya kazi kwa wanafunzi wengine inaweza kusaidia katika kupata kazi au katika kuomba kwa taasisi ya elimu ya juu. Wafanyakazi katika matawi ya kikanda ya MLL hutoa msaada kwa shughuli za shule za msaada wa wenzao katika hali zote. Wao kutoa ushauri na habari kwa viongozi kuhusu mafunzo ya wasaidizi wenzao na kutoa mtandao wa waalimu kwamba shule inaweza kutumia. Mfumo hutoa mafunzo ya mwanzoni na ya juu kwa waalimu wa msaada wa wenzao na waunga mkono wenzao. Chama cha MLL cha eneo hilo ni mshirika muhimu kwa shughuli za msaada wa wenzao wa shule. Mashirika mengi yameteua kujitolea kuwa na jukumu la shughuli za msaada wa wenzao na kazi ya vijana. Chama cha mahali hapo kinaweza kushiriki katika mafunzo ya wafuasi wa wenzao, kusaidia kifedha au kusaidia katika kupanga matukio. Ushirikiano unaweza kuanza kwa, kwa mfano, kuwakaribisha wajitoleaji wa ndani wanaohusika na shughuli za wanafunzi wenzao na kazi ya vijana kwenye mikutano ya kawaida, ambayo inaweza kushughulikia msaada gani shule inahitaji, ni nini chama kina kutoa, ni rasilimali gani zilizopo na ni aina gani ya rasilimali zinahitajika. Kufanya kazi pamoja mara nyingi ni yenye kuzaa matunda zaidi na kunaweza kutambua njia bora za kufanya kazi. Anwani za vyama vya mitaa zinapatikana kutoka kwa matawi ya kikanda ya MLL. Vifaa kuhusu mpango wa msaada wa wenzao vinaweza kuwa na msaada mkubwa katika kupanga na kuandaa matukio na kampeni. Mwongozo wa mafunzo juu ya msaada wa wenzao ni mwongozo muhimu unao, kwa mfano, maandishi ya mafunzo ya msingi kwa msaidizi wa wenzao. Pia ni thamani ya kusoma MLL ya mbalimbali ya machapisho mengine kuhusu shughuli za msaada wenzao. Vifaa kwa sasa hutolewa katika Kifinlandi na kwa kiasi fulani katika Kiingereza. Mannerheim Ligi kwa ajili ya Ustawi wa Watoto ni kupanua na kazi ya Kifini mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali kazi kwa manufaa ya watoto, vijana na familia zao. Shirika hilo lina wanachama zaidi ya 96,000 wa kibinafsi, zaidi ya vyama vya mitaa 566 na matawi 10 ya mkoa. Mannerheim Ligi ya Welfare ya Watoto (FINHELSKIN)