CAJ president Brent Jolly announced the start of a pilot project called Canadian News Industry Peer Support (CNIPS) project and is inviting applications for an initial 20 experienced news professionals to act as ‘colleagues helping colleagues,’

“We are eager to recruit peer supporters who represent the diverse roles, responsibilities, and lived experiences from across all sectors of the news industry,” Jolly said. “Peer supporters should be open-minded, active listeners, and willing to volunteer their time to help make a difference in the lives of their colleagues.”

The idea is to create a network of experienced journalists/news professionals available for confidential chats and advice, to help guide colleagues who may be struggling toward appropriate solutions and professional resources.

“Canadian journalists are experiencing unprecedented levels of pressure in their service of the public’s right to know, whether it’s because of online harassment, deadline pressures, vicarious trauma,” Jolly said. “The peer support program will be a forum where we will be able to freely talk, share experiences, learn, and heal.”

Founding sponsors of CNIPS include the Globe and Mail, CBC, Unifor, the Canadian Press, Canadian Media Guild, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication, and the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma.

“The pressures and demands journalists face are often hard for those outside the industry to understand. We hope a peer support network – that importantly includes freelancers – will prove to be a valuable resource for those working in Canadian media,” said Melissa Stasiuk, Head of Newsroom Development at the Globe and Mail.

The program’s implementation will be supported by an expert advisory panel.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED/ ELIGIBILITY: 
Candidates will be asked to volunteer one or two hours per month, and meet the following criteria:

• Demonstrate empathy
• Enjoy helping others
• Be willing to hold confidential colleague chats once or twice a month
• Work in Canada’s news industry (minimum two years)
• Be willing to complete online training with other peer supporters

In exchange for volunteering, peer supporters will be welcomed into a national community network and be given professional training and support on how to listen and best guide news professionals struggling with stress, burnout and mental health issues.

Peer supporters are not expected to be counsellors, but rather colleagues with listening skills and resources to share with colleagues in need.