The Refugee Council’s Head of Refugee Involvement Yusuf Ciftci invites participation in a conference to explore lived experience leadership, collaboration and employment support in refugee voluntary sector.

Effective collaboration and leadership are essential as the refugee and migrant charity sector continues to evolve, placing emphasis on lived experience. As initiatives and pathways for lived experience leadership emerge, a collective effort is needed to ensure insight and knowledge is shared and implemented effectively across the sector for a more inclusive and impactful future.

According to the People, Power and Priorities report (2023), 80% of surveyed NGOs in the refugee and migrant sector involve lived experience in their design and delivery, indicating a positive trend.

While individual lived experience groups contribute significantly to raising awareness, influencing policy and designing services, we should not lose focus on the ongoing questions that are at the forefront of our thinking of how we involve lived expertise in our work. This includes (but is hardly limited to) how we define lived experience, how we address barriers of power and how we provide practical and tailored support for lived experience leadership.

80% of surveyed NGOs in the refugee and migrant sector involve lived experience in their design and delivery, indicating a positive trend.

How can we create equitable pathways for lived experience leadership in our sector? There are examples of great initiatives, including the Experts by Experience Employment initiative that looks at equitable recruitment practices, Equity Catalyst that creates a space to foster connections, spark conversations, and drive change in the leadership development landscape, and the Lived Experience Career Development Project [PDF] that looks at how we support staff and volunteers with lived experience in their career progression.

We still need to truly understand and test what individuals with lived experience can do to use and act upon their lived experience in their leadership journey. How do we bring together knowledge and insights from these initiatives to make the best impact? How do we provide tailored, effective wellbeing support for people with lived experience to avoid overworking, blurred boundaries, re-traumatisation and survivors’ guilt?

How do we bring together knowledge and insights from these initiatives to make the best impact?

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful collaboration. Lived experience groups should leverage various platforms and technologies to facilitate open dialogues, information sharing, and joint initiatives.

Platforms like the Refugee Action Good Practice Slack channel, the Lived Experience Forum and One Strong Voice exemplify how enhanced communication help break down silos, enabling a more unified front in addressing common issues faced by lived experience experts.

To delve deeper into these issues, an upcoming conference on 25 April 2024 aims to bring together diverse lived experience groups, charities, and stakeholders. This conference will serve as an opportunity to share insights, foster collaboration and address the challenges and opportunities in centering lived experiences in the work of refugee and migrant charities. ■

Be sure to reserve your spot at the conference on 25 April 2024 in London. For more information, please email Fernanda Nauana.

This conference is co-designed by Kolbassia Haoussou from Freedom from Torture, Marchu Belete from Migration Exchange, Mohamed Omar from Refugee Action and Yusuf Ciftci from the Refugee Council.