Building Community Online: learning from online LGBTQ+ peer support
Developed with Switchboard, the National Survivor User Network and Mind, this shared learning session explored how online peer support spaces can benefit members of the LGBTQ+ community, and more broadly what community-building in online peer support spaces might look like.
The session was facilitated by Ruairi White, Switchboard’s Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex Survivors Project Lead, and Amy Wells, NSUN’s Communications and Membership Officer. This recording shows the presentation part of the session, with Ruairi feeding back on the two unrecorded group discussions that we had on the table of challenges/mitigations (timestamp 22:25) and the concept of community building (52:10).
This recording may be of interest to people who:
– Want to develop their online facilitation skills
– Want to improve access to their spaces for LGBTQ+ people
– Want to explore ways of offering peer support online that foreground community and connection.
Keeping a Safe Virtual Space in Online Peer Support
Developed with Taraki, the National Survivor User Network and Mind, this shared learning session explored safety, comfort and confidentiality in online peer support. Over the last year, many peer support projects have had to move online. This has created a number of opportunities as well as challenges for peer support.
This session was facilitated by Sandev Panaser and Amardeep Singh who facilitate online virtual forums for Taraki, an organisation providing mental health support and advocacy for people of Punjabi origin. They shared tips and suggestions on how to create a safe space and give confidence to those seeking and providing mental health peer support in this changing environment. This recording shows the presentation part of the session, with feedback on the group discussions that we had halfway through (22:10)
These sessions were part of a short series of three shared learning sessions organised by NSUN in partnership with Mind. The third, with Make Space on navigating the topic of self harm in online spaces was not recorded but you can read a reflection from Make Space here.