Everyday Superheroes: Peers at Work
People who use their powers of peerness for good
“Peer Worker” is an emerging role in the Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) space in NSW. Not only has research shown how valuable peer education and support is, services using peer workers see the difference every day as more consumers come through their doors to have more respectful and relevant interactions.
Most peer workers start out as volunteers, or mix their volunteer work with casual or part-time paid roles.
NUAA supports volunteers in many ways within the organisation. Our long-established Peer Participation Program skills peers up to work in the NSP; DanceWize NSW has a large and committed group of festival going peers and other programs like the peer distributors offer training and meaningful experience.
Want to get some skills? All NUAA peers have access to extensive and unique training opportunities. You may also decide to further your skills via TAFE and get a certificate as a Community Worker or Drug and Alcohol Worker.
Start your journey here!
We have talked to 3 cool peer workers Rana, Kendra and Connell who are variously a volunteer, on a retainer and in part-time paid work. Wherever they are in their journey, they are all 100% awesome authentic peers on an amazing path as they step up for their communities with passion and generosity.
Rana, Regional peer distributor
UN: How did you start stepping up for your community?
R: Before getting involved with NUAA, we had to travel to get equipment because there’s no NSP in our area. When we discovered Outreach and the equipment came to us, I became friends with the delivery workers. One was a NUAA Peer Worker. He told me all about the NUAA peer distribution program — where users who live in a community have stocks of injecting equipment and give it out to our local injecting community. He told me he thought I might be a good fit for the program, and I liked the idea.
UN: What is the best thing about being a peer leader?
R: I love being able to help my community. The peer distribution pilot is well suited to regional communities like mine. We don’t have an NSP, just a vending machine at the hospital which is always empty. I used to travel hours to get equipment. That’s not an option for a lot of people in regional towns - they don’t have a car and public transport is limited. If it weren’t for peer leaders like me, many people would be going without and taking risks with their health.
I get to provide useful advice and resources to people who either can’t get it anywhere else or are too afraid to ask for help for fear of being judged.
UN: What is the hardest thing about being a peer leader?
R: Definitely the number of people we see and how regular it is. It’s a 24/7 gig! We’ve had people turning up late at night, knocking on the door at 11pm, 3am, 6am… We don’t get a break. On pay day it's like a revolving door! Some people can be a bit pushy sometimes too.
UN: What’s your best piece of advice for someone who wants to step up?
Find out what your community needs, then get in touch with NUAA!
UN: What’s your favourite harm reduction tip?
R: Don’t reuse – not even twice. And never share used equipment - it’s not worth it. There’s enough to go around. I usually give people more than they ask for – that way there’s no risk of them reusing or sharing. If they don’t need it and they give it to someone else – even better.
UN: What does a day in your role look like?
R: People come to me for equipment or advice and someone to talk to. I used to only see a few people living close by but now they come from all over. I’ve started chatting to people about hep C lately. I help bust myths about treatments and encourage people to get tested. I enjoy being able to give people advice and help with things they won’t talk to anyone else about.
Kendra, DanceWize NSW (DWNSW) Team Leader (TL)
UN: How did you start stepping up for your community?
K: I became a DanceWize NSW Key Peer Educator (KPE) volunteer in 2019. I was roving as a security guard at a festival and became curious about the DWNSW care space tent. I instantly loved how the KPEs cared for partygoers and was impressed by the harm reduction education they offered.
As a security guard, I could never let on that I was a person who uses drugs. In fact, my supervisors would fire me if I was too nice to drug users! I have always hated the way we are treated for taking drugs - like we are horrible criminals. Unlike most security guards I wouldn’t kick someone out for using - after all, they were just people wanting to dance and have fun – but I had an ethical responsibility to my job to throw the drugs away.
I never saw myself as a leader. Every step up in my career has never gone how I wanted it to, which knocked my confidence. But then the other DWNSW Team Leaders (TLs) asked me to think about being a leader. They saw something in me. That meant a lot to me and when I became a TL, I knew I wanted to build up the people around me. Because of my self-doubt, I spent a lot of time mastering the KPE role before I took on being a TL — no imposter syndrome for me! Being a TL has made me feel more confident and I especially enjoy training and supervising new KPEs.
