Organisational Development
Mind regularly consults with people with lived experience – both nationally and locally – to help develop long-term strategy and services, projects, and campaigns.
When Mind began working on its current strategy, it was important for people with lived experience of a mental problem to influence it. We wanted our plans to reflect the true needs of people with lived experience. A strategy advisory panel of 12 people with lived experience from England and Wales worked with us to shape our strategic plans. You can take a detailed look at our strategy plans and shape them. You can read more about the panel here.
Tom's video
Tom is an Information Officer at Mind. In his film, he discusses how people with lived experience of a mental health problem influence the development of Mind's information resources.
"It can be useful for both sides if you put in place an agreement or terms of reference at the very beginning to pre-empt a variety of issues. Ideally, you should ask everyone involved in the process to sign or acknowledge an agreement and its terms and conditions; you can refer back to it at any point, should things become challenging."
At Mind, we encourage people with lived experience to become Trustees of the organisation. There are seats on the Board reserved especially for them, ensuring lived experience guides us at the highest and most strategic level. Sarah Rae, a Mind member and Trustee, has written about her experience of sitting on Mind's Board. You can read about her experiences here.
To find out more about Mind membership, please visit our membership page.
"People who use services are involved in governance, as Trustees and on sub-committees… they change things alongside us. They tell us what works and what doesn't."
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