Case study: Co-producing a lived experience event with Mind’s CEO
This was an opportunity for people with lived experience and Mind's CEO to meet in an informal space to talk about mental health.
The event was co-produced by people with lived experience. The group decided the format and content of the event and facilitated it on the day. They wrote the below case study to share their learning.
The group decided to focus the event on:
- Mind and the wider mental health landscape
- Mind's approach to lived experience involvement
Who was involved?
Four people with lived experience were recruited through an opportunity advertised in Mind’s Lived Experience newsletter. The group worked alongside a Mind influence and participation coach. A Mind staff member supported the group with administration tasks such as setting up meetings, taking and sending notes and organising payment. Several Mind staff members were recruited to offer technical assistance and wellbeing support on the day.
“We created a supportive framework that enabled people to focus on ideas and expression of opinion. There was continued support from Mind staff from start to finish. This support focused on the tech side and admin, which enabled planning group members to share their experiences and creativity.”
We received a large number of strong applications, and the successful applicants were chosen by the coach and another person with lived experience, who were both involved in the planning and delivery of a previous CEO event.
“The selection process was important. There was a short application form. People were not asked for a CV – they were asked only for information that was relevant to the event. Come as you are, we will support you, and your enthusiasm will get you through the door.”
“I found the lived experience CEO Event was a great success. I found the creative ecosystem cultivated by the team at Mind very stimulating. The other members of the planning team were highly talented and gifted in many ways. We were bound by our mutual lived experience, but I think I most took pleasure in our diversity. It was very engaging to work in a collective with such a great deal of creative energy. I found people had many ideas I would not have at first considered, and these served to strengthen the event. The diversity further heightened the range and depth of viewpoints. The team at Mind were always efficient and nurturing, providing a very positive, wise, and stable influence on the group, and giving space for the lived experience members to direct the formation of the event. I have emerged from the process with an even more positive perception of the value lived experience can have and having undergone significant personal growth.”
Suneel
How did the group work together?
- The group met online for 4 hour-long sessions to plan the event
- The group fed into agendas for each session beforehand via email
- A working together agreement was prepared in the first session
- Patrick, as the influence and participation coach, facilitated the sessions and a staff member took notes to send around to the group after
- Group members volunteered to work on various tasks in-between meetings to develop their ideas for the event such as writing communications to promote it, recording a video of a poem and feeding into an evaluation survey for the event
- Before the event the group met to hold a rehearsal to ensure everyone felt comfortable with their roles facilitating different sections of the event
- The group were paid for their involvement in line with Mind’s Lived Experience policy
“Mind offers generous and fair rates of payment to people who are involved in activities. This demonstrates a meaningful response to the principle of reciprocity – getting something back for putting something in”
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of the working group to plan and run this year's lived experience/CEO event. It's been a new experience for me working on something collaboratively like this in a short amount of time. I believe the event went well, not only in terms of participation numbers, but more so in the valuable quality and openness of participants to share their lived experience and emotions. I particularly felt this in the breakout room session I hosted - although it was a small group, participants’ contributions were so honest, open, and hugely valuable to our wider themes and discussions. It would be great to see more events and opportunities like this in the future.
On a personal note, I enjoyed working with a group of individuals equally passionate about this area of work.”
Member of the group
How did the event go?
- The online event was successfully delivered in March 2024. Around 30 people with lived experience participated, alongside Mind's CEO and other Mind staff
- The audience response was extremely positive, with 83% of participants rating the event as ‘excellent’ overall
- Sarah Hughes, Mind's CEO, expressed a commitment to having similar events on a regular basis in future, which will help to ensure that the voices of people with lived experience remain central to Mind’s work
What worked well?
- The event was co-produced from start to finish
- Lived experience planning group members were given the necessary space to plan the activity.
- The group was task-oriented
- There was diversity of perspectives and skills amongst group members
- Everyone was open-minded and respected other people’s ideas
- A safe environment was created where everyone felt comfortable to say what was on their mind
- We took a ‘yes’ approach, meaning that we accepted people’s ideas unless there was a compelling reason not to
- The Mind staff working with the group were efficient and supportive
What was challenging?
