[WORKSHOP FULL-DAY]: Starting Out: Advocacy, Leadership, & Policy

About the workshop:

Lived experience continues to gain momentum as organisations and communities are becoming more inclined 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 this workshop is 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 policy, leadership, or advocacy spaces. 

Attendees need to have foundational knowledge of what lived experience and lived expertise are, as the workshop is based on prior knowledge of the lived experience movement. 

Themes covered:

• Looking at different types, levels and lens’ of advocacy and representation.

• Introduction to co-design and co-production.

• Importance of community, allies and sharing resources. 

• Ways to identify and share power.

• 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 a full-day interactive facilitated workshop that will include presentation of information by the facilitator(s), large and small group discussions and reflective exercises. 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), Peer Project Worker. 

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

If you have not registered for LELANs '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 and provide foundational knowledge about lived experience. For more information or to register for this online please click here.