wiki_ghostguild/content/wiki/internal-guides--peer-support-manual.md

title	collection	path	parentDocument	outlineId	createdBy
Peer Support Manual	Internal Guides	Internal Guides/Peer Support Manual	null	f608e07f-476f-48fc-9efa-e081e6fc6e04	Jennie R.F.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Baby Ghosts Peer Support! Please take some time to read through this manual, as our peer support program—like our Cooperative Foundations program—is pretty unique.

What does it mean to be a Peer Support?

As facilitators and supports for program participants, we don't consider ourselves experts; rather, we consider ourselves peers! (It's right in the name.) It's ok if you don't know all there is to know about running a coop or creating worker-centric operating models. We are all figuring this stuff out together, and this manual is a starting point.

We strive to centre and prioritize people who are socially and structurally marginalized in the game industry, and that includes as Peer Supports. We hope the opportunity to support the development of new studios is enriching for you, too, and our program coordinators (eileen and jennie) are here to provide guidance and an ear when you need it.

Baby Ghosts' Values and Principles

In everything we do, we lead with our values. Baby Ghosts is a member organization with collective values we expect to be lived and shared with all members of our community.

!Values

Cooperative Foundations Program Principles

In addition to our organizational values, we embrace the following principles when delivering our Cooperative Foundations program.

• We are anticapitalist, and reject standard industry practices that exploit workers and prioritize profit over wellbeing
• Our focus is on researching, creating, and supporting cooperative and worker-centric studio models in our program and beyond
• We prioritize marginalized individuals, especially IBPoC, in both Peer Support and studio selection
• We are transparent about existing power imbalances in our organization and the wider industry. We are putting in place specific strategies to mitigate the negative effects of these dynamics, such as:
  • Creating opportunities for underrepresented folks to take on decision-making positions on our board, as Peer Supports and jurists
  • To the best of our ability, insulating and supporting our studios, board members, and Peer Supports from the online harassment that can take place in this industry
  • Adapting the program as we go to make it as supportive as possible
  • Focusing on sustainability over growth

Acknowledging Our Context

We acknowledge our current status as a predominantly white space and are committed to changing this! You can help by:

• Addressing this reality and its implications
  • Being clear and upfront about this context with program participants
  • Explaining the limits of the program and what topics peer support is able to address
• Naming issues as they arise so they can be further discussed and addressed
• Working on strategies to mitigate harmful power dynamics with us during check-in meetings
• Actively working to centre marginalized voices, especially IBPOC
  • Checking in to give space to others who may not have talked as much
  • Bolstering participants and encouraging them to take opportunities to present their work

Cooperative Foundations Program

The Cooperative Foundations program doesn't teach game development. Studios that take part in our program are already capable of developing their games and are seeking cooperative studio development support. Here's what we focus on in our mentorship:

• Actionable values
• Decision-making and prioritization
• Collaboration and process development
• Co-op studio structures and value flow
• Governance and policy development
• Collective decision-making
• Team and project management
• Studio story development
• Solidarity strategies
• Work/life balance

Additional benefits of the program include:

• A safe and open place to talk about what games mean to us
• A structured environment for creative expression and collaboration
• Opportunities for peer learning and support
• Access to a broader community for game design and studio development support
• Resources and networking with past participants, educators, academics, industry supports, and funders

Teams are all working on developing a cooperative, worker-centric studio. Studio sizes have ranged from 2 to 15 people, although we tend to lean towards smaller studios (2-7). They come from across Canada, and a majority of each team identifies as marginalized or underrepresented in the industry.

Part of the Peer Support role includes helping us decide on our participating studios.

Program Structure

• Duration: 2 months
• Cohort size: 5 teams (selected through an application process)
• Components:
  • Weekly curriculum presentations
  • Weekly peer support meetings
  • Social activities and networking events

#Detailed Schedule

Program Goals

• Create collaborative connections between new folks and experienced developers/founders for mutual learning and support
• Offer funded time to build solid studio foundations
• Support participants in becoming makers, mentors, collaborators, and friends
• Contribute to systemic industry transformation that prioritizes workers, inclusion, and autonomy

Worker-Centric Approaches

We believe that cooperative and worker-centric development environments are fundamental to the ethical creation of games.

