What Do Workshop Leaders Do?

Healthy Change

Workshop leaders facilitate the six-week “Healthy Change” workshop in community settings, working in pairs. Groups meet once a week for 2½ hours, for six weeks. There are 8 to 16 participants in each workshop. Leaders follow a scripted manual to teach & model skills for Healthy Change. Topics covered during the workshop include healthy eating and exercise; managing pain, fatigue, stress and medications; communicating with healthcare professionals; making decisions about treatments; planning ahead and problem solving.

The process of leading a group is as important, or perhaps more important, than the content delivered! Workshops are interactive. Leaders set a positive example by being a role model for workshop participants through their own self-management.

Leaders learn the skills required to facilitate workshops by attending a free 4-day Leader Training course. We ask certified leaders to commit to deliver the six-week workshop within 6 months of their training and at least once per year. Leaders must facilitate a workshop once a year to retain an active certification. They will also have the opportunity to participate in activities to promote and implement the workshop in the community.

PEP Talk

Workshop leaders facilitate the 2.5 hour “PEP Talk” workshop in community settings, working in pairs. Groups meet for a one-time 2.5 hour workshop. There are typically 6 to 15 participants in each workshop. Leaders follow a supporting script alongside a PowerPoint presentation developed by the Canadian Association of Wound Care to teach & model skills for Healthy Change. Workshops are interactive with group activities and supporting videos. Leaders set a positive example by being a role model for workshop participants through their own self-management and sharing their own personal stories.

Leaders learn the skills required to facilitate workshops by attending a free 1-day Leader Training course. We ask certified leaders to commit to deliver the workshop within 6 months of their training and at least once per year. Leaders must facilitate a workshop once a year to retain an active certification. They will also have the opportunity to participate in activities to promote and implement the workshop in the community.

Volunteer Peer Leader Training Requirements

• Attend an in-person or phone interview
• Complete the leader’s training course including practice teaching assignments
• Attend refresher sessions periodically to maintain certification
• Where possible, we prefer that Trainees have completed the Self-Management Workshop as a participant before training as a leader
• Complete a police reference check
• Submit the attached “Volunteer Application Form”
• Run an annual workshop