What is Peer Support

Though there is not one specific definition of peer support there is a broad understanding that peer support is when two or more people with similar lived experience connect to learn, share, support and grow together. Peers do this through a combination of skills, knowledge and personal experience.

Group of people in a classroom standing together, some holding material or bags, with a presentation on opioid overdose prevention projected in the background.

Peer Support is when two or more people with similar lived experiences connect to learn, share, support, and grow. Peers do this through a combination of skills, knowledge, and empathy. Each peer-to-peer encounter is unique to the individuals experiencing it. Below our staff and members share how they’ve benefited from peer support:

Voices of Peers

  • Person wearing glasses and a black beret, with a cherry necklace, smiling outdoors at night.

    “I feel like I'm sort of passing the baton to our students and our graduates to be authentically you because the people that we serve also look like us.”

    -Mary Mojica, Workforce Development Manager, reflecting on her experience being a peer trainer passing down tools to show up as you are.

  • A person in a blue checkered shirt and tie stands outside a large white building with columns.

    "PRPSN made sure I was able to get my Drivers license which gave me the ability to be independent... being a facilitator keeps me afloat mentally because I can help people."

    - Marcus T., Member and Volunteer Facilitator

  • Woman sitting on a chair, wearing a polka dot shirt, black cardigan, and black pants, with hands resting under chin, surrounded by others in a group setting.

    "I witnessed the power of hope in a place that needed it most. It was truly life-changing and a privilege to be a small part of their journey"

    -Kerry Leonard, Director of the Training Institute after reflecting on first in person CDCR cohort