Case Studies

Transitions

The transition program is the primary training vehicle for Peer Leaders in CCWW, as well as the program with the most long lasting benefits for students and the overallschool community.

The transition to high school is the most significant transition (after entering school in childhood) in a person’s academic career.

Most schools mark the public aspect of this transition with assemblies, information sessions and initial meet greets, but the personal side of the transition to high school is not usually addressed. i.e. giving a person the chance to speak more intimately to another person, to share expectations, apprehensions and ongoing developmental concerns peer to peer.

Our transition program is a social emotional development tool meant to give transition students positive first impressions of high school as well as support transition students in the development of their resilience, and nurturing their engagement with the school community.

While the core practice and training ground of CCWW is the transition program, Peer Leaders often develop special applications of their training to address particular issues in their school community. The following are a few examples.

Relational Aggression

During the past year, both West Hill CI leadership students and West Toronto CI’s ESP group chose to tackle the increasing incidence of relationship problems such as labelling, gossip, cyber slander, name calling and exclusion. Both schools held initial workshops and forums that examined male and female stereotypes, group inclusion and exclusion, and definitions of relational aggression. Both schools held forums that brought home the message of what relational aggression is, and strategies for addressing it.

To address their own needs, West Toronto students also designed and held workshops for parents during a parent-teacher interview day on the results of their workshops. West Hill students chose to troubleshoot the early development of problems by examining the school code of behaviour. West Hill also held a PD teacher training seminar on relational aggression.

Safer Partying and Substance Abuse

In collaboration with Parent Actions on Drugs (PAD) Peer Leaders in a senior drama class at East York CI spent part of the fall semester developing a series of grade 9 workshops that identified problematic drug and alcohol abuse and supported the development of safer partying practices. The group also mounted a play presentation on safer partying and substance abuse issues for the grade 10′s. In both the workshops and the presentation, Peer Leaders related problematic substance use to incidents of violence and presented strategies for addressing this. Numerous high schools have also undertaken substance abuse workshops with their grade 9′s.

Equity

At Earl Haig CI a whole school approach to equity and diversity was devised. A design team made up of students, teachers, administration and parents carried out a series of issues identification workshops with students, teachers, and parents. The design team considered the results and made initiatives to address the issues raised that included further workshops that examined the school culture, relationship between school programs, and current inclusion practices.

Racism

At Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI, a senior drama class carried out inital grade 9 workshops on inclusion and exclusion in peer groups. These students took the lead in training ESP members and other school leaders, who joined them in carrying out two further workshops on racism that took place during April and May TAP classes.