Holroyd City Council

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Peer Education Project ParticipantsPeer Education Project

How to Develop a Peer Education Project

In 2004, Holroyd City Council auspiced a four-year innovative project called the Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project. This project is supported by the NSW Government, through a grant from the Area Assistance Scheme.

The project has an emphasis on capacity building for young people aged 15-19 years from the Holroyd Local Government Area. It provides an avenue for young people to contribute to the well being of their community by providing leadership and mentoring training, based on a peer education model.

This is achieved by:

  • engaging and training young people to create appropriate effective communication processes amongst young people
  • creating opportunities for the peer educators to communicate knowledge and skills to young people
  • creating partnerships to assist with the development and implementation of the project

As literature indicated that traditional ‘top-down’ methods of educating young people have not been the most appropriate or responsive strategies to creating change and healthy lifestyles amongst young people, the Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project, therefore, aims to focus on using more appropriate and user-friendly strategies to educate young people.

A manual has been produced to assist organisation that are interested in facilitating a project based on a Peer Education Model.

The manual illustrates the various strategies used to recruit, train, equip and support peer educators in delivering community education programs. The outstanding achievements of the Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project are also emphasised in the manual.

This manual will provide organisations with:

  • A greater understanding of what is Peer Education - exploring the models and practices used to educate people and create sustainable outcomes in communities
  • An understanding of the benefits and challenges of providing a Peer Education Project
  • Sample material that can be adapted to suit the development of a Peer Education Project
  • A useful and comprehensive tool for facilitating a Peer Education Project based on the successful outcomes of the Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project.

Holroyd Peer Education Project - Depression

Depression is one of the biggest issues affecting young people in Holroyd. The young people from Holroyd involved with the Peer Education Project have created two community service announcements addressing depression.

The aim of these announcements is to raise awareness of the symptoms of depression amongst young people and to promote the services available to help them. This is done by targeting the family, friends and people around young people who maybe experiencing depression. 

The two community service announcements are:

  • A live 30 second advertisement featuring the peer educators
  • An animated 60 second advertisement

In 2007 Holroyd City Council received a grant from the Foundation for Young Australians to engage with young people in the Holroyd Local Government Area and conduct a project which would address an issue raised by young people in a creative manner.

Holroyd City Council partnered with the trained peer educators from the Holroyd Youth Peer Education Project.

If you would like further information, please feel free to contact Council’s Peer Education Project Coordinator, Jennifer Bulley, on 9840 9992 (Thursdays only) or jennifer.bulley@holroyd.nsw.gov.au. Alternatively you may contact Council’s Youth Services Team Leader, Richard Bulley on 9840 9912 (Monday – Friday) or richard.bulley@holroyd.nsw.gov.au.