Here's how you can foster out-of-the-box thinking and creative solutions through peer support.

Be one yourself & be an inspiration to others with your ideas through social interaction & regular catch up. Not taking personal feeling when being shut down..be more thick skinned.

In my experience the best way to promote open communication is first through personal actions. I will share my ideas so you feel safe to share yours. Next is collaboration. How can your ideas support my ideas and how can we meet in the middle to make true change. Last is implementation. What can we do together to put our ideas into actions. This comes from all sides. we all have different experiences that’s what makes peer support great! How can we use ALL experiences and strengths to gain a better understanding to support each others ideas and make it happen!

Sharing stories of wins and challenges helps nurture safety in teams - knowing others have also had challenges. While we know challenges are a part of the human experience, not talking about it creates a wall of pretence that can impact creativity and trust. As leaders, sharing your own challenges alongside wins, will help encourage team members to do the same. The more we share, the more ideas we come up with because we continue to learn from one another. Sharing is the beginning of creative thinking.

Diversity is more than race, religion, sexual orientation and disability. Including people from various age groups, parents, etc. also brings in new ways of thinking. The combination of the difference life experiences and skills each team member brings, can tap into creativity beyond our imagination.

The best way to have a diverse team is to promote a safe space! It is so her to feel seen and heard when your ideas are not taken into account. People are just people. When you open your mind up to accept people as they come without judgement you begin to have an ability to just see ideas. When we put our ideas together. Change is possible. I work to meet people where they are at in. All areas of my life!

Personally, I like to reflect on the things I find most difficult to accept. Understanding why it's challenging can help me unlock new ways of thinking and choose at least ONE thing from someone else's idea that I liked, helps me stay open and maintain a growth mindset.

I believe that if someone has an idea and is brave enough to share it this always needs to be encouraged. As a peer I always felt smaller because of a not widely accepted background. It took me years to really understand that I am valuable and I have good ideas. Once I came to this understanding my life began to move in a direction of sharing experiences to promote change! When someone today has an idea. I always ask them to reflect on it. What would it take to put this I’d was into action? My goal is to help others reflect on if this idea is going to be sustainable and how. I ask the person to write it down. Look at it from all angles. What are the possible problems with this idea and what are the solutions for those problems.

I believe that if someone has an idea and is brave enough to share it this always needs to be encouraged. As a peer I always felt smaller because of a not widely accepted background. It took me years to really understand that I am valuable and I have good ideas. Once I came to this understanding my life began to move in a direction of sharing experiences to promote change! When someone today has an idea. I always ask them to reflect on it. What would it take to put this I’d was into action? My goal is to help others reflect on if this idea is going to be sustainable and how. I ask the person to write it down. Look at it from all angles. What are the possible problems with this idea and what are the solutions for those problems.