Dreaming Together: (Re)Imagining Pathways for Peer Advancement

August 4, 2023

By: Colene Allen & Calvin Prowse

On May 9, 2023, during the PeerWorks Annual Conference, we facilitated a “dreaming together” networking session / workshop on the topic of possible pathways for career advancement within the peer sector. During this workshop, we posed a series of questions to participants to explore and brainstorm through small group discussion. These questions explored current and possible pathways for advancement both within and beyond the peer sector, as well as how our lived experience and peer support can be an asset in other fields.  

We each came to develop this workshop based on our own unique backgrounds, perspectives, and wonderings, as well as through a shared concern about the limited opportunities for advancement within the peer field. Colene has drifted in and out of both paid and volunteer peer support roles, as well as roles in other sectors where lived experience and peer support values and skills have been an  asset. Calvin’s interest in this topic came from their MA research on peer support futures, as well as their own uncertainty about the next steps of their career within the peer sector. Colene wanted to explore how other roles can function as entry points into peer work, and Calvin wanted to explore possible new roles within the peer field.  

This “dreaming together” workshop provided an opportunity for us to explore the current state of the peer sector as well as its possible futures alongside conference attendees. This blog post is a compilation of the ideas brainstormed by participants during this session, which we hope will be a valuable resource for peer workers (or would-be peer workers) considering the next steps in their career. However, it is important to note that this brainstorming session did not seek to identify which roles were most aligned with peer values. As such, we encourage readers to use this list as a starting point for their own reflection, to explore what opportunities might be most aligned with their own values, skills, and interests.  

We would like to thank the participants of the PeerWorks 2023 conference for sharing their thoughts, insights, and experiences so freely and honestly with us. We have included them below verbatim. These contributions have provided new insights into how different peers view their own futures in the field, as well as the challenges of finding meaningful employment within the peer sector. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time during our workshop to fully develop our ideas, and we recognize the need for ongoing discussions so that more opportunities, challenges, and possibilities are brought forward for consideration.  

• So people would take days off, or were sick. To fill the gap I hired a person to do sick leave. And I had people quit and she now works part time.  

• Had Administrative people quit, and hired an office manager.  

• Non crisis intervention training, skill building, drug use awareness 

• Consultants in program development and organizational troubleshooting 

• Committee member 

• Peer navigator, peer manager, peer director, peer trainer 

• Other possibilities: PS marketer/advertising, politics, schools 

• Proposal writing 

• In CMHA: Peer Supervisor to oversee peer specialists + provide consultation + ensure role fidelity 

• Retirement. Peer support  peer specialist, address agency stigma 

• Wellness coordinator with peer lens 

• Working well in justice system, DV [domestic violence], shelters, homelessness 

• Privatized, niche market 

• Advocate 

• Peer support inside multiple work forces, large companies, would be nice to be commonplace (government, sports organizations, banks, private business) 

• Policy/systems change facilitator 

• Navigators in OW/ODSP, hospitals, crisis/respite
  
  

   

  2. What skills are transferable between peer support
  and other roles?  

• ALL peer support skills are transferable to all areas of life!! 

• ASIST training, Naloxone training, peer training (PeerWorks) 

• Assist Training, circle of care sharing 

• Empathy, building and creating hope, relativity, personality, budget, employment skills, honesty, collaboration 

• The peer support role in its entirety is incredible transferable to other roles as it focuses on people skills & listening / engaging actively in conversation 

• Self-care in the work environment, system navigating, communication 

• Rapport-building, allow someone silence / listening, case management, community partnerships, time management, generalist skills, group facilitation, work around governance piece to change views around peer advancement 

• Compassion / empathy, ability to relate, understand value of PS services, ability to make referrals, equalize power imbalance, language, being non-judgmental  

  
  
  

  3. What are other roles where lived experience or peer-related skills can be a valuable asset?  

•  

• Being a single mom + grandma, listening skills, have a good heart 

• Parenting 

• In order to be truly accessible to ALL, every workplace needs a peer support worker to assist with job maintenance, accommodation, team building etc.  

• Teaching/principals, customer service, CEO/manager, social workers, *criminal justice system*, emergency services, social services, human resources, corporate 

• Friends / family, schools, first responders / police, triage, unions, government orgs + officials, financial organizations, for profits 

• Peer support in justice system, homelessness system, workplaces, intimate partner violence, trauma, employment 

• Research skills, education, MH&A training, teaching other professionals 

• Policing/police officers, politics/politicians, teaching 

    4. What has your career path looked like, moving to or from peer roles?

What career paths have you seen  other  peer workers take?