When we say worker-centric, we mean placing the wellbeing, rights, and needs of game workers at the centre of game development. This means:

• Living wages and profit-sharing that reflect the value of labour
• Transparent salaries
• Rejection of "crunch" practices and unpaid overtime
• Encouragement of work-life balance
• Authentic effort to hire and support marginalized people
• Accessible workspaces (both physical and digital)
• Regular anti-racism/anti-oppression and equity training
• Zero-tolerance for harassment and abuse
• Open and anonymous communication channels for reporting issues
• Mental health support and resources
• Flat or horizontal organizational structures
• Collective decision-making processes on major project directions
• Workers have a say in the types of projects that are taken on
• Regular synchronous meetings with the full team for transparency and input
• Exploration of cooperative ownership models
• Credit and recognition for individual contributions
• Protection of workers' intellectual property rights
• Remote work options
• Flexible hours
• Support for workers with caregiving responsibilities

Detailed Schedule

We've made some changes and the program now runs two months instead of six. Here are the activities:

• Weekly group sessions (1 hour)
  • You will lead one of the workshop
• Weekly one-on-one check-ins with your assigned studio (1 hour)
  • Support them in exploring their 'pain points' and identifying what areas they need to work on
  • Facilitate them in exploring the topics raised in the weekly group sessions
  • Guide them through articulating their values
• Networking/social events (1 hour every two weeks)
• Weekly/bi-weekly peer support check-in with the peer support support person (15-30 mins)
  • Discuss areas the one-on-one check-ins and where studios may need additional support
  • Debrief about the peer support process and any concerns

Estimated Time Commitment

The following is an estimate of the time involved in each part of the role, so you know what to expect. Your contract is for a flat fee for the full program, not tied to exact hours logged. We ask that you track your time to help us refine these estimates and to help you notice early if the workload feels off. If you're consistently going over, let us know so we can adjust together.

Activity	Hours	Description
Peer Support Pre-Planning/Training Meetings	3	For pre-planning meetings, we are asking each person to come to 1 interview training, 1 overall planning meeting, and 1 workshop planning meeting.
Mentor workshop prep	2	For preparing your workshop outside of the above meetings.
Applicant interviews	3	We are only asking peer supports to come to the second stage interviews. We are budgeting for 2 interviews per mentor.
Deciding on applicants (1.5 hr meeting)	2	1.5hr meeting. Extra time for brief applicant review.
Mentor-team meetings	8	1 hour meeting each week.
Mentor-led workshops (8 total)	10	Attending workshops/kickoff & wrap-up including your own.
Mentor debriefing as needed (1/week)	4	Peer support peer support meetings. 15 - 30 mins a week.
Extra time for activities	3
Extra time on Slack working with peers	5
Total hours per peer support	40
Rate	$ 50.00
Total Compensation	$2,000.00

Peer Support Program

Selection Process

Peer Supporters are selected through an application and interview process that is extended to members of our community, including past program participants. It is not an open call at this time.

Onboarding

Peer Supporters are selected and onboarded about two months ahead of the Cooperative Foundations start date. During those two months, you will participate in regular planning meetings to update our curriculum, learn the material, brainstorm strategies, and get to know the rest of the group.

Please familiarize yourself with our curriculum and learning resources. Know that we are will be adapting this curriculum before the program together.

Self-Care and Boundaries

🫂 Ensure you have your own supports in place outside of the program. Engage in regular self-reflection and do your best to take care of your own well-being!

🌱 You are a Peer Support, not a therapist. Sometimes conversations with studios can be a little intense or emotional. You can facilitate some of that space, but you are not expected to be a professional. It is acceptable and important to say "this is outside of what I am able to facilitate." Ask your program coordinators if you need help setting those boundaries.

⏰ Be clear about your time commitments with the program coordinators and the participants! If your capacity changes or you're feeling overloaded, let us know! Keep track of your hours and make sure you're not doing more than required.

❌ Don't overextend! Maybe you've made a great connection with a studio and have some extra time to support them in Slack. That's okay, but make sure you're checking in with yourself and your own time commitments. You are not expected to be there for studios 24/7.