Although the experience was overwhelmingly positive for everyone involved, the following issues were raised in the debrief session:
- It was a challenge to accommodate the diversity of group members to begin with, but the group dynamic came together very quickly
- Time was in short supply, which was sometimes stressful. More time to plan would have been good
- Some group members experienced pressure associated with other professional and personal commitments
- Some group members were unable to make all of the planning meetings, although the group helped them to catch up
“The co-production experience I’ve gained through this process has been invaluable. the process felt inclusive; there was a large amount of diversity in experiences and identities within the group. Each of us in the group had equal power in terms of decision-making right from the beginning. We co-produced the event from start to finish, utilising last year’s event as inspiration and guidance where needed.
I felt truly valued for the experiences and skills I brought to the space when planning this event; my video editing skills were celebrated, and I felt good about the fact I had coordinated the recording of the videos amongst my peers. It allowed me to practice a range of different skills such as time management, organisation, communication, and assertiveness.
It was absolutely wonderful to have the opportunity to speak to the CEO of Mind and ask her questions directly. It challenged the power imbalance that exists within the organisation, because Sarah appeared to genuinely value the questions, reflections, and thoughts of the people in attendance at the event.
We were supported each step of the way – there was never any pressure to take on roles or tasks that we did not feel comfortable with. We were reassured about what our roles were during the event, and what the roles of Mind staff were. This meant I felt informed, empowered, and confident in the space I occupied during the event.”
Leah
What advice would you give to others who are thinking of planning an event like this?
- Truly embrace co-production – it’s vitally important to hear the viewpoints of people with lived experience, particularly people who have previously been marginalised
- Always follow the ‘yes’ approach and ask how we can do things together
- Demonstrate trust in people with lived experience – recognise people’s strengths, personalities and opinions, and capacity to deliver
- Make efforts to include people from different backgrounds, with different types of lived experience
- Ensure that everyone is involved on the basis of equality – everyone’s contribution is equally valuable and should be equally valued
- Maximise accessibility by creating an inclusive online safe space
- Keep communication channels open
- When advertising events, explore as many avenues as possible, with the aim of reaching more people to grow the pool of lived experience
- Avoid being city-centric or London-centric
- Set regular dates and times for planning meetings at the start of the process, to allow group members to better manage other commitments
- It is important to ensure continuity. We want people with lived experience to be centrally involved in all of Mind’s work, not just one-off events
“In many instances, I have not felt like myself and I continue to yearn for, crave, and create those communities where I can just be and discuss shared concerns and aspirations.
I decided to express an interest to join Mind’s planning group bringing individuals with lived experience to create a space for the wider community to discuss current issues around the mental health landscape. I knew Mind as a trusted organisation, active on the ground and offering quality services in the field of mental health.
When I got invited to join the planning group, I could not believe that the journey would be so rich in experiences. The meetings I attended exposed me not only to different experiences made throughout life but also to different lines of thinking about the theme. Of course, we found common ground to work together and discovered common hindrances that hold us back from speaking up and taking action.
The way I experienced being in the planning group created a culture where everyone’s views and knowledge were valued, paid attention to and contributed to a collective body of knowledge to delve into for the benefit of the meeting objectives. This was highly productive, humane, and appreciative, leading to a positive experience for all, in my view.
Support was extraordinary, including flexibility in arranging meetings at convenient times and about accessibility with circulated agenda documents in multiple formats well in advance of the meetings.
I can see the positive impact of participating in myself – exposure to a highly stimulating group and a higher self-confidence to discuss, peer reflect and brainstorm. I believe more in myself, and I am inclined to express interest in joining other initiatives in the field of mental health. I see a brighter future and I hope that more people with lived experience will see the relevance of joining such spaces and make a difference, ideally finding a community that lifts their spirits and broadens their horizons.
In the great words of Audre Lorde, “Without community, there is no liberation.”
Chris
