**Thank you for your interest in becoming a Baby Ghosts Peer Support!** Please take some time to read through this manual, as our mentorship program—like our Peer Accelerator—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]] ### Peer Accelerator Program Principles In addition to our organizational values, we embrace the following principles when delivering our Peer Accelerator 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 ## Peer Accelerator Program The Peer Accelerator 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. 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: 6 months - Cohort size: 5-7 teams (selected through an application process) - Components: Topic presentations, peer support, social activities, networking events, and peer-led workshops #### Stage 1 - Weekly learning sessions (curriculum presentations) - Weekly meetings with assigned Peer Support - Weekly social or networking activity #### Stage 2 - Continued meetings with Peer Supporters - Participation in events - Leading workshops for peers [[#Detailed Schedule|More detailed schedule here]] ### Program Goals 1. Create a collaborative and enriching experience for participants 2. Establish new networks and resource access for community newcomers 3. Transfer knowledge from experienced creators to new members 4. Provide a safe space for creative exploration and skill development 5. Offer *funded* time to build solid foundations for each studio 6. Facilitate connections between participants and experienced community members 7. Expose established members to new perspectives and knowledge 8. Develop participants into makers, mentors, collaborators, and friends 9. Contribute to systemic change in the industry, prioritizing 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 The program runs for six months and is broken up into two stages. Here are the activities: #### Stage 1 (months 1-2) - Weekly group sessions (1 hour) - You will lead one or two of the six Stage 1 sessions - 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 - Monthly networking events (1 hour) - The studios will be paired with one another to talk about their challenges and successes - Monthly skill-sharing workshops (3 hours) - Optional for Peer Supports - Monthly peer support check-in with the program coordinators (1 hour) - Discuss areas the one-on-one check-ins and where studios may need additional support - Debrief about the peer support process and any concerns - Monthly 1:1 with program coordinators (30m) - Dedicated time to raise concerns or ask for support #### Stage 2 (months 3-6) - Weekly one-on-one check-ins with your assigned studio (1 hour) - Supporting teams with pitch development, project management, decision-making, and other pain-point areas - Monthly networking events and social activities (1 hour) - Peer supports can participate in the social activities - Monthly skill-sharing workshops (3 hours) - Monthly Peer Support check-in with the program coordinators (1 hour) - Monthly 1:1 with program coordinators (30m) # 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. ## 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. ## Onboarding Peer Supporters are selected and onboarded about two months ahead of the Peer Accelerator 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](https://learn.weirdghosts.ca/studio-development) and learning resources. ## 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. ## Your Role and Responsibilities We expect you to: - Understand that as a Peer Support, you are _not_ a teacher, leader, or instructor - Contribute to curriculum development and resource creation prior to the start of the program - Participate in selecting the participants from our applications - Provide guidance and support to assigned studios/participants - Facilitate 1-2 group discussions and workshops during Stage 1 - Participate in regular planning meetings during the program with other Peer Supports - Participate in ongoing self-reflection and open discussion about power, privilege, and equity ## 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 ## 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](https://publish.obsidian.md/baby-ghosts-corp-docs/Public/Policies/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. ### Weekly sessions The goals of the weekly sessions are: - To identify and discuss the studio's "pain points" - Guide members through the Why, What, How exercise to explore the weekly workshop topic - To support studios through specific challenges, such as studio structure, project management, governance, and internal communication - To support them on pitch development or their [results flow](https://learn.weirdghosts.ca/impact-tools/results-flow) - To direct them to other resources as necessary ### How to run a session Think of each session as a conversation. You are there as a *peer*. In the first stage of the program (months 1-2), your weekly sessions will be centred around a weekly set topic for the whole cohort. We 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? For the second stage, we recommend that Peer Supports encourage studios to identify a topic they would like to talk about in advance of their weekly meeting. That way, if you need some support on how to facilitate that conversation, we can help you prepare in advance. - 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, but make sure you are respecting everyone's schedules. 😶 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](https://publish.obsidian.md/baby-ghosts-corp-docs/Public/Policies/Loving+Justice) - Familiarize yourself with Baby Ghosts' [conflict resolution procedures](https://publish.obsidian.md/baby-ghosts-corp-docs/Public/Policies/Conflict+Resolution+Policy) - Recognize when to involve staff in addressing conflicts - Don't hesitate to ask the program coordinators for support