Peer School

Experience Collaborative and Supportive Learning at our Peer School
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Support Others

Discovery College's Peer School is created for anyone who is currently, or interested in, helping and supporting others.

Peer School's free workshops enhance your knowledge and skills to enable you to provide caring, compassionate and trauma-informed support. Each workshop is developed and delivered in collaboration with people who have knowledge and personal experience in each topic area. At Peer School you will experience an empowering learning environment where people learn together and from each other.
Check out our workshops or see some frequently asked questions below!

Supporting YOU in Supporting Others

Our goal with Peer School workshops is to support you in supporting others. Peer School is designed for people who are currently helping others, or interested in doing so. Whether you’re a friend that people go to, a caregiver supporting a child, a partner helping a loved one, or wanting to gain skills to support others, Peer School workshops are tailored for these purposes.

Peer School offers a collection of workshops on a range of important topics, each created to enhance your knowledge and skills. This will enable you to provide caring, compassionate and trauma-informed support.
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Our free Peer School workshops are created by Experts Through Experience and Experts Through Learning. This means what we share in our workshops is what people have found to be the most important and supportive.The overall goal of every Peer School workshop is the same, supporting you to support others.
  • Hope & recovery
  • Empathetic & equal relationships
  • Self-determination
  • Dignity & social inclusion
  • Integrity, authenticity & trust
  • Health & wellness
  • Lifelong learning & personal growth

What can you expect from a Discovery College course?

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Welcoming Environment

We aim for all our courses to be small groups of people coming to learn together and from each other.
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Real Knowledge

We draw upon a diverse range of knowledge sources, bringing Experts Through Learning together with Experts Through Experience to develop and deliver our courses. Check out our FAQs to read more about our experts.
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Accessible Courses

Our courses are free and don’t require you to have prior knowledge on the topic. The majority of our courses are held in the community across Kelowna.
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Support Your Well-Being

Whether you are coping with a mental health challenge, have a hard time taking time to yourself, or desire healthier boundaries, Discovery College will empower you to improve your overall well being.

FAQ

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What’s the difference between a Peer School workshop and a ‘classic’ Discovery College workshop?

Our ‘classic’ Discovery College workshops are open to anyone and everyone. While our Peer School workshops are still open to anyone and everyone, they are designed for those who are currently—or hoping to—support others in some shape or form. Peer School workshops are also held as a Zoom meeting instead of Zoom webinar

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How do I know if Peer School workshops are for me?

If you’re interested in supporting others — whether that’s a friend, family member, or in a more professional capacity — then our Peer School workshops will enhance your knowledge and skills in doing this!

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What can I expect from a Peer School workshop?

Peer School workshops will involve more active participation than our ‘classic’ Discovery College workshops. When held online, you can expect things like breakout rooms, role playing and group discussions.

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Do I have to pay for Peer School workshops?

No, all of our Peer School workshops are free.

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Is it all online?

At this moment in time, our Peer School is taking place online. We hope in the future to be able to run a combination of in-person and online workshops so that you can pick your preference.

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What’s the difference between a Zoom meeting and a Zoom webinar?

Zoom meetings mean that you’re able to choose to unmute yourself whenever you’d like, see the Zoom names of others, and use some Zoom functions like break-out rooms.

Zoom webinars are more anonymous, where you’re only able to see the facilitators that are attending, not the students.

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I like the anonymity of a Zoom webinar, is there a way to try to keep that?

When you log into Zoom, in your settings you can choose what your display name is (this is the name other students will see). If you prefer the anonymity of Zoom webinars, you can make your display name something that doesn’t identify you when in a Zoom meeting.

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Will you be adding more workshops to Peer School?

Yes! We’re currently soft launching Peer School, but will continue to create and add more workshops over time, to support you in supporting others!

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What’s an Expert Through Experience and an Expert Through Learning?

Our Experts Through Experience have gained their knowledge through personal experience. Experts Through Experience share what strategies they found to really work and their life-experiences during the course.

Our Experts Through Learning have gained their knowledge through their education and working in their field of expertise. Experts Through Learning share their resources and understanding during the course.

Sponsors & Support

Discover the power of learning while supporting others.

Empower yourself with practical tools and knowledge through our diverse range of free courses. Let's learn together and make a difference!