Pro-Social Peer Moderator Program for Schools

Pro-social Peer Moderator Program is a unique platform for students to learn application based life-skills through the medium of interactive workshops. Conceptualized as a peer education initiative, participants of the workshop are trained to become peer trainers for classmates and junior students in their respective schools.

Fortis Escorts Hospital, Jaipur launched the program in 2013. Thereafter, in last 3 years, one modules was organized every year on Gender Sensitization, Study and Exam Skills and Risk Behaviour Management. On 14th July 2016, 4th Module on ‘Media Literacy’ was conducted for 97 participants including 77 students and 20 teachers & counsellors from 19 schools.

The program commenced with lamp lightening depicting the expansion of information and learning to others on practical ways of inculcating the safe media practices among young population. 

Mr. Roopesh Mathur, Head, Sales & Marketing, Fortis Escorts Hospital, Jaipur welcomed the participants in the workshop.  He reiterated the objective of the module for imparting skills and strategies to differentiate between reliable sources of information & critical viewing safe media practices. Mr. Prateem Tamboli, Zonal Director, emphasized that students have crucial role to bring about a change in the society. He also shared the importance of ABCD in each one’s life, i.e. Accuracy, Benevolence, Cheerfulness and Determination which gives individuals happiness & success.

Dr. Samir Parikh-Director and Ms. Divya Jain-Head, Psychological Services, Dept. of Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare Ltd conducted the session on Media Literacy. 

The interactive session focused on impact of social media, importance of media literacy, message interpretation, purposes of media messages & deconstructing media messages etc.  To make the learning interesting and impactful, various activities were played throughout the workshop including News headline construction where students were encouraged to make a good headline on the given situation through which perception of the readers were explained. Students also enacted few advertisement while the messages and interpretations of audience was discussed.

Dr. Arun Chahar, Consultant Psychiatrist; Ms. Nidhi Srivastava, Clinical Psychologist, Fortis Escorts Hospital Jaipur and Ms. Kamna Chibbar, Head, Psychology, Dept. of Mental Health & Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Healthcare Ltd supported the program.

At the conclusion, the participants were encouraged to share their action plan for implementing peer education module in the schools.  Each school was provided the CD on the Media Literacy to organize similar kind of workshop in their respective schools, in which the Psychology team would also join for further support. 

The schools were also given information leaflet on National level Psychology Quiz & Poster on Self & Concentration skills by Dept of Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences.
The event witnessed participation from renowned schools including Mayo College Girls- Ajmer, S R Global, Maharaja Sawai Mansingh Vidyalaya, St. Angela Sophia Sr. Sec, D.A.V Sr. Sec, Delhi Public School, Rukmani Birla Modern High, Jaipuria Vidyalaya, St. Xavier’s-Nevta, Maharani Gayati Devi Girls, Brightland Girl’s Sr. Sec, Mahaveer Public, Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh, Subodh Public, Calrox Public, Seedlings International Academy, , Seedlings Public, Edify World and Dolphin High School.