Peer Impact: an award winning project!

BYH's peer educators have been awarded with a Community Award!

What did they win?

Broxtowe Borough Council's Partnership Community Awards aim to honour the people who make a difference in Broxtowe Borough. The Broxtowe Borough Partnership asked for nominations of people living or working in the borough who have made Broxtowe a better place.

We at BYH are enormously proud that our peer educators won the award in the Children & Young People's category - they were presented with the award at an event held by the Broxtowe Borough Partnership.

Why did they win?

BYH peer educators are young people who have themselves experienced homelessness and are trained to help us deliver our homelessness prevention programme in schools across the borough.

For many of our peer eds, who have experienced negative and damaging experiences in their lives, taking part in the homelessness prevention programme helps to build tehir confidence and self esteem, learn new skills as well as acquiring a recognised qualification to assist with moving to further education or employment.

Our peer eds, who live in hostel accommodation in the borough, are rewarded knowing that sharing their own knowledge and experience can help other young people avoid getting into the situations they have found themselves in.

During 2010 our peer educators took part in training to prepare them to come into schools. Our peers designed and developed their own storyboards to use in the classroom during the PSHE lessons. Their contribution in the classroom is invaluable and has a significcant impact on other young people. Teachers have commented taht the messages our peers give is powerful enough to ensure that young people approaching school leaving age are well informed about teh causes of youth homelessness, the risks involved in leaving home at a young age and where to seek help when faced with housing crisis.