peer pathways

Registration is Open!

We are excited to announce that this year’s workforce development conference for Certified Peer Counselors, Peers, and Peer Allies will be held in Yakima at the Yakima Convention Center, August 21st and 22nd!

This Year's Theme:
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Past, Present, and Future of Peer Support
Stay tuned for more exciting speaker and workshop announcements!

9th Annual Peer Pathways Conference! August 21st and 22nd, 2024

Register here!

Hey Ambassadors of Hope! Do you have a  workshop proposals for this year's virtual Peer Pathways conference that fits our theme, Building Inclusive Communities? If so, please submit it no later than June 3rd. All presenters will have their conference registration fee waived!  Thank you for being part of our peer community and partnering with us to make this conference an incredible experience.

sponsored by
August 18–19, 2021
Dates
Virtual
Location
Price here
Early birds price

9th Annual Peer Pathways Conference!

This conference is funded by The Washington State Health Care Authority and hosted by The Rainbow Makers and Jones Community Solutions. We invite you to check back for important conference updates or follow us on social media here: The Rainbow Makers and Jones Community Solutions

Traveling to the conference and looking for accommodations within walking distance of the event center?
Take advantage of our discounted rates and make your reservation at one of the following hotels:

The Baymont Hotel: Phone: (509) 654-9168

The Holiday Inn: Phone: (509) 494-7000

La Quinta Inn and Suites: Phone: (509) 249-1000

When calling to make your reservation, mention that you would like to book as part of The Peer Pathways Conference block.
You may also be asked to reference The Rainbow Makers to ensure you receive the conference discount rate.

Click here to register now!

Register now

to Peer Into the Future at

Peer Pathways Conference

Registration Information

This years conference

Registration is $125 and limited scholarships are available, so we encourage you to speak with your agency before requesting a scholarship.

This years conference

As always, this year's conference will be filled with incredible keynotes, peer panels, performing artists, and fun prizes!

Come together to peer into the future and strengthen our movement & peer workforce.

We are excited to have 2 keynote panels of experts talking about the Past, Present, and Future of Peer Support

products

Seamlessly empower fully researched growth strategies and interoperable internal or “organic” sources.

Credibly innovate granular internal or “organic” sources whereas high standards in web-readiness.

Energistically scale future-proof core competence

Cindy willey award

Don’t forget to nominate a peer that you feel deserves the 2024 Cindy Willey Award for outstanding dedication, commitment, and support for the peers in Washington State! Nominations will close August 1, 2024.

Winner of the Cindy Willey Award will be announced at the conference!

2023 Cindy Willey was awarded to Stephanie Lane and Kyla Resch!

nominaTE SOMEONE HERE!
Peer-o award

The PEER-O Award is awarded to a Certified Peer Counselor for their outstanding work in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice

Winner  of the PEER-O Award will be annouced at the conference!

2023 PEER-O was awarded to Evelyn Clark!

Registration is Open!

Calling all Certified Peer Counselors, Peers, and Peer Allies to join us on August 21st and 22nd, 2024 for an incredible experience!  

Scholarships are Closed

Apply for a scholarship

Speakers & Artists

Faran Sohappy

Opener & Keynote Speaker
Hello, my name is Faran Sohappy and I’m an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and currently reside in Grand Coulee WA. I’m honored to have been asked to come and participate and put on a workshop at the 2024 Peer Pathways Conference on August 21st and 22nd 2024 in Yakima, WA. I’m also a 2x Nammy Nominee, back in 2019 I was part of a song called “Natures Walk” with Joan Hammel, Rebecca Rivera and Tim Brooks. We traveled to Niagara Falls New York to attend the event and once again in 2022 My 1st Album entitled “Not Looking Back” was nominated in 4 different categories and once again traveled back to Niagara Falls New York to attend the Native American Music Awards in person. Although we didn’t take any awards home being at the event was an honor to attend and in the near future I’ll be working on album #4. I also did enter the 2024 Native American Music Awards and in a few months I’ll find out if we make the finals. For me personally, I’ve struggled with PTSD, Alcoholism and various health issues over the years. During my workshop I’ll be talking about my past experiences and this will be a first as I don’t normally open up about it, I went through hard times where I even had to seek mental counseling. Many things to talk about. I hope to see you all there August 21st and 22nd at the Convention Center in Yakima WA.
Find me on social media

