About the workshop:

Lived experience continues to gain momentum as organisations and communities are becoming more included to listen, learn from and walk alongside different communities. Getting involved can be empowering, whether in the areas of advocacy, participating in co-design, sitting on boards or grassroots activism in the community.

Who is this workshop for?

This workshop is for anyone who identifies as having lived experience of mental health issues and/or distress, social issues and injustice and wants to influence change in mental health, social services, or disability sectors. The content is introductory, and created for people new to using or wanting to learn to use their lived experience in leadership and policy spaces.

We strongly recommend that people who are unfamiliar with the Lived Experience movement and terminology to have attended our 'Leadership and Advocacy' foundations workshops prior to this event.

Themes covered:

The following themes will be explored:

Basics of using theory and policy when creating messages in advocacy
Overview of mental health systems, theory and human rights
Communication strategies

Structure of the day:

This is half-day face to face facilitated workshop that will include presentation of information by the facilitator(s), group discussions, and reflective exercises in smaller groups. The knowledge, skills and diverse experiences of participants will be drawn on to create an environment of dialogue, shared learning and community.

Workshop facilitator:

The lead facilitator for this workshop will be Emrys Temple-Heald (He/Him/They), Peer Project Worker.

You can learn more about the LELAN team at www.lelan.org.au/our-people.

How this session fits within the broader LEDGE Project:

What is LEDGE? It stands for Lived Experience Development, Governance and Education Project. It is a large project that is focused on increasing skills, knowledge, confidence and the overall capacity of the Lived Experience Community in South Australia.

This half-day workshop is a shortened and adapted version part of the entire LEDGE training suite so that it can be delivered in a shorter workshop format. Participants can still access and enrol in the online modules here if they want to consolidate their knowledge, refresh or explore further areas a bit deeper.

More information about the Lived Experience Development, Governance & Education (LEDGE) Project that this workshop is a component of can be accessed here.

*If you have not registered for the 'Sharing Stories Safely' online module, or have not completed this previously with LELAN, we encourage you to do so.

The 'Sharing Stories Safely' content will encourage reflection on how we manage our own needs and boundaries but will also explore strategies for caring for others when sharing our stories. This will provide a foundation to work from leading into the workshop days. For more information or to register for this online please click here.