We are all facing tough times. Climate change alone, left unchecked, will destroy human civilization. The danger of nuclear war is greater than ever. Dozens of other threats to human life on earth are increasing on only a slightly slower time scale. Inequality increases daily. The U.S.A. spends almost all our federal budget on the military. More than the next ten nations combined, most of whom are our allies. The U.S.A. maintains over 800 foreign bases while no other nation has more than a few. However, the U.S.A. has not “won” a war since WWII. It is losing its economic power as other countries grow. Nonetheless, both the Democratic and Republican Parties are committed to using that military power in a vain attempt to recover this economic dominance.
The recent election in the U.S.A. will speed up all these threats, with special threats to poor and working people, black indigenous and people of color, immigrants, LBTGQ, women, essentially all of outside the billionaire class.
Fortunately, peer support can greatly increase our ability to overcome these threats. Long history has shown the ability of peer support to empower people to overcome even the greatest challenges.
In this crisis, everyone needs peer support.
You can use the tools on this website to learn how to provide peer support on a one-on-one basis. Just go to the Section labelled “One-on-one Listening Turns” on the drop-down menu headed “Peer Support Model.”
In these troubling times, everyone also needs to be in a peer support group. Members of every vulnerable group listed above especially need to be in a support group with others facing similar challenges. Again, just go to the Section labelled “Support Groups” on the drop-down menu headed “Peer Support Model.”
Peer support can empower us all to take steps small and large to fight back against these threats. There are hundreds of organizations already taking action. What they need is more volunteers. All you have to do is focus your Listening Turns or Support Group on Activism. At the beginning of each of your turns in a Listening Turn, just ask each other: “What is your next step in taking action to end this threat?” Later, you can ask each other, “What gets in the way of your taking this action?” In a special support group for activists, you can simply ask each person in a Support Group the same questions.
Please contact us if you want to know about peer support groups near you or online.
Please contact us if you want help setting up a support group.
Peer support can lead us to a more egalitarian, healthy and effective society. We will discuss that in the future in our Overview section of the Peer Support Model.
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