By Liz McQueen, Art Journal Project Lead
As the lead of the Art Journal Project, I’ve witnessed numerous moments of transformation, but nothing quite captures the spirit of our work like the journey of our Peer Mentors. National Volunteer Week 2025 offers a perfect moment to reflect on this unique form of volunteering that has become the cornerstone of our creative community.
On April 26th, we launched our 2025 projects at The Bridge in Dumfries. Over fifty individuals arrived needing welcome and support – a logistical challenge that would have overwhelmed our team alone. The peer mentors stepped up, managing application forms, distributing materials, providing directions, and offering tea and cake with kind words and warm smiles. More importantly, they understood that many participants arrived feeling extremely nervous, unsure of what to expect and often experiencing social anxiety when walking into a room of strangers. Peer Mentors provided gentle reassurance and created a calming presence that helped ease those first-day nerves. Similarly, as we transition to Zoom sessions, some participants feel intimidated by the online space – peer mentors step in to start conversations, offer positive feedback, and provide the encouragement needed to help everyone feel comfortable and included.
Peer Mentors aren’t typical volunteers – they’re previous participants who intimately understand the journey of new participants. During workshop sessions and in our private Facebook group, Peer Mentors do more than support – they actively shape our project’s community. Beyond the Art Journal Project, there are further opportunities available to them to explore their personal ambitions, assisting in workshops across DG Creative Wellbeing programs and Art in Healthcare Midpark sessions for patients and staff. One has returned as a guest artist tutor on Art Journal Project 2025 and another has been appointed Treasurer to the OutPost Arts board of trustees, demonstrating how these opportunities help Peer Mentors grow and develop, enriching what they can contribute back to our expanding community of projects.
The Unique Strength of Our Approach
What makes our peer mentor programme special is its self-sustaining nature. Our volunteers emerge directly from previous project cohorts, with each group becoming the support system for the next. Some dedicated peer mentors have remained with us since the pilot project. The community grows stronger with each iteration. Participants become more than project graduates – they form its fundamental foundation. Their lived experience becomes the most valuable resource for newcomers, creating a deeply authentic form of support grounded in shared journeys.
What unifies all our peer mentors is their deep desire to give back to a community they’ve helped shape. Peer Mentors feel part of something meaningful – something that has rewarded their investment of creativity and support – and they want others to experience that same transformation. Such shared motivation creates an authentic cycle of giving that strengthens with each new cohort.
This approach demonstrates how creative programmes can build resilient, self-supporting communities. Peer Mentors prove that the most meaningful guidance comes from those who have walked the same path, creating waves of support that ripple far beyond our initial project.
Volunteer Spotlight
Art Journal Project felt like such a community. I think because it was a group of such lovely, likeminded people… I just didn’t want to leave. It was just absolutely the right thing for me at the right time, I couldn’t have asked for a better thing – I had been searching for something to do for so long, wondering how do I move forward, and it came along at the right time, so I didn’t want to leave. So, anything I could do to stay a part of the loop, I was like “Yes please!”
I guess I wanted to give back. I had benefitted so much from the AJP programme, so if I could support that in any way then I wanted to do that because it has meant a lot to me – I wouldn’t be where I am now without it. I had tried a lot of other stuff before and not made any progress, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity and everything that came along with it. Going along to anything Outpost Arts has done feels like a treat, getting to be creative with other people. And they’re always lovely groups of people.
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