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a ready-to-run workshopPeer Support & Belonging
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Peer Support & Belonging Programs (Workshop)

Students often help each other in ways adults cannot, and structured peer support, buddies, mentors, peer helpers, builds belonging, develops the helpers, and extends support beyond what teachers alone can provide. Done well, peer programs strengthen the whole community.

Key takeaway

Structured peer support, buddies, mentors, peer helpers, builds belonging, develops the students who help, and extends support beyond what teachers alone can provide, strengthening the whole community.

Format
PLC / team meeting
Length
45 minutes
Group size
Any (works 4-40)
Who can run it
Any teacher-leader
You will need
Slides (5)Printed handoutA support need in mindA timer
Aligned to
Learning Forward: Transformational ProcessesInTASC 3: Learning EnvironmentsResearch on peer support programs
Share / assign

Why it works

Students are powerful supports for one another, and research on structured peer programs, peer mentoring, buddy systems, peer helpers, cross-age partnerships, shows benefits for both those supported (belonging, connection, academic and social support) and those helping (leadership, empathy, responsibility, their own growth). Well-designed peer support, with structure, training, and adult oversight, extends the community's capacity to support students and builds belonging. The key is genuine structure and purpose, not token pairings.

The research: Research on peer support, mentoring, and buddy programs.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

    The core activity: design a peer support structure

    Teachers leave with a structured peer-support plan that benefits both sides.

    Students support each other, with structureStructured peer support builds belonging and develops the helpers. Design real roles with training and oversight, not token pairings.

    Facilitator notes

    Token pairings do littlePairing students with no structure, training, or purpose accomplishes little. Design real roles, with training and oversight, for genuine peer support.

    Adapt it

    Participant handout

    One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

    K12 Academics · Professional Learning

    Peer Support: structured and mutual

    <b>Students support students:</b> real roles, training, and oversight that build belonging and develop the helpers.

    1. The belonging or support need peers could meet:
    2. The structured peer support I design:
    3. The training and adult oversight:
    4. How it benefits the supported:
    5. How it benefits the helpers:

    Make it stick

    Structured and mutual:

    Common questions

    Can students really support each other meaningfully?
    Yes, often in ways adults cannot. Structured peer support, mentors, buddies, helpers, builds belonging and connection, and benefits the helpers too. Structure and oversight make it work.
    Who benefits, the helped or the helper?
    Both. Those supported gain belonging and connection; those helping develop leadership, empathy, and responsibility. It is mutually beneficial, done well.
    What makes a peer program work?
    Genuine structure and purpose, some training for peer helpers, adult oversight, and real roles, not token pairings. Design it with intention.

    Go deeper

    Build it into a bigger day

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