Yungchen Lhamo

Keynote Speaker
World-renowned, award-winning Tibetan singer Yungchen Lhamo is returning to Europe this summer and will be performing in Spain, Ireland, the UK, and Hungary. Her seventh album, ‘One Drop of Kindness’, was released last September by Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records and has recently been voted the Winner in the Asia &Pacific category in the Songlines Music Awards 2024.Yungchen’s name, given her by a lama when she was born in Lhasa, translates as ‘Goddess of Melody’, but she always wanted to be a nun, not a singer. In 1989 she made the dangerous, month-long 1,200-mile journey, on foot across the Himalayas, to Dharamsala in India to pursue her Buddhist practice. She later moved to Australia, where her first album, ‘Tibetan Prayer’, led to her being invited to sing at WOMADelaide in 1995. That year the album won Australia’s equivalent of a Grammy, the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album. After being signed by Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records label, Yungchen released three more albums: ‘Tibet, Tibet’, ‘Coming Home’, and ‘Ama’, which featured Annie Lennox on ‘Fade Away’ and Joy Askew on ‘Tara’. She toured more than 80 countries on all five continents, including such prestigious venuesas Carnegie Hall, New York; National Concert Hall, Dublin; Royal Albert Hall, London; The Louvre, Paris; International Performing Arts Centre, Moscow; The Vatican, Rome; Sori Arts Centre, Jeonju; Shinjuku Culture Centre, Tokyo; Sydney Opera House; and numerous WOMAD festivals and rock concerts. She hascollaborated with many well-known artists, including Natalie Merchant, AnnieLennox, Billy Corgan, Peter Rowan, and – for her fifth album ‘Tayatha’ – withRussian classical pianist Anton Batagov.In 2004, Yungchen established a charitable foundation to help Tibetans in needin Tibet, while today the One Drop of Kindness Foundation also supportsprojects in the USA, Nepal, India, and Liberia. Over the past ten years, Yungchenhas spent much of her time working with homeless and mentally ill people inUpstate New York, for whom she wrote the song ‘You Are Beautiful’ and a co-titleddrama that residents of a homeless shelter twice performed in public.In 2022, Yungchen released her long-awaited sixth album, ‘Awakening’, through SixDegrees Records, which featured Spain’s flamenco legend Carmen Linares on thetrack ’Loving Kindness’. ‘Awakening’ was voted #27 among the 100 Best Albums of2021-2022 on the Transglobal World Music Chart, as ranked by its global network ofworld music critics.Her latest and seventh album, ‘One Drop of Kindness’, was co-produced byYungchen with John Alevizakis at Little Buddha Studio in Nevada City, California,USA, and is available in digital, CD, and vinyl
Find me on social media

Meghan Hetfield

Keynote
Meghan is a national trainer/consultant and advocate for peer support and harm reduction with a commitment to treating humans with radical compassion and ending the racist war on drugs. As a peer, she has supported individuals to examine their relationship with wellness since 2012.
check out my website

LaRae Cantley

Keynote
LaRae is a social justice activist, community leader, facilitator, and relationship builder. LaRae enjoys artistic expression to uplift and encourage thought as a means of liberation and inspiration.
check me out on social media

Spencer Lajoye

Performing Artist
Spencer LaJoye is an award-winning folk/pop singer songwriter, violinist, and vocal loop artist in Boston, Massachusetts, who believes everyone is made of the good stuff. They make music to remember what it means to be human, to find connection in a time of disconnection, and to feel something in a world gone numb.
check out my website

Special Guest Speaker

Mary Lambert - SHE'S BACK!

Platinum Artist
Mary Lambert is not your typical multi-platinum artist. While studying Music Composition at Cornish College of the Arts, she found a home in the spoken word community of Seattle and began experimenting with infusing poetry into her music, performing frequently as a cellist, singer-songwriter, and poet.

Lambert had never released music and was juggling multiple food service jobs when she received a call from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to collaborate on their marriage equality anthem, “Same Love”. Writing and singing the hook to “Same Love” led to an MTV VMA win and two Grammy nominations: Song of The Year and Album of The Year, and culminated in the iconic 2014 Grammys performance, which featured a mass wedding officiated by Queen Latifah and Lambert’s unforgettable duet with Madonna.

After the viral success of releasing a standalone version of the song, “She Keeps Me Warm,” Lambert shortly signed to Capitol Records. She released "Welcome to the Age of My Body," an EP with a re-release of the Top 20 hit “She Keeps Me Warm” and “Body Love,” a spoken-word piece about body image. Later that year, she debuted her first pop song: a tongue-in-cheek single, “Secrets,” that went RIAA Gold and shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance charts, which was followed by her debut full-length album, "Heart on My Sleeve."

