Making Our Case for Change: Using Research to Expand Peer Services, Improve Programs, and Save Lives

Peers actively contribute to organizations’ data collection efforts, leading to program quality improvement and evaluation, successful grant reporting and fundraising, client advocacy and policy change. Learning research skills at the root of these processes, however, is not typically a part of peer training. This interactive workshop will equip peers with research knowledge to produce evidence of community needs and the vital peer role, which in turn supports adoption of life-saving services, a peer pipeline to leadership positions, and effective peer workforce expansion. Upon registering, training participants will submit an research project idea to meet a need at their agency or within their communities. At the workshop, we will help trainees develop this idea as a potential resource for those they serve.