About the workshop:

Many of us with lived experience influence change, yet we might not feel connected to the terms 'leader' or 'leadership'. We want to create a space where people with lived experience who are using it for change can come together and figure out what leadership and influencing change means to us.

Lived experience is gaining momentum rapidly in the mental health and social sectors, and upskilling lived experience change makers is essential for the longevity of our community, workforce, and sector. Join us as we create a space to reflect on who we want to be as change makers, how we want to show up, and where we want to lead change.

Who this workshop is for:

This intermediate workshop is for anyone that is actively using their lived expertise for change, whether it's through connecting with your communities, sitting on governance groups or in designated roles.

We will be operating on an assumed knowledge basis and attendees need to have prior knowledge of lived experience values, lived expertise and lived experience leadership. There will also be prior reading to complete before attending the workshop, provided via email, upon registering for a workshop ticket that will act as a refresher on these topics.

At LELAN we define lived experience as having been through mental health issues and/or distress, social issues, or injustice that is so significant we have to have to reimagine and redefine ourselves, our place in the world, and our future plans [Louise Byrne & Til Wykes, 2020]. We also define lived expertise as the process of applying what has been learned through a person’s lived experience to inform and transform systems, services and individual outcomes for those impacted by mental distress, social issues or injustice [Louise Byrne & Til Wykes, 2020].

Themes covered:

What do we mean by influencing change and leadership?
Myths, misconceptions and co-opting of lived experience leaderships terminology
ALEL (Activating Lived Experience Leadership)
Connecting our skills with purpose and passion
Essential values, boundaries, and supports

Structure of the day:

This is an 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/They), Peer Project Worker.

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

*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.