Peer support happens when people who have similar experiences of something difficult come together to support each other. For the purpose of this module, we are talking about experiences of migrant women, their individual stories and any cases of emotional distress they went through. However, people involved in peer support may also have other shared characteristics, experiences, and interests.

Crucially, the people involved play an active role in creating a safe environment for each other. In this space, people can use their shared experiences to give and receive support from each other. Peers make choices about what parts of their personal experiences they talk about, seek support for, and use to support other people.

Peer support is very flexible. It can be tailored to both the people who are part of it and the local community where it takes place. There are three broad approaches to peer support:

• group peer support

This involves three or more people coming together to support each other. There are many ways of doing this, from groups that allocate a number of official roles and run structured activities, right through to lose, informal gatherings.

• one-to-one peer support

This involves two people who support each other. This may be in a very informal context, for example two friends coming together to talk about a shared problem. In some cases of more formally organised one-to-one peer support, one person may have had some training, for example in mentoring skills. One person may also be further along their ‘mental health journey’. This may mean that one person may provide more support to the other at times.

• online peer support

People may access peer support online, often through websites that are designed specifically to facilitate peer support. Peers may also use generally available social media forums that are open to anyone. Online forms of peer support are different from face-to-face approaches because they usually allow people to access support at any time they need, including in the middle of the night, and for as much or as little time as is necessary. They also allow people to remain anonymous if they choose

However, the practical advice raised in this module will be more easily applied to face-to-face settings than online, as migrant women need face-to-face contact in the process of establishing mutual rapport and good relationships.

The peer‐to‐peer awareness comes from the concept of Peer Education, defined as "the teaching or sharing of information on health, values and behaviors, by members of the same age and with  a  similar social  status” referring  to  the  concept  of  communication  between  peer  and  peer  or between people belonging  to  the same  status and is  therefore inherent  to phenomena of  social influence.

Feeling some kind of commonality with another person or supposing to share with them the same  problems  or  experiences make  this  person a  credible  interlocutor,  that  can  be  trusted,  and    this increases the probability that our way of thinking and acting is influenced by it.

Data from national analyses show that peer social influence is very strong in the case of migrant      communities living in Europe and especially in women.

PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT BENEFITS:

• exploitation of the relationship of mutual and continuous influence that manifests itself within a peer group to make shared knowledge;
• collaboration and sharing knowledge and competences between individuals who identify themselves as similar in age, education, previous experience etc., thus triggering Peer-To-Peer interaction;
• exploitation of the dynamics existing within a group to be able to reach, in a direct way and using the language typical of the group itself, the highest number of people possible in order to generate a real change;
• triggering a reflection in the behavior of individuals and in the acquisition of knowledge;
• boosting self-confidence within individuals;
• increased communication skills, as well within the group as beyond it;
• greater ability to integrate knowledge, skills and personal experiences;
• greater flexibility and adaptability to rapid changes in a given environment/ society;
• increased Peer-To-Peer Awareness of the benefits of such programmes in any field;
• becoming awareness Ambassadors in the given topic through encouraging community members to reflect on the importance of sharing given knowledge and experience with their peers.

From a psychological point of view, it is scientifically proven that the peer group plays an essential  role in supporting the creation of the individual and his growth as a member of the community. From birth, the peer group is in fact seen as a mirror through which they reread their experiences and,  in  this way,  on  the  one  hand, acquire different kinds  of knowledge and  skills and,  on  the other, change their behavior and attitudes. This process is stimulated by the exchange of ideas and the sharing of experiences, following the analysis of individual and/or common problems and the search  for possible solutions.

Integration is defined as the two-way process of mutual adaptation between migrants and host societies in which migrants are incorporated into the social, economic, cultural and political life of the receiving community. As such, integration entails a set of joint responsibilities for migrants and host communities, and, in this broad understanding, incorporates other related notions such as social inclusion and social cohesion. Integration is a cross-cutting and multi-sectoral issue that pertains to policy areas that address the economic, social, legal, cultural, and civic spheres and impacts all aspects of migrants’ lives and their communities.

Social inclusion means facilitating access to health, education, labour market and financial services. It also means civic and political participation. Social cohesion is even a more inclusive notion, referring to strong attitudes of anti-discrimination, countering xenophobia and promoting mutual understanding.

The paths of women and men toward integration may face differing obstacles due to societal expectations and prejudices regarding their perceived roles in society both in the country of origin and of destination. In addition, discrimination in public institutions as well as xenophobic attitudes and abuse from local communities is an obstacle to successful integration.

People tend to overestimate levels of immigration into their countries, often believing that migrants and refugees are a burden on, rather than contributors to, their economies. Such misperceptions feed xenophobic sentiment while hindering migrants’ and refugees’ integration and opportunities to contribute to the recipient societies.

STEPS TO BE TAKEN IN ORDER TO INTEGRATE MIGRANT WOMEN INTO THE SOCIETY

• Pre-departure and post-arrival orientation programmes are designed to prepare migrants, including migrant women and their children for their arrival and facilitate their integration into host communities by managing their expectations and providing information about their rights and responsibilities, the country’s culture and customs, as well as information about education, health care, also for their offspring, and employment. These activities help equip migrant women with the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to overcome the challenges of a new culture.

• Engagement with the private sector to facilitate labour market access. The private sector can serve not only as a potential employer of migrants but also as a committed partner in formulating vocational and language training for its workforce. It can also provide knowledge on national and local labour markets to assess labour market needs and identify key areas for employment of migrant women. Businesses that acknowledge the value of diversity by integrating it into their workforce and institutional culture can be influential actors in shaping perceptions about migrants.

• Engagement with receiving communities and local authorities aims to educate and empower all members of society, not just migrants, about the integration process. Capacity building programmes for local communities consist of training and information sessions on topics such as the cultural profiles of migrants, including migrant women and their families, as well as information gathered through needs assessment surveys conducted at the pre- departure stage.

• Engagement with the media and other actors to highlight the positive contributions of migrants consists of innovative partnerships between intergovernmental organizations, governments and communicators, which foster a balanced and evidence-based reporting of migrant issues. Campaigns which aim to address the negative perceptions of migrants by host societies can be developed jointly by governments, the media and NGOs. Other impactful initiatives consist of campaigns that offer a platform or assistance for migrants to:

• tell their own stories by helping them develop skills such as filmmaking and digital storytelling (sharing their stories/ experiences in public thus sensitizing the society), 

• set up their own businesses in which it is manageable for migrant women to take care of their children, 

• initiate volunteer programs to assist pregnant women and their infants (women and infants represent a majority of migrants and pregnancy can make women more vulnerable),

• hire/ send interpreters or babysitters during job interviews of migrant women, etc.

Inspiration:

• Empowering refugee women in Indonesia through sisterhood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IHTWQlLYHo

• What is SisterWorks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WenWkATFOY

• Multicultural Peer Mentorship for Professionals @ CFN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-0IlthN8t4

• Inspirational Stories - Milia Simieli, Mentor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAvDSwcbgfQ