PAST Project Overview
The Peer Assisted School Transition Project (PAST) is an age and stage-appropriate peer helping program that seeks to build resiliency in youth. PAST works by using trained peer leaders to assist students across two transitional phases in school, 5th grade to 6th grade (middle school transition) and 8th grade to 9th-grade transition (high school transition). Students in 5th grade are paired with 6th-grade students and8th-grade students are paired with 9th-grade students. The peer-based assistance provided through PAST is designed to help youth avoid risk factors for substance abuse and as well as assist students in transition successfully to middle school and high school.
The peer leaders (6th and 9th-grade students) are placed in helping roles with younger students (5th and8th-grade students) from feeder campuses. Peer leaders offer individual peer support to the younger students through a series of interactions that take place during the months of January, February, March, and September (during the following school year). The PAST curriculum is based on evidence-based strategies and practices and will guide school personnel, peer leaders, and rising peers in building Substance Abuse Prevention (SAP) skills and knowledge via increasing the strength of multiple protective factors and reducing the strength of and exposure to multiple risk factors.
Topics include risk and protective factors, normative beliefs related to drug use, discovering the consequences of drug use, resisting peer pressure, Georgia’s Good Samaritan Law, transitions from school to school or school to college. The student participants will be referred to the program by an adult leader at the host site. Students may be linked to specific peer leaders based on the needs of the student and the skills of the peer coach.
Position Title |
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Peer Leader |
Rising Peer |
Major Tasks |
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Adult Advisors will work to make sure the peer leaders and rising peers associated with their particular school are fully engaged in the lessons by assisting peer leaders and rising peers to set up meetings and sessions, etc. for the purpose of completing the lessons. |
A student in 6th grade and 9th grade will serve as a role model who assists astudent in 5th grade and 8th grade and work together to build Substance Abuse Prevention (SAP) skills. Peer leaders will assist the 5th grade and 8th-grade students with making an important transition, learning a new skill, or facing an unknown challenge. A peer leader is a student who has learned from experience and has developed skills to guide other students to succeed. Peer leaders are expected to thoroughly review session topics and toolkit resources prior to conducting the session. This will ensure that the peer leader has a good grasp on the information. |
A student in 5th grade and 8th grade that is open to receiving guidance while transitioning to middle and high school. Rising peers will work with peer leaders to build Substance Abuse Prevention (SAP) skills. Rising Peers can be those students who may have any of the following traits |
The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Inc.
270 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2200
Atlanta, GA 30303-1283
Adult Advisors