Every Story Counts- An Introduction to Working with People with Lived Experience – Exploring participation, engagement, and co-production.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you” -Maya Angelou

It seems that everyone is talking about ‘Lived Experience’ these days. But what does it really mean and how is it relevant in the workplace?

This session will introduce the concept of lived experience, its importance and how it can be an integral force for good in the workplace.

We will look at areas where people with lived experience of mental ill-health, distress and trauma are leading in policy, research, activism and more, and together we can identify the challenges

Why should you attend? Because it’s our collective history -the idea that people with Lived Experience can help others and push for change in the mental health system and society is nothing new.

From the acts of resistance in early asylums to the radical ex-patient/survivor groups of the 70s – activism, peer support and community organising are some of the key threads woven throughout our history.

“What do I know? Within my role as Head of Prisons and Coproduction for national charity, Women in Prison, I have 20 years’ experience in supporting marginalised groups to amplify their voices. And it was my own lived experience of addiction, trauma and the criminal justice system that brought me to the work I do. It is important to consider how we can support those for whom the path is marginalised based on their own lived experience.”- Kate Fraser, Facilitator