Together with young people, community experts and the Community Suicide Prevention Network of Ottawa (CSPN), we developed a nine-part video learning series called “Pillars of youth support”. This collection was created to introduce young people to key elements of peer support and build their confidence in providing support to peers, while ensuring that they are also able to take good care of themselves in the process.

Why peer support matters

A lot of young people who experience mental health and addictions challenges aren't reaching out to service providers or getting the professional help they need. Most of them turn to their friends and peers at some point, for help and guidance. This can feel like a big responsibility for supporting friends and peers, who don't always know how to help.

How these videos can help

Most of the information and resources available on peer support are focused on adult populations. We wanted to fill this gap by providing young people, particularly those between the ages of 16 and 24, with information and strategies they can use to develop effect peer support relationships.

If you are a supporting peer, we hope this information is of value to you whether you have no experience with peer support or are currently providing peer support in a formal setting. We encourage you to watch these videos in order.

More resources

This online series is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to youth peer support. Check out the reference and resource document for more information and learning opportunities. The facilitation support guide has also been created to promote further reflection and discussion on the topics.