To add to her success, Mary received the Human Rights Campaign’s Visibility Award, The SAMHSA Special Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for her work on destigmatizing mental illness, and was invited to speak at the UN. She has performed on the Colbert Show, Ellen, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, and the American Music Awards.

Mary Lambert was successful in the eyes of the public, but below the surface, she was struggling with frequent panic attacks and suicidal thoughts. In 2015, she parted ways with formal management and Capitol Records. The desire was to reclaim her independence and to focus her attention on other aspects of her career: poetry, acting, composing, writing, and production. Lambert self-released the joyful indie-pop EP "Bold" and a self-recorded holiday EP, "Happy Holigays," under her own label, Tender Heart Records.

In 2018, Lambert signed a book deal with Macmillan to release a poetry collection centered around trauma and mental illness called "Shame is an Ocean I Swim Across," and she released her sophomore album, "Grief Creature," as a complementary work shortly thereafter. Written, produced, and arranged almost entirely by Lambert, the "breaking up with shame" album contains heart-rending adult-pop songs, intense spoken-word tracks, and slick collaborations with musician-friends Macklemore, Julien Baker, Maiah Manser, and Hollis. Lambert is currently working on a new book and album about body image; co-starring in the Netflix animated musical and series, "I ♥ Arlo and Arlo the Alligator Boy"; hosting "The Manic Episodes," a queer and mental health podcast with her spouse, Dr. Wyatt Paige Hermansen; and facilitates a virtual workshop on fat liberation and body image called "Everybody is a Babe." Lambert is also the film composer for "1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture," a documentary about the weaponization of the word "homosexual" in the Bible, which is currently shopping for distribution after a successful film festival run. "1946" won the Audience Award at Doc NYC and broke records for the most viewed film in Doc NYC history. She lives between Seattle and Western Massachusetts with her spouse and her two dogs, Turnip and Georgie.
Find me on social media

wednesday

  • Group discussion
    9AM
  • Workshop
    10AM–4PM
  • Dinner
    6PM
  • Group discussion
    7PM
  • Group discussion
    8PM

thursday

  • Group discussion
    9AM
  • Workshop
    10AM–4PM
  • Dinner
    6PM
  • Group discussion
    7PM
  • Group discussion
    8PM

Saturday

  • Group discussion
    9AM
  • Workshop
    10AM–4PM
  • Dinner
    6PM
  • Group discussion
    7PM
  • Group discussion
    8PM

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Come participate in 2 days of intimate discussions.,
interactive workshops, and lots of peer insights
for the 6th annual. Peer Pathways Conference

October 11–13, 2019
NOTTINGHAM

Victoria Embankment, Nottingham, NG2 5FB

What is the

Conferencos

Art Classes

& Camps?

We’ve held classes, camps, workshops, and private events out of our current studio for over ten years.

Our spacious classroom is stocked with everything that artists need to explore and learn. We also have a kiln for ceramics projects, and a backyard to enjoy during camps.
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2024 Conference Agenda

Opening

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Session 1

7:30 am
Networking and Breakfast

8:00 am
Main Ballroom Session

9:45 am
Break

10:00 am
Why We Got Here: History of the c/s/x Movement

Presenter: Ann Rider

10:00 am
Trans 101 for Peers: Trans Culture, Trans Stories, Trans Lives

Presenters: Andy Levitt and Mic Levitt

10:00 am
Recovery Beyond-Empowering Recovery Through Outdoor Community Engagement

Presenter: Angie Buggert

10:00 am
Destigmatizing Sexual Health in Recovery

Presenter: Tanya Moore

10:00 am
Unicorns Don’t Always Sparkle - Identifying and combating burnout and compassion fatigue (with a little dash of magic!)

Presenter: Amanda Polley & Kimberly Castle

10:00 am
Living on Purpose

Presenter: Faran Sohappy

10:00 am
Culture Around Grief

Presenter: Bev Young Reed

10:00 am
Beyond the Grid: Peer Work in Our Most Rural Communities

Presenter: John Bodkin & Allyssa Jomei

10:00 am
Identity-Building Support: Providing the Missing Link to Peer Success

Presenter: Jesse Giles

11:30 am
Break

11:45 am
Lunch

1:00 pm
Break

Keynote

No items found.

