BUILDING A PEER SUPPORT GROUP FOR FRENCH SPEAKING IMMIGRANT MEN IN HELSINKI
Monsauret, Julien (2016)
Diakonia-ammattikorkeakoulu
2016
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016112417106
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2016112417106
Tiivistelmä
ABSTRACT
Julien Monsauret. Building a peer support group for French speaking immigrant men in Helsinki. Diakonia Helsinki, Autumn 2016, 45 p., 5 appendices. Diakonia University of Applied Sciences, Degree Programme in social services (UAS).
This thesis was development-oriented and the product was a peer support group model. The aim was to create a support group for French speaking immigrant men in cooperation with a non-governmental organisation called Miessakit. Miessakit is an association offering support services to men in different crisis situations.
Peer support groups are used to help people in similar life situations find solutions to their problems. The support group’s purpose was to help immigrant men integrate into Finnish Society. The peer support group was related to community development work.
In the past Miessakit has organized support groups for immigrant men but never in French. A new concrete service was produced for their organization and a peer support group in French was started during the fall of 2015.
The peer support group model described the process of founding, implementing and evaluating the group. Data was collected to create the model. The data included practical training materials, diverse literature sources and theories. Practice and theories were combined throughout the process to show similarities and contrasts between practice and theory.
Materials were also created for the peer support group including advertising announcements, a to-do list guide, feedback and consent forms which are available in the appendices of the thesis. These documents were elements of the model. Observation notes from the actual group meetings and an interview with a peer support group professional were used as qualitative data for the group evaluation.
The result was a peer support group model in which was described all the steps undertaken to make a peer support group from conception to completion. The model also described the challenges that were faced during the process and offered recommendations for improvements to the group’s structure and functioning. Ethical considerations and personal learning topics were also presented.
Key words: peer support, support group, group leading, evaluation
Julien Monsauret. Building a peer support group for French speaking immigrant men in Helsinki. Diakonia Helsinki, Autumn 2016, 45 p., 5 appendices. Diakonia University of Applied Sciences, Degree Programme in social services (UAS).
This thesis was development-oriented and the product was a peer support group model. The aim was to create a support group for French speaking immigrant men in cooperation with a non-governmental organisation called Miessakit. Miessakit is an association offering support services to men in different crisis situations.
Peer support groups are used to help people in similar life situations find solutions to their problems. The support group’s purpose was to help immigrant men integrate into Finnish Society. The peer support group was related to community development work.
In the past Miessakit has organized support groups for immigrant men but never in French. A new concrete service was produced for their organization and a peer support group in French was started during the fall of 2015.
The peer support group model described the process of founding, implementing and evaluating the group. Data was collected to create the model. The data included practical training materials, diverse literature sources and theories. Practice and theories were combined throughout the process to show similarities and contrasts between practice and theory.
Materials were also created for the peer support group including advertising announcements, a to-do list guide, feedback and consent forms which are available in the appendices of the thesis. These documents were elements of the model. Observation notes from the actual group meetings and an interview with a peer support group professional were used as qualitative data for the group evaluation.
The result was a peer support group model in which was described all the steps undertaken to make a peer support group from conception to completion. The model also described the challenges that were faced during the process and offered recommendations for improvements to the group’s structure and functioning. Ethical considerations and personal learning topics were also presented.
Key words: peer support, support group, group leading, evaluation