Nova Scotia: In-Person Peer Support Group Facilitator

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The Opportunity  
The “Stroke Community Conversation” peer support groups provide survivors, caregivers, and their families with emotional support, encouragement, education resource information, and a sense of community after hospital discharge. The groups are safe spaces where individuals come together and share experiences, information and coping strategies.

The In-Person Peer Support Group Facilitator plays a key role in leading monthly, small-group discussions that offer connection, guidance, and encouragement. By helping to guide conversations and foster a welcoming, empathetic space, the facilitator supports stroke survivors and caregivers in building community and sharing experiences. Our “Stroke Community Conversation” group in Sydney, NS is well-established and has been meeting since September 2024.


Location: Sydney

Time Commitment : 3-4 hours per month. Minimum 1-year commitment.

 

Tasks and Responsibilities: 

  • Facilitate and lead small group discussions and initiate one-to-one conversations with group participants in a respectful, calm, and supportive manner
  • Encourage group participants to engage in conversation
  • Respect the nature and extent to which participants engage
  • Share your stroke journey, where appropriate, to provide encouragement
  • Record volunteer hours monthly in the online volunteer platform or by reporting to Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
  • Report any urgent concerns regarding the group and debrief with Volunteer Engagement Coordinator on a regular basis or when needed
  • Suggest guest speakers and/or guest speaker topics and support in arranging guest speaker presentations at group meetings in partnership with the Volunteer Engagement Coordinator
  • Signpost, where appropriate, to MODC After Stroke program and community-based support programs

Knowledge, Skills and Experience: 

  • Lived experience of stroke, ideally at least one-year post-stroke (or far enough along in recovery journey to be confident in facilitating a group)
  • Ability to demonstrate, inform, and share your knowledge based on your lived experience
  • Respectfulness towards the values, cultural diversity, opinions, and ideas of others
  • Awareness of the boundaries of the role and use supervision to clarify when uncertainties arise
  • Reliable communication and planning skills

Questions?
Contact Emma Gascoigne by e-mail at egascoigne@marchofdimes.ca or by phone at 902-237-6435.