When I started working at Agatsu, we had a lot of college students volunteer with us. They would often come to me to talk, ask for advice, but mostly to feel heard. I realised that more and more would come to me to talk, and most would be facing similar issues. That made us realise the importance of starting a space for the youth to come and share with peers who might be facing similar issues in their life at that moment. It started to become a space where people were able to see others perspective, reflect within them, and make connections with people.

The facilitator is a person of lived experience. Her name is Smritee Paul. She has completed her suicide prevention instructor training from QPR. Has trained over 100 people in suicide prevention and the skills required to be a Gatekeeper (empathy, boundary setting, etc). She currently works at Agatsu Foundation as the community centre manager and outreach manager for the last 2 years.

Notes: The above information may change from time to time, and is shared with you to understand the background of where the support group comes from.

The peer support was founded in June 2023. It has been a month since we started. We have had around 5 meetings so far. The response has been great. We have started seeing people say things that they haven’t been able to share before. The group has started supporting each other in their ways of thinking. We hope that the group continues to grow and that we are able to reach the people who really need such a space.

Peer support for the youth (between the age of 18 to 25). We realised that this age group sees a lot of changes in their life, who they are, where they stand in the world, what are the beliefs they want to keep, they also are affected by different transitions during this period.

At the end of every session we conduct a grounding technique. This is a great way for members of the group to try different grounding techniques that would be helpful to them in moments of stress, anxiety or anger. Our topics also discuss are around self reflection, self identity, belief systems, stressors, and the relationships we keep. It’s helps make the individual more aware of the decisions they make and the things they can do for themselves.

We have a mental health professional present at every peer meet. Their presence is to ensure that if any question regarding mental health or therapy were to come up in conversation, they would be able to assist the member with the right resources. We also have a therapy clinic at our organisation. Additionally, we also have created a list of resources to provide people who may seek for help out of our scope of work.

Conversations around severe mental health disorders, harm to others, violence are conversations we aren’t equipped to support. We do not have the resources to help people with mental health disorders within our organisation. However, for that reason we have created a list of vetted psychologists and organisations that work in that field.

Any interested members can register through our website. They have to provide us with certain details like name, age and area. They also have to acknowledge the terms and conditions of the peer support post which a member of our staff calls them to explain the general protocols of the peer support. Reach Out

We start the session on time. The session is started with the general rules and protocols of the peer support, followed by an introduction of the facilitator and the mental health professional present. We then get started into the topic of the meet. We ask starter questions or prompts that may help members contribute to the conversation. The session last for one hour. In the last five minutes, we conduct a grounding technique to leave people on a more calm and present space

The organisation has certain code of conduct which all participants must follow. Any conversations that preach or put down any particular religion or political party is strictly not allowed. We also make sure that members or aware that the peer support is not a replacement for therapy, but rather a space to share, talk and listen. The peer support is confidential and any personal details that anyone shares will not be spoken of outside of the meet.

We hope that each participant at the end of the meet feels like they are not alone. They are able to reflect on their own thoughts and actions. That they’re able to better communicate their feelings in a safe environment.