Objective: Students gain a strong emotional support network, beyond what teachers or family members can provide, through peer advising.

Teacher Takeaways: a) There are times when students might prefer to confide in peers rather than adults. Peer advisory provides students opportunity to talk with older, more experienced peers who want them to succeed, rather than a same-aged peer who might not always provide productive advice. b) Older students, as the advisors, also benefit as they develop empathy, responsibility, and the importance of helping others. c) Schools and after-school programs can create advisory groups of students across multiple grade levels or peer partner programs. d) Consider objectives when grouping students. Take age, gender, ethnicity, family background, extra-curricular interests, academic achievement into consideration. Typically, some diversity is helpful for students to become more aware of their broader environment. Students with similar backgrounds, however, might find they more readily develop relationships given their common life experiences. e) Formal peer advising programs require significant commitment from adults to maintain its success on an ongoing basis. There are formal training programs, including Center for Supportive Schools.