Lived Experience Engagement
What is Lived Experience?
Lived Experience (LEx) means learning from your own life, background, and personal story. This kind of knowledge comes from what you have been through—not from school or work. People with lived experience are often affected by systems like child welfare, mental health care, or schools.
Tools and Tips for Starting an Advisory Group:
- Review action steps for starting a Lived Experience (LEx) advisory council to create better services for the community.
- Check to see if the agency is ready to make sure staff and future group members are prepared.
- Have leadership buy-in to make sure the voices of people with lived experience (LEx) come first.
- Create clear roles and tasks to help people with lived experience take part in a meaningful way.
- Set fair pay for people with lived experience and have clear payment processes.
- Find ways to keep people engaged and involved.
- Create feedback loops to help build trust.
Member Recruitment, Onboarding, and Development
Reflecting
The Team Building Reflection Tool can be an important way to help create meaningful teams.
Visioning
Knowing how to write a group’s mission, vision, and values plays an important role in guiding the group’s direction.
Core Competencies Training for Advisory Group Members and Staff
Learning together helps staff and people with lived experience (LEx) work better as a team and stay involved. It also helps everyone grow both personally and in their jobs. Each training topic is a starting point that teams can change to fit what they need.
Core Training Skills for Staff
- How to Lead an Effective Advisory Meetings
- Important Ways to Keep People Engaged and Involved
- What is Co-Design
- LEx Readiness Checklist
- Asking Others to Share
- What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)
- Team Building Reflection Tool
- Cultural Responsiveness Checklist
- LEx Leadership Opportunities Assessment
- Trauma-Informed Agency Self-Assessment
