Peer Health Exchange was founded by young people, for young people. In 1999, six Yale undergraduates began teaching health workshops in New Haven public schools in order to fill the gap left by an underfunded, understaffed district health program. In 2003, the founding members of the group established Peer Health Exchange to replicate this successful program in other communities with unmet health education needs.
We unapologetically begin with race because we know that the majority of the young people we serve are Black and/or Latinx. We also focus on people with intersectional marginalized identities because we know that those young people are most affected by oppression.
Near-Peer Fellows facilitate health education curriculum in high school and middle school classrooms across the country, primarily in New York, Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Chicago, and Boston. The Fellows (aged 18-25) are trained to engage students through fostering inclusive, trauma-informed classroom environments. Fellows build relationships, guide discussions and share tools and resources young people need to make healthy decisions, and in turn, build healthier communities.
Receive comprehensive training
Build trust and relate to students
Connect students to youth-friendly health resources and care
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The Peer-to-Peer model was launched in 2022 in Boston and Chicago. Peer Mentors train high schoolers to facilitate PHE health curriculum to their fellow students. Facilitators are trained on mental health, and/or sexual health, and/or substance use, professional development, public speaking skills, as well as on local public health resources. Facilitators regularly meet with their Peer Mentors for support, and receive a monthly stipend or course credit towards high school graduation.
Learn about health education
Gain leadership, public speaking and facilitation skills
Receive a stipend or course credit
Build positive connections with peers
During Peer Health Exchange workshops, students learn basic health information, talk about their values and goals, learn about local health resources, and develop critical skills that will enable them to enhance their health and the health of their communities. The program integrates core skills like reflection, assertive communication, thoughtful decision-making and advocacy with key knowledge of risks, benefits, and resources related to mental health.
Our curriculum is informed by national health education standards and national sexuality education standards, making it evidence-based. We collaborate with high school, college, and graduate level interns to ensure our curriculum remains relevant and effective. Peer Health Exchange holds two feedback sessions annually to gather input from our participants and make necessary revisions. Our revisions, adaptions, and changes are all evidence-based and informed by our in-house evaluation results.
A Skills-Based Health Curriculum
The Pathways curriculum seeks to increase support help-seeking behavior for struggles with mental health, decrease rates of substance use, and decrease rates of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. This is achieved by empowering young people to act confidently for their health, with a focus on developing core health skills like decision-making, communication, and advocacy for self and others. The curriculum is designed to promote students’ agency and access to health resources. There are 10 modules in Pathways.
A Social-Emotional Approach to Mental Health
The Centered curriculum seeks to increase students' likelihood to take care of, maintain, and seek resources for mental health through building social and emotional learning competencies and promoting healthy habits. The program integrates core skills like reflection, assertive communication, thoughtful decision-making, and advocacy with key knowledge of risks, benefits, and resources related to mental health. Listed below are the program objectives, organized by module.
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To learn how to bring Peer Health Exchange to your school, contact Ericka Dawson, AVP of Community Partnerships
