Peer Artistry Training

Client

Sistering is a multi-service agency for women and gender diverse people who need assistance to address their basic needs through social services and wrap-around supports. In existence for over 40 years, Sistering addresses critical gaps in food security, physical and mental health, shelter, and income security within the Greater Toronto Area.  

Problem

A core mandate of service delivery at Sistering is to increase social inclusion for low-income women, including self-esteem, social participation, and the ability to access resources. Peer support has served as an important strategy at the agency to address social inclusion for women using drugs, premised on mutual aid between people with similar lived experience, however not all those entering Sistering’s doors identify with drug use. The learning project addressed the need for a layer of peer support that could facilitate social inclusion within the agency’s drop-in services.

Solution

The learning solution was an in-person training program designed to build peer leadership capacity by developing the skillset of service users to design and facilitate accessible arts programming in the drop-in. The training program included six 2-hour training sessions, followed by 12 supervised peer-facilitated art workshops, all of which included honorariums to the trainees.

Why this solution?

  • An in-person training format allowed for strength-based, trauma-informed support and staff referrals for the training cohort, as needed.

  • In-person training allowed for a tiered approach for augmenting social inclusion, by giving focused attention to lived experiences of the peer cohort, and providing space to develop their reflective capacity to facilitate further inclusion within the larger drop-in setting.

  • An arts-based approach matched a general interest expressed by women frequenting the drop-in for arts programming and artistic income generating opportunities.

  • Based on research literature, arts-based programming can serve as an accessible first point of contact for social engagement for women facing marginalization. As well, inviting women to enter into peer positions through the role of ‘artist’ can shift the work away from stigmatized identifications such as patient or service user.

  • The in-person training format allowed for research on the effectiveness of the learning program’s design and implementation, with a focus on the social inclusion impact for women facing issues of social marginalization.

Learning Objective

The learning objective was for a select cohort of drop-in service users to understand fundamental elements of arts facilitation practice, and to apply these elements as peer facilitators within Sistering’s drop-in setting.

Process

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

I led curriculum development by incorporating trauma-informed and strength-based best practices for social inclusion within the learning design. Training content included program parameters, triggers & personal boundaries, group norms, group dynamics, art process & product, power dynamics within facilitation practice, managing conflict, problem solving around concerns and challenges of facilitation, personal skills assessments, curriculum design and feedback on draft curriculum, and design of ice breakers and group reflection exercises. The curriculum received review and input by designated Sistering staff in advance of trainee recruitment.

RECRUITMENT

I recruited trainees through an open call poster announcement to those accessing Sistering’s Drop-In and support services. Applicants were asked to fill out a brief, one page application, bring samples of their art to a short interview, and speak briefly about their lead­ership experiences and interest in art facilitation. In coordination with Sistering staff, I selected eight trainees, and six completed the full training.

TRAINING DELIVERY

I co-facilitated the Peer Artistry training with a Sistering staff person, including six 2-hour sessions focused on building the capacity of the trainees to design and facilitate their own arts programming. Two trainings were held per week, and the training spanned 3 weeks, at the end of which trainees finalized their own curriculum and materials lists.

TRAINEE SUPERVISION

Each trainee led two 2-hour workshops during drop-in hours, with 3-10 participants per workshop, over a total of 6 weeks. The workshops focused on a variety of art skills depending on each peer art facilitator’s unique curriculum design. I attended each workshop to guide reflection and give f

EVALUATION

Evaluation of the training program assessed 1) the comprehension of facilitation skills and 2) changes in experiences of social inclusion for the trainee cohort. Trainees filled out pre-training questionnaires, evaluation forms after each training session, and post-training ques­tionnaires.

Evaluation during the trainee supervision phase focused on workshop participant feedback, including evaluation forms and group-checkouts for verbal participant input and feedback around experiences of social inclusion as an effect of art workshop participation.

To gather input on the overall learning experience, two focus groups were held at the end of the project with the trainees and art workshop participant groups, with 6-8 participants per focus group.

After data collection was completed, the trainees took part in two collaborative data analysis sessions, starting with discussion of preliminary qualitative data analysis. After reading through transcripts, notes from art workshop participant verbal feedback, and evaluation forms, the group discussed the data and generated revisions to the preliminary codes. This collective input directly informed the findings of the learning project.  

Outcomes

Research findings showed positive impacts of the training course on social inclusion indicators of self esteem, social participation, and access to resources. Areas of importance included the benefit of clear parameters around the peer facilitator role, the significance of skill development, the importance of a sense of achievement, and the value of giving back to community. These findings resulted in a robust set of best practices for peer training, which can inform future iterations of peer-led capacity development for women and gender diverse people.