Students from Grandville, Caledonia, Kenowa Hills and Kentwood who participate in their districts’ Peer to Peer programs went to a Whitecaps baseball game to enjoy friendship and some summer camaraderie. The Cap’s were victorious and a wonderful time was had by all. The annual outing is supported by a special grant from START, Statewide Autism Resource and Training and Kent CAN (Collaborative Autism Network).
Peer to Peer Program- LINKS
The goal of this peer to peer program, also know as the LINKS program, is to promote, cultivate and nurture independence, appropriate social behavior, and life skills for life…in and beyond high school. The LINK course assists students in their consideration of a career in the Human Services Career Pathway. Teachers, Psychologists, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, and many more occupations will increasingly work professionally with individuals identified as having a variety of special needs.
Students enrolled in the LINKS course will be mentors, role models, and friends to students with disabilities. In this role, the LINKS program students will be with their assigned peers a minimum of one class period, and they will be interacting with their peers throughout social activities during the entire school day. In addition to being a mentor, role model, and friend, they will assist the peer students in appropriate classroom behaviors such as, organizing assignments and supplies, participating with classroom activities and group work, communicating effectively with others, and advocating for their accommodations.
The LINK will learn more about the causes and prevalence of many common disabilities, methods, and techniques for working with individuals with disabilities, developing social networking supports, and developing a social climate of awareness, acceptance, and inclusion.
Caledonia Community Schools LINKS Program
Caledonia High School (CHS) is in its 5th year of having a LINKS class in which students receive an elective credit for being a LINK in class supporting a peer with a disability. The class was developed as a continuum of peer mentoring support for students with disabilities. Throughout the districts elementary and middle schools, students support communication, social skills, and independence and ,in structured and unstructured school environments through Peer-to-Peer. The CHS LINKS class is taught by Audrey Vandokkumburg, Bill Doran, and Emily Westfall. The LINKS class is also offered at Kraft Meadows Middle School as a 6-week elective course for 8th graders, taught by Tony Signore and Janice Witkowski. While LINKS make their initial connections in the classroom, their relationships often flow into extra-curricular activities such as sporting events and dances (i.e. Winterfest and Prom).
Due to the game being held after seniors last day, Caledonia had a few extra tickets to the Whitecaps game and decided to included a few select 7th and 8th-grade peers and LINKS from Kraft Meadows Middle School. The students chosen to attend went above and beyond in their role of a LINK to build a rapport with their student. Some 7th and 8th graders (from DLMS and KMMS), who were supported in the classroom this year by CHS LINKS, were able to spend time outside of the classroom with their at the Whitecaps game.
To help pay for the trip the group uses funds from LINKS fundraisers throughout the year, special education and peer to peer funding, and buses are paid for through a grant awarded by the Caledonia Education Foundation.
East Kentwood LINKS Program
More information about the LINKS program
LINKS is a course that enables the student to make a difference in another person’s life. In addition to the academic content of the course, there is ample time to apply what you are learning as you become involved in the life of another student.
As the autism teacher consultant, Jennifer Amorose provides collaboration and support to both the Caledonia High School and Kraft Meadows Middle School classes. Through KENT CAN, she is a county peer to peer trainer and has provided coaching and support to East Kentwood in the development of their program.
If you would like to learn how to bring this peer to peer program to your school please contact: Jennifer Amorose at amorosej@calschools.org
https://www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter/peer-to-peer-support-for-students-with-asd-93.htm
This blog post was written by Jennifer Amorose, Caledonia Community Schools and edited by Amanda Walma, Professional Learning Coordinator at Kent ISD. Photo credit: Amanda Walma
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