👻 Don't hesitate to reach out to eileen and jennie (the program coordinators) if you need support.

Matching

During the application review process, we will also discuss studios that each Peer Support is most interested in working with. Peer Supports will list their top three choices and we will do our best to match each person with one of their top choices.

As a Peer Support, you will work primarily with one studio throughout the program, although this doesn't mean you can't call on other Peer Supports' expertise at times. For example, if another one of the Peer Supports is an expert in pitch deck review and you're an expert in project management, you can ask if they'd be willing to swap studios for a week.

Mismatches

If you're having trouble working with your studio and it feels like there is a mismatch, contact the peer coordinators. We will work with you to resolve the tension, or get you paired with another studio if necessary.

Building Trust

Even with our framing of Peer Supports as peers to our studio members, it is important to acknowledge the implicit power dynamic between those seen in other contexts as mentors/teachers and learners. To build mutually respectful relationships with these studio members:

• Be aware of your own positionality and biases
• Communicate clearly about your needs and capacity
• Participate in networking events to connect with participants early in the program
• Actively work to centre marginalized voices within the program
• Encourage and facilitate participant-led discussions and initiatives
• Be open and willing to share your own experiences, including failures
• Show that you value the unique perspectives and experiences of each participant
• Create a judgment-free space

Creating Accessible and Inclusive Sessions

It's important that we work to make our sessions accessible to all participants. Here are some practices to incorporate:

Scheduling and Calendar Management

Ensure every peer‑support meeting is scheduled at least two weeks in advance, with invitations pushed both to the shared "Peer Support" Google Calendar and the cohort channel. Avoid last-minute calendar invites as this is exclusionary and inconvenient.

Note "no meeting" periods, such as the between-stages break and holidays. Ask for members to check in via Slack once a week or so when live sessions are paused.

If you are overwhelmed by calendar notifications, please check in with the coordinators for support wrangling and filtering them to what is essential for you!

Attendance and Responsiveness

Everyone should have RSVPd to calendar events by at least 48 hours prior to a meeting. Poke anyone who has not responded by then. If not all studio members are available, ask if rescheduling is needed (the majority of members should be present for ALL Peer Support meetings).

Set an expectation that your studio should be checking the Slack channel at least twice weekly. If your studio goes silent for over a week, you may need to DM them or request support from the program coordinators.

Before Sessions

• Send materials in advance when possible
• Provide multiple ways to engage (verbal, written, anonymous)
• Be clear about recording policies and obtain consent:
  • Notify the group if you will be recording the session
  • Explain how and where recordings will be shared
  • Offer to pause recording for sensitive contributions
  • Detail how transcripts will be handled (including privacy considerations)

During Sessions

• Offer regular check-ins with participants' bodies and energy levels
• Provide multiple ways to contribute thoughts – including verbal, chat, or asynchronous (especially for slower processors)
• Acknowledge when topics might be activating or triggering, taking into account members' location within the industry
• Schedule breaks and encourage participants to ask for breaks
• Validate different communication styles
• Explicitly welcome movement, stepping away, and self-care

After Sessions

• Provide ways for asynchronous contribution
• Follow up with resources
• The session note‑taker should post key action items and a link to the recording and Miro board in the studio channel promptly.
• Encourage a weekly "capacity" status update in Slack: a quick "👍 good" / "⚠️ limited" / "❌ unavailable" post - you can and should do this, too!

Creating Safety Without Hierarchy

Remember that creating safety doesn't mean imposing rigid structures or positioning yourself as an authority. Instead:

• Acknowledge your own subjectivity and limitations!
• Validate the wisdom participants bring!
• Be transparent about your role as a peer facilitator, not an expert!
• Create collective agreements rather than rules!

"You don't know more than the people you're working with. You just know different things." – Russ Christianson

Inclusive Language and Behaviour

A safe, stress-free and inclusive environment must be maintained at all times. Here's how you can do your part:

Respect Diverse Identities

• Do not make assumptions about identity, experiences, or pronouns. Always use a person's pronouns if they've been communicated, and ask for clarity if you're not sure.
• Allow participants space and time to disclose as much or as little information about their identity and background as they wish.
• Treat all participants with respect and assume they know more about what they are trying to create than you do.
• Do not use ableist language
• Let participants do their own work. If you're frustrated by a participant's learning speed, you're in the wrong place.