Session 2

1:15 pm
Honoring Diversity in Knowing Our Community Stories

Presenter: Cathan Tautfest

1:15 pm
A Laughter Yoga Workshop for Connection & Health

Presenter: Ruby Sparks

1:15 pm
Growing Your Mindset For Success as a Peer

Presenters: Raymond Gregson & Janine Chappell

1:15 pm
Taming Chaos: How to Build Peace of Mind into Your Operations Plan

Presenter: Phil Owen

1:15 pm
Authenticity Unleashed: Embracing the Future of Peer Support in Washington

Presenter: Thomas Jackson

1:15 pm
The Great Escape - How Peer Support Found its Way Back into Our Communities

Presenter: Joshua Smith

1:15 pm
Voice and Choice: Embedding Participant Voice in Continuous Quality Improvement

Presenters: Kimberly Castle, Jackie Velasco, and Amanda Polley

1:15 pm
Pursuing Happiness

Movie

1:15 pm
Finding Healing & Resilience Through Poetry & Art: An interactive workshop

Presenters: Marie Marchard, Meghan Hickerson, & Gillian Holsinger

2:45 pm
Break

3:15 pm
Past and Present Panel

6:00 pm
Bizarre and Open Mic

Closing Keynotes and Prizes

No items found.

Closing

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Opening

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Session 1

7:30 am
Networking and Breakfast

8:00 am
Future Panel

9:45 am
Break

10:00 am
What is MRSS?

Presenters: Vashti Langford, CeCe Byrd, Andee Martinez, and Liz Venuto

10:00 am
Ask Us Anything about Problem Gambling or Gaming

Presenters: Tana Russell & Kitty Martz & Roxane Waldron

10:00 am
Peer Support in 988 Follow Up Services

Presenter: Debi Cubel & Peter Quinn

10:00 am
The Power of Lived Experience in Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline

Presenters: Haley Lowe, Adam Haizlip, Joshua Smith

10:00 am
WA SPEAKS: Connecting Generations

Presenter: Abbey Wellemeyer

10:00 am
Filling Your Toolbox - Tools for Strong Boundaries, Empowerment, and Families

Presenter: Karen Kelly

10:00 am
Who We Need in Peer Support

Presenters: Karenjeet Dhaliwal, Evelyn Clark & Nikki Trujillo & Joshua Smith

10:00 am
Community Peer Support: Riders 4 Recovery

Presenters: Gus Labayen, Angie Buggert, & Naomi Herrera

10:00 am
WRAP: A Game Plan for Life

Presenters: Melody Parshall & Ray Gregson

11:30 am
Break

11:45 am
Lunch with a Performance

1:15 pm
Break

Keynote

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Session 2

1:30 pm
Breaking Down Barriers for Youth and Young Adult Peer Specialists

Presenters: CeCe Byrd, Jazmaine Wong, and Gabriel Hamilton

1:30 pm
Grieving is a Team Sport

Presenters: Cathan Tautfest and Lorrin Gehring

1:30 pm
Empowering Futures: Bridging the Gap for Incarcerated Individuals

Presenters: Amanda Polley, B Willis, & Stephanie Lane

1:30 pm
Peer Respites: Why They are Vital to the Future of Crisis Care

Presenter: Steve Miccio

1:30 pm
The Peer Perspective-A Vital Component in Crisis Outreach

Presenters: Jerome Finkley, Tinesha Harmon, & Austin Wiedmaier

1:30 pm
What's Trending? Using Social Media to Think Outside the Box when Providing Peer Support

Presenters: David Wells and Courtney Guthrie

1:30 pm
Self-Care Symphony: Harmonizing Holistic Well-Being for Peer Support Sustainability

Presenters: Day Leader, Cinnamon Girodengo, and Allyssa Jomei

1:30 pm
Recovery Housing-an Evidence Based Approach

Presenters: Jason Bliss and Ricky Mogul

1:30 pm
The Anonymous People

Movie

3:15 pm
Break

3:15 pm
Closing Ceremony

Award Ceremony and Closing Celebration

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Closing

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Registration Closed

Registration Information

This year's conference registration is $125 and limited scholarships are available, so we encourage you to speak with your agency before requesting a scholarship

Stay tuned for our 2024 Sponsors

Arise Health logoThe Paak logoEphicient logoOE logo
Sep 18 - 19

Schedule

7:30 am
Networking and Breakfast

8:00 am
Main Ballroom Session

9:45 am
Break

10:00 am
Why We Got Here: History of the c/s/x Movement

Presenter: Ann Rider

10:00 am
Trans 101 for Peers: Trans Culture, Trans Stories, Trans Lives

Presenters: Andy Levitt and Mic Levitt

10:00 am
Recovery Beyond-Empowering Recovery Through Outdoor Community Engagement

Presenter: Angie Buggert

10:00 am
Destigmatizing Sexual Health in Recovery

Presenter: Tanya Moore

10:00 am
Unicorns Don’t Always Sparkle - Identifying and combating burnout and compassion fatigue (with a little dash of magic!)

