Description: A visual resource was created with Lizzie Lines, demonstrating the learning journey of working with and supporting employees with lived experience.
See the visual resource here.
This project aims to shine a light on the strengths that lived experience employees can bring to organisations. For small to medium organisations working across the charity sector, higher rates of lived experience employees can result in higher resource for organisations keen to recruit and develop employees ethically and within their values. 24 organisations came together on a learning journey to share, knowledge and resources with the aim of sharing this learning with the sector.
The resource was co-created as a result of working in partnership with Place Matters, Lizzie Lines and a number of organisations involved in the ‘Peer Learning Journey’ and the ‘Funder Convening Event’ after Anne-Marie Douglas (Founder and CEO of Peer Power Youth) approached Peer Power Youth’s Grant Manager from funder, Esmée Fairbairn. Together they developed a plan through generous support from Esmee Fairbairn’s ‘grants plus’ support to convene a group of similar sized cross-charity sector organisations to learn from each other.
“I found the support, solidarity and shared understanding across sectors facing similar challenges and experiences the most valuable.“ – Peer Learning Group participant
It is the culmination of a series of ‘Peer Learning Journey’ sessions that were facilitated by Emily and her team at Place Matters, and the learning from a funder convening event held in Autumn 2024.
Overall, we hope to spark discussion amongst funders and charity leaders and raise awareness of the needs and strengths of organisations with lived experience employees. In it, is a call to action for funders to consider ethical funding practice for smaller organisations with higher levels of lived experience employees.
“My lightbulb moment in the learning journey was that we can all have both lived and living experiences from our personal lives that can impact us in our changemaking workplaces, and this points to a need for less ‘othering’ and more ‘intentional and empathic inclusion’ to meet a range of needs in the workplace.” – Anne-Marie Douglas
We hope that the resource encourages increased knowledge and improved recruitment and retention of employees with lived experience. As well as an increased funding and peer support for well-being and professional development of employees with lived experience. The resource will serve as a call to action for funders and charity leaders to share knowledge and skills, dismantle workplace barriers, protect the health and well-being of our communities and contribute to a more inclusive sector.
Moreover, we’re exploring launching a community of practice co-designed by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and the Peer Learning Group, for those who are interested in taking this learning forward together.
Thank you to Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Place Matters, Lizzie Lines and all the organisations involved in the Peer Learning Journey.
“This is a project close to my heart and I’m so grateful to Catherine Hillis from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Emily Sun at Place Matters for listening and responding and helping us to create this learning journey, which aims to improve working practices for employees with lived experience linked to the organisations they work for. I couldn’t have wished for a better cohort of organisations to work alongside to co-create this resource and progress this work and hope that it contributes to funding and employment practices evolving and improvement in the future. Thank you to Lizzie Lines for pulling all the learning together in this brilliant resource.” – Anne-Marie Douglas
About Peer Power Youth
Peer Power Youth is a national charity supporting young people aged 13-25, who have dealt with childhood trauma. They have been affected by abuse, exclusion or violence impacting their communities, and have experience in health, youth justice and care services.
The young people that we work with have described themselves as being ‘abandoned by society’. Despite their circumstances, we see their power and potential. We do vital work to support these young people in their journey and improve the youth justice and care services they were once in for the benefit of other young peers. That’s why we focus on both individual change and system change.
Our Individual change work – We offer young people support in training, education, professional experience and promote positive wellbeing.
Our System change work – We work with young people to create real change for others in health, justice and social services.
Keep up with the latest on empathy, co-production and youth-led system change.
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