MAKING MORE OF PEER POWER: Modelling feasibility and mapping implementation strategies for peer support in outdoor adventurous activities as a driver to promote community wellbeing.

Abstract

Background: The benefits of being active outdoors with peers is well documented. Peer support is a complex natural process involving the desire to help or be helped by others with similar life experiences. It is a process employed with great effect in health and education, to promote wellbeing, but is an untapped resource within the context of outdoor adventurous activities. The dynamic, often dangerous nature of this environment requires the supervision of an outdoor professional to safeguard participants. The presence of this professional can prevent the full benefits of peer support on wellbeing from being realised.

Aim: This study set out to examine the feasibility of mapping successful peer support training and implementation strategies from health and education to the outdoor adventurous environment for the purposes of promoting wellbeing within outdoor community groups and organisations.

Design: A case study approach was adopted involving outdoor community groups and organisations, to develop a peer supported outdoor activity programme and training materials aimed at promoting wellbeing. The study entailed three distinct phases: 1) a scoping review of peer support to determine the process and theory underpinning good practice; 2) co-design development of training materials for delivery instructors and peer supporters; 3) delivery and evaluation of the programme. Data was collected through multiple sources including questionnaires, video recordings, interviews, focus groups, observations, and field notes.

Results: A model, guiding framework, and train the trainer resources for peer support in the outdoors have been co-designed and developed, implemented, and evaluated by outdoor professionals wishing to enhance wellbeing within their community groups. This study has provided a number of novel contributions to research and practice by adding to the knowledge surrounding the peer support process and the mechanisms driving this process in a unique applied context. This study has also contributed to research in outdoor adventure programming, adding to the knowledge regarding the value and role of peer support as a driver to promote wellbeing within community groups. It further adds to the literature on outdoor adventure leadership, highlighting the role of key leadership and delivery approaches in nurturing peer support and making more of this untapped resource to promote the wellbeing within community groups. A Process Model of Peer Support Development Within a Community Group was generated and evaluated, together with train the trainer resources and an additional Guiding Framework for Trainer Influence on Peer Support Programme Development and Implementation.

Conclusions: This study confirmed peer support to be a complex process and unpacked individual variables that underpin how and why peer support works within an outdoor adventurous context. A model of peer support process and theory was developed, delivered, and evaluated by outdoor professionals. This model, together with a guiding theoretical framework depicting key interrelated variables identified by the stakeholders, provides an accessible tool for others wishing to tap into the unique benefits of peer supported outdoor activities, or to study these variables further. Overall, this study demonstrated that delivery instructors leading and coaching through a lens of peer support can map good practice, from health and education to the dynamic environment of outdoor adventurous activities. Finally, this study has highlighted the vital role of trainer training, specifically in educating them to recognise the right moment to step back and safely let this natural phenomenon reach its fullest potential. Trainers could be uniquely positioned to influence peer support as a driver to promote successful and self-sustainable wellbeing within an outdoor community group or organisation.

Date of Award	29 Oct 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Bangor University
Sponsors	Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS 2) & Snowdonia Watersports Ltd
Supervisor	Patricia Masterson Algar (Supervisor), Sion Williams (Supervisor) & Rebecca-Jane Law (Supervisor)