Peer Support Meeting

**This meeting is ONLY for new members (people who have never been to a meeting)**

Join us as we come together to share what is going on in our lives and also learn some techniques for dealing with anxiety.

Please support the venue that generously allows us a quiet space to meet by buying a drink — they sell coffee and hot chocolate, and drinks average 150$. There is a group fund available for people who can’t afford to buy a drink — just message a host.

These guidelines help us to enable everyone to have a good experience:

1. Keep the group confidential: we need to feel safe sharing about ourselves. For example, never share what happens inside the group with others.
2. Be respectful and nonjudgmental: everyone deals with difficult things in their lives and we want to help each other work through them, not feel ashamed. Examples include active listening, validating others’ feelings, and refraining from giving advice.
3. Active participation: showing up for each other is a major way we support each other. We do this by arriving on time and making sure everyone has a chance to contribute.
4. Embrace conflict: it is normal to sometimes have conflict in a group. We deal with it well when we focus on constructive feedback instead of criticism and working together to find a resolution that benefits the group.
5. Acknowledge social pressure: the group is only meant to support individuals, but our struggles are always impacted by financial instability, prejudice, and other social problems that are out of our control. This group is intended to be a safe space for people who are racialised, LGBTQIA2S+, marginalised genders, disabled, immigrants, and so on.

Agenda:

• Check-in
• Grounding/mindfulness
• Sharing
• Reflection
• Skills sharing and discussion
• Closing

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a host.