Australian of the Year and advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse, Grace Tame, recently said “history, lived experience, the whole truth, unedited, unsanitised, is our greatest learning resource. It is what informs social and structural change.”
The value of and critical need for lived experience participation and perspectives to inform the work we do in the community services industry has been acknowledged with increasing urgency in recent years. We cannot effectively support Tasmanian communities in the absence of their knowledge, expertise, values and needs.
But how do we engage communities’ lived experiences in ways that are ethical, impactful and just? Join the Tasmanian Council of Social Service and the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council (ATDC) Tasmania, where we unpack this quandary which is facing many organisations.
About the Facilitators:
The Policy Conversation unfolds between two professionals who facilitate organisational engagement with two lived experience advocates who share their lived experiences to drive organisational change. This dialogue shines a light on what exactly is needed to support organisations and lived experience advocates to engage in ways which are ethical, impactful and just.
- Dr Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, Stakeholder Engagement & Policy Officer, TasCOSS
- Greg Taylor, Lived Experience Participation Officer, ATDC Tasmania
- Kerrie Dare, TasCollab Community Voice Partner and ATDC Tasmania Lived Experience Advocate
- Nic McBride, Engender Equality Advocate for Change