UN: What’s your best piece of advice for someone who wants to step up?
K: Stepping up can seem scary. But you can see that kind of fear as a healthy thing. Fear can prompt you to prepare properly, to check you have the right support - just in case something goes wrong.
Just put yourself out there and try - because that’s inspiring to others.
I can be a strong TL, because the NUAA DWNSW staff, Gina and Erica, are insanely good at their jobs. I know if I have a difficult shift, there’s lots of support around.
UN: What’s your favourite harm reduction tip?
K: Someone in the care space was anxious from using magic mushrooms and cannabis. They thought the weed would make them feel better. I’d had that combo before, so I relaxed them by explaining: “Cannabis, paired with most things, such as mushrooms or LSD or MDMA, will make them stronger before it starts relaxing you.”
UN: What does a typical day in your role look like?
K: I arrive onsite at a music festival and get myself grounded. Then, when I arrive at the care space tent for a shift I’m leading, I’ll check the volunteers are all feeling comfortable.
Then we do a handover with the outgoing shift. We find out what trends we should know about — maybe there’s lots of people coming in to care because there’s an adulterated batch of drugs going around.
We look after people who might be physically or mentally unwell who just need a beanbag to chill out on, or a caring person to talk about life or how weird their trip is going. If someone needs extra support, the medical team can check on them. We rove the festival grounds. We have fun chats with people in front of our tent, educating them about safer drug use.
At the end of each shift, the team debriefs on any challenges or highlights. Then we take off our DanceWize uniforms and go out and enjoy the event!
UN: What’s the best thing about being a Peer Leader?
K: It’s really great when people reach out to me to ask me questions about drugs, and I know I can provide them with good information and advice.
I also like being able to leverage my previous work experience. I’m currently designing some training to teach KPEs how to work better with security guards.
Another cool thing is being involved in setting up DWNSW’s high school program. The aim is to teach harm reduction, and not just abstinence. I want all young people to know how to put someone in the recovery position and how to be safer when it comes to sex and drugs.
UN: What’s the hardest thing about being a Peer Leader?
K: I was afraid that if my employers found out I was volunteering with DWNSW I would lose my job as a security guard. But I decided it’s totally worth it. This stuff is just too important.
Connell, Health District (LHD) Peer Worker
UN: What was your journey to becoming a Peer Leader?
C: Shortly after I was released from prison about 8 years ago, I decided I wanted to give back to the community. So I joined NUAA’s Peer Participation Program (PPP). It was the gateway to me working in many different roles at NUAA and I am now currently employed as a Peer Support Worker in a health service.
UN: What does a typical day as a Peer Worker in a health service look like?
C: I announce my arrival in the most flamboyant fashion imaginable, followed by a coffee and chat with the best people I’ve ever met.
There’s no typical day but generally, it goes something like this: I stock the shelves with equipment. I check emails. I answer phone calls/messages. I do outreach. I serve clients. I do DBS tests. I distribute Naloxone. We do clean ups. We load vending machines. We laugh, we cry, we dance!
UN: What’s the best thing about being a Peer Leader?
C: As a Peer Worker, you have a special link with users. Helping people is incredibly rewarding. I get home from work and know I’ve made a difference. I love that my community trusts me to provide an empathetic ear and practical advice. I love linking people to other services to improve their health and overall wellbeing.
UN: What’s the hardest thing about being a Peer Leader?
C: Every day is different, and I enjoy the challenges, but there are some moments where it can be disheartening. Sometimes there’s not much I can do to help people within the constraints of the system. You have to learn to celebrate the small wins. I have also learnt there are many factors that affect health, and health means different things to everyone, so it’s important to keep an open mind with everyone I help.
UN: What’s your best piece of advice for someone who wants to step up?
C: Just do it. Your experiences are valuable to others. The drug user community is extremely diverse and your stories matter. Put your hand up and own those stories. They can change lives.
You may think you are alone but you’re not, you have new friends and connections waiting, you just haven’t met them yet.
You are more than your criminal charges.