A trauma-informed approach to community violence to help equip young adults with mental health skills.
Learn More About the Partnership
The Community Healing Project (CHP) began in 2014, as a part of the City of Toronto’s Youth Equity Strategy. This project engages young people ages 18 to 29 who live in, work in, or are connected with one of the communities that the project is working with.
Stella’s Place has played a key role since 2017, offering youth the Peer Support Training Program.
The program received funding from the Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF) as part of the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS).
How it works
Young adults become Healers by training to be certified in Peer Support through Stella’s Place. They are supported by a Coordinator and Peer Mentors.
The Healers then deliver 12 week workshops in their communities to their peers. 50 adult Healers from 20 communities are engaged in 2 cycles of training each year.
By the end of each cycle, participants leave with increased resiliency to trauma. They are also equipped with knowledge of coping mechanisms to avoid violence, self-care strategies and awareness of mental health support services.
Criteria to Apply
Self-identified lived experiences of community-based violence
Currently between the ages of 18 to 29
Live in, work in, or connected to one of the identified communities
“CHP has been a true change in my life. It’s really changed my life for the better and healing in our communities right now is so important, especially in the pandemic. And this is the type of work that is going to get us through.”
-Dizzy, Peer Mentor
“Peer support is something our ancestors have been doing since the beginning of time! It takes a village to raise a child. And that small proverb or that small parable is a testament to how important community is to those who identify as Black or Afro-Caribbean people.”
-Jahfari, CHP Coordinator for the North Quadrant
Healers (Paid Volunteers) Will:
- Complete a Peer Support Worker certification to increase confidence & competence
- Receive a $800 stipend for completing the training
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Be eligible to apply for 12 weeks of workshop delivery with youth focused on trauma & healing in their community
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Be compensated $150 honoraria per week for workshop delivery after training
Applications for the Winter 2022 Peer Support Training Program are now closed! Thanks to everyone who applied.
Any questions? Please contact Siman at sibrahim@stellasplace.ca
“To have the opportunity to walk side by side with folks is rewarding but really important because it sets an example of hope for the kind of growth we want to see for communities and what we want to see in our society—that it’s possible.”
-Asante, Peer Support Training Manager
What is Peer Support?
Peer Support Workers have lived experience with mental health and recovery. They are also trained to give support to others experiencing similar challenges.
Having “been there” themselves, a Peer Support Workers can listen and respond from a place of true understanding.
The values of respect, choice and mutual sharing form the basis of the relationship.
“The training helped me identify issues with my own mental health, and how to help people conquer similar types of issues that they are going through. I became a better version of myself in order to really serve my community.”
-Abdul, former Youth Peer Mentor Coordinator
Community Healing Project In the Media
