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Innovative actions and or enterprises that support Lived Experience Leadership.
Mary O’Hagan has been appointed as the first Victorian Executive Director of Lived Experience to help build Victoria’s new mental health and wellbeing system, ensuring those with experience of the mental health system are at the centre of its reform. The appointment delivers on a key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System to employ people with lived experience in leadership positions within the Department.
The new role will work to ensure that mental health and alcohol and other drug services meet the needs of consumers and carers by integrating their expertise in the development of policies and programs.
This is a UK membership organisation and a network of community groups and people who have experience of mental distress, ill-health and trauma who come together to create, challenge, and campaign. As a user-led organisation, all staff members and Trustees have lived experience.
Following recommendations from the November 2017 Stepped Care Workshop, in June 2018, the Department offered a contract for services with Brisbane North PHN to chair and project manage the newly formed National PHN Mental Health Lived Experience Engagement Network (MHLEEN). Due to its work, the Network received a commitment from the Department for a further three years.
In 2020-2021, MHLEEN undertook to develop an independent advisory group of lived experience leaders who were nominated by their PHNs because they worked with their local PHNs on co-design activities. The first step involved providing capacity building opportunities through sponsorship at two international conferences that were held virtually due to COVID-19.
The Global Mental Health Peer Network is the first global organisation dedicated to empowering the voices of persons with lived experience.
Since the GMHPN's establishment in 2018, the focus of its work has involved the building of a sustainable structure to serve two main purposes: 1) to develop a global leadership of lived experience; and 2) to create a sophisticated communication platform where the lived experience community can share their views, opinions, perceptions and experiences. As an international organisation for and run by persons with lived experience holds a wealth of expertise and power in diversity among its lived experience representatives.
The focus of the BEING Leadership Academy is to deliver consumer-led, progressive and inclusive education. Through a collaborative approach to adult education, BEING Leadership Academy aims to engage with learners, share knowledge and open opportunities, while fostering positive relationships within our diverse community.
BEING – Mental Health Consumers has recently partnered with the Nottingham Recovery College, UK, to co-design and co-produce courses aligned with our values of inclusivity and which are informed by recovery-oriented and trauma-informed practices.
Courses and workshops will be delivered in-person and online, facilitated by experienced and skilled Peer Educators.
BEING Leadership Academy has three key education streams – Speak Up, Peer Up and Lead Up – each comprised of a number of short courses and workshops.
The National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum and the National Primary Health Network Mental Health Lived Experience Engagement Network acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters on which we work and live on across Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
“A lived experience recognises the effects of ongoing negative historical impacts and or specific events on the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It encompasses the cultural, spiritual, physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of the individual, family or community.
“People with lived or living experience of suicide are those who have experienced suicidal thoughts, survived a suicide attempt, cared for someone through a suicidal crisis, been bereaved by suicide or having a loved one who has died by suicide, acknowledging that this experience is significantly different and takes into consideration Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples ways of understanding social and emotional wellbeing.” - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lived Experience Centre
We welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to this site and invite them to provide any feedback or items for inclusion.
We also recognise people with lived and living experience of mental ill-health and recovery and the experience of people who are carers, families, kin, or supporters.