Throughout the pilot, 37 participants formed seven groups, each consisting of 4-6 peers. The program took place from January to May 2023, with groups meeting at least eight times. Four groups decided to continue their meetings beyond the official conclusion of the pilot, and one of these groups wishes to continue indefinitely.
It is worth mentioning that our first pilot also saw some groups extending their meetings beyond the official program duration, and one group has continued indefinitely. Their feedback was not included in the data collection for the second pilot to prevent the success stories from the first pilot from skewing the findings of the second pilot.
Throughout the second pilot, participants were asked to provide feedback through online surveys, and one-on-one interviews were conducted with the facilitators of each of the peer support groups.
Here are the key findings from the post-pilot survey, reflecting feedback from 27 participants:
- Supportive Relationships: 78% of participants reported that their groups formed supportive relationships that were personally beneficial to them.
- Self-Discovery: 78% of participants stated that they learned important things about themselves, including their strengths and challenges, from their group experience.
- Learning from Others: 78% found value in listening to how others in the group approached their issues and challenges, learning from their experiences.
- Support and Advice: 78% received valuable support and/or advice related to specific challenges they faced during the months of group meetings.
- Practical Insights: 44% gained practical insights about the business or professional aspects of their spiritual leadership.
- Broadened Perspectives: 78% appreciated hearing perspectives from spiritual leaders in other lineages and backgrounds.
- Value of Peer Support: 81% developed a greater appreciation for the value of peer support for spiritual teachers and leaders in general.
- Future Interest: 81% expressed interest in participating in a similar peer support group in the future.
Here are three of those points, reflected as charts – the rest are in the attached pdf file.
These results underscore the significant impact of the ASI Peer Support Program Pilot 2 and the positive influence it had on our community members. It is also evident from our findings that matching the right peers and providing training and support for group facilitators significantly contributed to the success of these groups.
Each group had the autonomy to explore professional-related themes or create a space for personal vulnerability and honesty. It’s interesting and exciting to note that receiving personal support was valued more highly and more frequently than learning business skills from each other.
We extend our gratitude to all who contributed to the success of this program, including our team of volunteers who established a supportive online platform, offered training, and monitored ongoing participant needs. We look forward to further enhancing and expanding our peer support initiative for the ASI community.
If the PDF document does not display correctly in your browser, please click here to open a copy in a new tab.
