9th Annual Celebration | Thursday, October 19th, 2023
The idea of a ‘national day’ for peer supporters began to take shape at the 2014 Annual International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS) conference in Atlanta, Georgia. This day of celebration, recognition, and reflection began when, the then National Director of Peer Support Services with the Veteran’s Administration, Dan O’Brien-Mazza discussed his idea at a membership meeting. His idea sparked much enthusiasm from other iNAPS members.
We now have Global Peer Support Celebration Day (GPSCD), an annual celebration of peer supporters, peer support, and recognizing their work in helping their peers with mental health, addictions, and or trauma-related challenges move along the continuum of recovery and inclusion into communities of his/her choosing. This annual, worldwide event takes place annually on the third Thursday in October.
Download a Copy of the Global Peer Support Celebration Day Toolkit Here
ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT: The Global Peer Support Celebration Day (GPSCD) committee members developed this toolkit to assist peer supporters in crafting, creating, and developing a unique and personal event in his/her country, state, region, or city; however, peer supporters are welcome to develop his/her own materials. The information and examples contained in this Toolkit can be mixed and matched or customized to fit the look, feel, and needs of peer supporters, organizations, and the like.
THIS TOOLKIT CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: Information about press releases and proclamations; a list of US and US Territory proclamation websites, information, and how to request a proclamation; examples of a proclamation and press release; an example of a Request for a Proclamation letter and a ‘thank you letter; and, a flyer and ‘Save-the Date’ message.
Download the Global Peer Support Celebration Day Logo
We’re excited to launch a new logo just in time for the 9th Annual Peer Support Celebration Day! This logo elevates the art of the previous logo with a fun, modern, and responsive design and format. The logo is available for download as a PNG, PDF, and SVG. You can also download a ZIP file with all three formats.
Join Us for Our 9th Annual Celebration
On October 19th, the National Association of Peer Supporters is pleased to invite you to join us in celebrating the 9th Annual Global Peer Support Celebration Day! Since the humble beginnings of GPSCD in 2014, N.A.P.S. continues to lead the charge of the celebration in the Unites States. humble beginnings in 2014, N.A.P.S. continues to be a leader in advancing our work as peer supporters.
2023 Global Peer Support Celebration Day Personal Reflection Workbook
In anticipation of the 9th annual GPSCD, N.A.P.S. in partnership with The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery, created a personal reflection workbook for peer supporters to use to reflect, celebrate, and recognize the strengths and accomplishments of this past year.
Global Peer Support Proclamation
Whereas: Global Peer Supporter Celebration Day (GPSCD) occurs annually on the third Thursday in October peer workers (also known as peer providers) from across the globe reflect on and celebrate the important role he/she plays in helping those with mental health, addiction, and or traumatic challenges move along the continuum of recovery and inclusion into communities of his/her choosing; and
Whereas: Peer Supporters are trained providers who use his/her lived experience to encourage, engage with, and support others with mental health, addiction, and or trauma challenges, using the recovery model and the principals and values of peer support to provide hope, support, and be a role model of recovery; and
Whereas: The belief that recovery is possible for all who experience mental health, addiction, and or traumatic challenges is fundamental to the practice of peer support. Peer Supporters use the working definition of recovery, the Guiding Principals of Recovery, and Core Values to empower and assist their peers live a life of his or her choosing, improving the likelihood of long-term recovery; and
Whereas: Peer support is an emerging best-practice, has proven to be a cost-effective treatment for mental health, addiction, and traumatic challenges, reduces inpatient hospital days, recidivism rates, and increases a patient’s (also referred to as consumers) ability to access expensive and more restrictive community-based services; and
Whereas: This year’s Global Peer Support Celebration Day goal is to increase public awareness of peer supporters, the services they provide (or do not provide), how they are impacting the lives of countless adults, children, adolescents, and families within the health and human services industry, and how they are providing a shining example of recovery in the places where these services are delivered.