A middle-school transition program led by peer mentors

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Where Everybody belongs (WEB) is a year-long, middle-school transition program developed by the Boomerang Project, a US based company. Recognizing that school transitions can be stressful and overwhelming for many students, the Boomerang Project focuses on peer mentorship as a success factor in helping students navigate these transitions. The goal of the WEB program is to provide a positive first-year experience for incoming students, in the hope that providing a structure for student-student connections can facilitate student success, increase school safety and reduce bullying incidences.

In the WEB program, 8th grade students receive training to become mentors who guide and support 6th/7th grade students through the challenges of transitioning to middle school, and to identify and report bullying behavior. The program also provides a structure for connecting these ‘WEB leaders’ to all incoming 6th graders throughout the school year, through orientation, classroom visits, social events, and leader-initiated individual meetings.

Student leadership training is delivered by in-house facilitators, who are required to attend a three- day basic training workshop. WEB has been implemented in over 1600 schools, primarily in the US and Canada. Some program schools have reported reduction in absences, bullying, and disciplinary referrals.

The Boomerang Project also has a high school transition program, Link Crew.