Module 1: Peers and Programs
Who is Involved in Peer-Delivered Syringe Exchange Programs? Chances are if you’re designing or running a PDSE program, you know that the goals and benefits of a peer program are many and varied. A peer program can have a big impact on the peers themselves, the participants or clients of the program, the staff, your organization and the broader community. • Peers: Peers are developing their roles as leaders and professionals. Peer programs provide an opportunity to partner with peers to improve the quality of their lives, their health, and their overall well-being. Many peers have told us that doing something that feels good for themselves and for their community has had a positive impact on their own health. Additionally, peers may be able to leverage the skills and experience gained through a peer program to obtain more permanent employment in the field. Persons serving as peers, rather than being legitimized through academic credentials, draw their legitimacy from experiential knowledge and experiential expertise. Experiential knowledge
“We come from the ‘hood to them. A peer really needs to be someone who’s been there, done that. We know where the hot spots are.” —Peer
is information acquired about harm reduction through the process of one’s own use or being with others. Experiential expertise entails the ability to translate this knowledge into skills that can be passed on to others. Many people have acquired experiential knowledge about harm reduction, but those who have the added dimension of experiential expertise are ideal candidates for the role of peer. • Participants: Peers are uniquely positioned to engage with and relate to program participants and potential program participants. Peers can offer agency participants important information with added credibility because they have “been there, done that”. Participants can benefit from seeing people like themselves in positions of leadership and strive for those positions as well. Peers may also have social ties with other drug users who don’t know about or don’t otherwise feel comfortable accessing services at your program. One of the greatest benefits of PDSE is its ability to engage with networks of drug users who aren’t otherwise linked with services. • Organization and Staff. Your organization can benefit from the work of peers in numerous ways. PDSE leads to increased enrollments of new
Peer-Delivered Syringe Exchange Toolkit 5
