Lived experience, solidarity & social change

This lived experience workshop will provide you with practical tools and approaches to thinking about power, allyship and participation of people with first-hand experience in your social change work. 

The lived experience workshop will draw on lessons from SMK’s two year Power Project inquiry, and our new guide, It’s All About Power. ‘Lived Experience’ has become a buzz word in the social sector. The Power Project took on the challenge of asking what it really looks like to work together with people who have direct experience of social injustice and inequality, in active solidarity to drive social change.

We think understanding power can help set us off on this journey, to shift the way we all think, work and campaign. This will help civil society to become far more than the sum of its parts – and unleash our power to create change.   

Three things you will do in this workshop: 

• Explore the power dynamics at play in the social change sector, and in their work 
• Develop an understanding of how and why those with direct lived experience should be central to any campaign 
• Explore how to create space for people with lived experience of an issue to be central to campaigns 

Read more about SMK’s approach to solidarity in social change in this blog https://smk.org.uk/the-true-cost-of-solidarity/ 

Please note that this workshop has participatory elements. If you are unable to participate for any reason or in a specific manner (e.g. speaking, camera on, chat function, breakout rooms, etc.), please put that in the “Accessibility Requirements” section during checkout, and remind your facilitator at the beginning of the session.

If you would like to speak to someone further, please email megan.poyiadzis@smk.org.uk

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)