The Shelter Cymru Starter Pack 'Peer Learning in housing and homelessness'Shelter Cymru set up a pilot Peer Learning Project on housing and homelessness in 2003. Working in partnership with supported housing agencies that work with 16-25 year old homeless or ex-homeless young people in Wales, we have been able to recruit and train groups young people to become accredited Peer Educators. This enables them to go into Secondary Schools in Wales and deliver information based on their own direct personal experiences of being homeless.
The Pack is available to organisations that work with groups of young people aged 16-25 throughout Wales and the aim of the pack is:
To share our experience of running a peer learning project with others
Provide them with a template for starting their own project
Provide information about support from Shelter Cymru's Peer Learning Worker.
The Peer Learning project has been very successful; the young people have benefited by receiving nationally recognised Open College Network in a number of key subjects, improved levels of self-esteem and confidence and providing vital information on Youth Homelessness. To date, the Peer Educators (young people) have given a preventative message to over 1,200 school children in Wales.
Case study: Kevin's story:
"I was faced with homelessness after a family breakdown. My father's new partner moved in and this caused friction between me and my father and it went down hill from there. Eventually I had to move out.
"I had to sleep at a friend's house for a few months. It's called sofa surfing. At the time all I could think about was I had lost my family. You just feel rejected, lost and confused. All sorts of emotions go through your mind and you just don't know where you stand.
"Luckily, I found out about Shelter Cymru and they put me in touch with their education project and my life went uphill from thereon in. I now have a home of my own and I work for the charity going around schools and talking to pupils about homelessness."
More information:
Contact details & more on the work of Shelter Cymru
How to request BBC Wales promotion for your charity
BBC Wales is taking a new approach to making broadcasting opportunities for charities more effective. As well as television and radio exposure we are committed to feature six charities per year on bbc.co.uk. The first charity is Shelter Cymru.