"Do"s and "Don't"s for Respectful Critique and Discussion

Instead of…	Try…
"This doesn't make sense."	Help articulate problems "Can you explain your thought process?"
"No."	"Have you tried..." "Yes, and…"
"That's not how you do it."	"Let's try to brainstorm how we can improve this together."
"This is just like [Idea X]."	"Check out these projects – they're doing something similar. What can we learn from them?"
"Do you have any questions?"	Encourage questions, and respond to them positively "What questions do you have?" "What an interesting question! I've wondered that myself."

Communication Guidelines

• Practice active listening
• Provide feedback with care
  • Honour where participants are and the decisions they've made so far
  • Offer support without trying to make decisions for the team
• Be clear about your availability and boundaries
  • Don't overextend yourself; if you need support, ask the program coordinators
  • It is your responsibility to communicate clearly about your capacity. If you feel unable to fulfill your roles and responsibilities, let program coordinators know as soon as you can. Zero judgment!
• Use inclusive language and respect participants' identities and pronouns

When engaging with participants on Gamma Space/Baby Ghosts Slack, please:

1. Default to communicating through the shared channel for the event or program.
2. Encourage participants to engage by responding to their posts.
3. Do not initiate private messages to participants without the explicit consent of the participant.
4. Follow our Code of Conduct – it applies to both in-person and online interactions.

[!NOTE] Understand that safety and boundaries mean different things to different people. Always ask if you're unsure.

Facilitation

As a Peer Support, you are not expected to be a teacher or to be all-knowing. You are here to help support and encourage participants as they navigate their own studio development journey.

Your role and responsibilities

We expect you to:

• Understand that as a Peer Support you are a collaborator rather than a teacher or instructor. Do away with hierarchical thinking!
• Contribute to curriculum development prior to the start of the program
• Participate in selecting the cohort from our applications
• Facilitate a workshop
• Participate in regular planning and check-in meetings during the program
• Participate in ongoing self-reflection and open discussion about power, privilege, and equity

Weekly sessions

The goals of the weekly one-on-one sessions with your assigned studio are:

• Guide members through the Why, What, How or Layers of Effect exercise to explore the weekly workshop topic in depth

How to run a session

Meeting Roles

Before each session, assign a facilitator (does not have to be a Peer Support!), a note-taker (to capture any decisions or action items), a tech lead (if recording – by consent of all present only!), and a timekeeper.

Session Content

Think of each session as a conversation. You are there as a peer.

During the program, your weekly sessions will be centred around a weekly set topic for the whole cohort based on the curriculum.

We highly suggest using the Why, What, How exercise on Miro to organize the group's thoughts. For example, Why are actionable values important to us? What can we do to implement our values? How will we do this? Another useful tool is Layers of Effect for supporting decision-making.

We recommend that Peer Supports encourage studios to reflect on the weekly topic in advance of the meeting.

• Start by checking in with each other for 5-10 minutes in a fun or casual way
• Ideally, you'll have your focus already, but take time to ask the studio what they are working on and where they need support
• Prepare as much as you can in advance, but be ready to adapt your approach based on the group's needs
• Encourage participation from everyone, helping quieter people speak up and moderating more dominant voices (program coordinators can also help with this)
• Leave time to check out at the end of the meeting

⏰ Stay on schedule! Do your best to stick to a 1-hour meeting. Sometimes, the real "meat" of an issue doesn't come up until near the end and needs a bit of extra time. Occasionally going overtime on your 1 hour peer support session is only okay if both sides agrees and are mindful/respectful of each other's time and labour.

😶 If you're stuck with a studio, a good place to return to is the Why, What, How exercise. You can also always stop a meeting a little early and reach out to program coordinators for advice on how to facilitate. We will provide you with resources and tools.

Conflict Resolution

• Approach conflicts through the lens of Loving Justice
• Familiarize yourself with Baby Ghosts' conflict resolution procedures
  • Recognize when to involve staff in addressing conflicts
• Don't hesitate to ask the program coordinators for support