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In crisis? Contact North Shore Peer Assisted Care Team (PACT). Call: 1 (888) 261-7228 or Text: (778) 839-1831

About the program

The program is supported by a Peer Support Coordinator at CMHA NWV and is guided by a steering committee that includes crucial partners in the work. The Peer Support Coordinator engages with and supports communities to develop and implement their own harm reduction initiatives. The Peer Support Coordinator also supports the peers engaging in the work with coaching, and support and by delivering Reenergizing Wellness, a CMHA NWV 3-day training course in Indigenous peer support.

The Peer Support Coordinator fosters relationships across the five nations and introduces outside community and health supports as needed. Nation-based peers are invited to an annual retreat. Throughout all of the programming, culture is central.

The program is supported by funding from the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), and CMHA NWV is subcontracted to provide program coordination and training by Tsleil Waututh Nation.

Nations involved in the program:

  • Tla’amin Nation (Powell River)
  • Shíshálh Nation (Sechelt)
  • Squamish Nation (North Vancouver, Vancouver, Gibsons & Squamish)
  • Tsleil-Waututh Nation (North Vancouver)
  • Musqueam Nation (Vancouver)

Defining Peer Support

Sharing Your Story

Peer Support as a Bridge

Developing Your Programming

Reenergizing Wellness Training Manual

Through working alongside our partners, CMHA has had the opportunity to reevaluate our understanding of what peer support means and how it can look. The recommendations presented to you here highlight the learnings of peers doing this work in Indigenous communities in BC. This is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach and must be tailored to individual communities. This resource intends to highlight the importance of relationships and connection to culture as paths to healing and wellness.

Intentions of this resource:

  • Demonstrate the importance and value of peer-lead work as filling a gap in clinical work
  • Highlight emerging definitions of peer support that are rooted in culture
  • Demonstrate how peer work can take shape in community
  • Provide a framework for creating or building upon existing peer work in community
  • Equip peers with information and resources to support the wellness of their community members