BFA Fairfax Develops Peer Support Leadership

Target 2 – Leadership in a Student Centered Learning Environment. FWSU will foster development of teacher & student leaders who provide innovative opportunities for local and global student-centered learning.

Action Step – Ensure students and staff take an active role shaping their learning using rich, authentic questions, problems they identify, & diverse resources.

Indicator of Success – Student voice will have the power to impact the perceptions of others.

For thirteen BFA High School students, the first week of school included 3 1/2 days of Peer Support Training. Peer Support is a program which trains high school students in peer counseling skills as well identifying and implementing action plans aimed at promoting teen mental health. The training was held at the Bishop Booth Center in Burlington, VT, where students learned about active listening, diversity issues, problem solving, motivational interviewing, substance-abuse issues, adolescent development, teen mental health issues, suicide and self-harm, assertiveness, and stress management. Students also explored the role of a peer counselor and group problem-solving skills.

The group put their skills to the test by spending an afternoon at the UVM ropes course where they problem-solved unique obstacles and challenged themselves on the high elements.

Students who completed the training last year helped organize and lead this year’s training. The group is very excited to use their new skills and help their peers by implementing initiatives to support fellow students at BFA.