Friendship Squad (About)
The Friendship Squad Workshop at Alternatives 2021 Conference
The Friendship Squad (TFS)
“Friendship consists of a willing ear, an understanding heart, and a helping hand.”
– Frank Tyger, American Cartoonist and columnist
ISSUE: A significant number of individuals facing life challenges lack companionship and a sense of belonging within a community.
OBJECTIVE: The Friendship Squad endeavors to unite individuals with life challenges, particularly those who have encountered mental health, substance abuse, and/or criminal justice systems, by promoting peer-to-peer friendships that generate hope, trust, mutuality, stability, community involvement, and personal growth.
APPROACH: The Friendship Squad (TFS) complements conventional therapies by providing a supportive platform for individuals in recovery. Our attentive volunteers, screened and monitored, cultivate friendships with their peers by lending a compassionate ear, kind words, and regular communication. Participants are matched based on age, sexual identity, shared experiences, and interests and can communicate through phone, text, chat, Zoom, or email. While physical meetings are discouraged, friends may opt to meet in a safe public space in due course.
SUPERVISION: The project director regularly liaises with volunteers and their friends to ensure effective communication and satisfactory friendship development. In case of any conflicts, the project director assumes an impartial role and endeavours to resolve issues diplomatically.
VOLUNTEER POOL: TFS invites individuals who have the desire, empathy, and availability to participate as volunteers. Some may already be peer support workers or aspire to become one, while others simply seek to make new friends and contribute to their community. TFS offers valuable experiences for those seeking to develop peer support skills.