We are pleased to share our annual update to PAN’s Peer Employment Resource Database by adding resources from online searches, Pubmed, and Google scholar. They were picked for their relevance to identifying the importance of paid work for people with lived and living experiences and steps to make this happen. The resources offer both theoretical and practical insights into effective practices, policies, and principles for peer engagement and employment within community-based organizations (CBOs). The search terms used to identify these resources were a combination of people with lived and living experiences + employment, peers + honorarium-based work, and people living with HIV + employment etc.
First released in 2024, the primary aim of the database is to serve as a resource for leaders and practitioners at CBOs, researchers, policymakers, and students deeply involved in or interested in the various aspects of peer engagement and the contextual evidence within the contexts of HIV, hepatitis C, and drug use. Resources seen as most relevant for use in BC include a summary, key findings, and outline practical implications for its implementation, as well as provide a link to the source material. We hope this database not only provides concise and credible information but also provokes further conversation, and the development of inclusive practices and policies.
In case you missed it, at the same time, PAN created the Embedding Peer-Delivered Services in CBOs resource, using the database work, which outlines steps for incorporating the lived and living experiences into operations, and programs and services. For policymakers and funders in health and human services, it conveys the importance of supporting initiatives that prioritize engagement of people with lived/living experience and resources to address their unique needs, and delves into the principles, practices and policies of this work.
Read more about both resources here.