Presenter: Amanda Polley & Kimberly Castle

10:00 am
Living on Purpose

Presenter: Faran Sohappy

10:00 am
Culture Around Grief

Presenter: Bev Young Reed

10:00 am
Beyond the Grid: Peer Work in Our Most Rural Communities

Presenter: John Bodkin & Allyssa Jomei

10:00 am
Identity-Building Support: Providing the Missing Link to Peer Success

Presenter: Jesse Giles

11:30 am
Break

11:45 am
Lunch

1:00 pm
Break

1:15 pm
Honoring Diversity in Knowing Our Community Stories

Presenter: Cathan Tautfest

1:15 pm
A Laughter Yoga Workshop for Connection & Health

Presenter: Ruby Sparks

1:15 pm
Growing Your Mindset For Success as a Peer

Presenters: Raymond Gregson & Janine Chappell

1:15 pm
Taming Chaos: How to Build Peace of Mind into Your Operations Plan

Presenter: Phil Owen

1:15 pm
Authenticity Unleashed: Embracing the Future of Peer Support in Washington

Presenter: Thomas Jackson

1:15 pm
The Great Escape - How Peer Support Found its Way Back into Our Communities

Presenter: Joshua Smith

1:15 pm
Voice and Choice: Embedding Participant Voice in Continuous Quality Improvement

Presenters: Kimberly Castle, Jackie Velasco, and Amanda Polley

1:15 pm
Pursuing Happiness

Movie

1:15 pm
Finding Healing & Resilience Through Poetry & Art: An interactive workshop

Presenters: Marie Marchard, Meghan Hickerson, & Gillian Holsinger

2:45 pm
Break

3:15 pm
Past and Present Panel

6:00 pm
Bizarre and Open Mic

7:30 am
Networking and Breakfast

8:00 am
Future Panel

9:45 am
Break

10:00 am
What is MRSS?

Presenters: Vashti Langford, CeCe Byrd, Andee Martinez, and Liz Venuto

10:00 am
Ask Us Anything about Problem Gambling or Gaming

Presenters: Tana Russell & Kitty Martz & Roxane Waldron

10:00 am
Peer Support in 988 Follow Up Services

Presenter: Debi Cubel & Peter Quinn

10:00 am
The Power of Lived Experience in Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline

Presenters: Haley Lowe, Adam Haizlip, Joshua Smith

10:00 am
WA SPEAKS: Connecting Generations

Presenter: Abbey Wellemeyer

10:00 am
Filling Your Toolbox - Tools for Strong Boundaries, Empowerment, and Families

Presenter: Karen Kelly

10:00 am
Who We Need in Peer Support

Presenters: Karenjeet Dhaliwal, Evelyn Clark & Nikki Trujillo & Joshua Smith

10:00 am
Community Peer Support: Riders 4 Recovery

Presenters: Gus Labayen, Angie Buggert, & Naomi Herrera

10:00 am
WRAP: A Game Plan for Life

Presenters: Melody Parshall & Ray Gregson

11:30 am
Break

11:45 am
Lunch with a Performance

1:15 pm
Break

1:30 pm
Breaking Down Barriers for Youth and Young Adult Peer Specialists

Presenters: CeCe Byrd, Jazmaine Wong, and Gabriel Hamilton

1:30 pm
Grieving is a Team Sport

Presenters: Cathan Tautfest and Lorrin Gehring

1:30 pm
Empowering Futures: Bridging the Gap for Incarcerated Individuals

Presenters: Amanda Polley, B Willis, & Stephanie Lane

1:30 pm
Peer Respites: Why They are Vital to the Future of Crisis Care

Presenter: Steve Miccio

1:30 pm
The Peer Perspective-A Vital Component in Crisis Outreach

Presenters: Jerome Finkley, Tinesha Harmon, & Austin Wiedmaier

1:30 pm
What's Trending? Using Social Media to Think Outside the Box when Providing Peer Support

Presenters: David Wells and Courtney Guthrie

1:30 pm
Self-Care Symphony: Harmonizing Holistic Well-Being for Peer Support Sustainability

Presenters: Day Leader, Cinnamon Girodengo, and Allyssa Jomei

1:30 pm
Recovery Housing-an Evidence Based Approach

Presenters: Jason Bliss and Ricky Mogul

1:30 pm
The Anonymous People

Movie

3:15 pm
Break

3:15 pm
Closing Ceremony

Full Schedule
New Register now for the 2021 Peer Pathways Conference!