Place2Be's Peer Mentoring Programme enables young people to promote wellbeing in their school.

Peer mentors promote good mental health by building supportive relationships with younger peers through engaging in collaborative creative activities together.

The programme is free for secondary schools in Newham and City & Hackney with an NHS Educational Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP).

Benefits for your school

• Building positive relationships between peers - Our Peer Mentoring Programme will help establish healthy relationships among young people at your school. Encouraging positive peer relationships can reduce the likelihood of your students developing mental health problems in the future.
• Encouraging a culture of wellbeing - Creating a culture of wellbeing within your school community offers benefits to the whole school. Our Peer Mentoring Programme will help you foster an environment that promotes emotional stability, academic success and overall happiness of your students.
• Supporting younger students with low-level concerns - We understand that school staff members may feel limited in their ability to provide sufficient support to students with low-level concerns due to lack of time. Peer mentoring can help these students by allowing concerns to be heard by an older peer who can provide them with guidance and signpost to other support that might help.
• Identifying mental health issues early - There is a growing evidence base to show that intervening in the early years of a young person's life can make a significant difference. Peer mentoring can help identify mental health issues early and refer young people to extra support if needed. 

Training and support

Our Art Room team will train your peer mentors, empowering them to make a positive impact by supporting younger students. Place2Be's expert Art Room team uses art to support wellbeing and help build supportive relationships.

One of your staff members and your school’s Mentoring Lead will support your peer mentors. Peer mentors will engage in regular debriefing sessions with the Mentoring Lead, encouraging them to reflect on their practice and proactively address any safeguarding concerns.