Sharing the knowledge

Published 14 October 2026

Words by Kevin

A schoolboy stands on the edge of a boisterous group. He feels vulnerable. He does not want to be seen. He wants to be left alone. He would like to fit in.

A man stands at the edge of a conference stage. He will speak to a busy room. He feels vulnerable but wants to be heard. He will stand on his own but is not alone.

My work at Changing Minds gives me opportunity to be seen and heard. Mostly I prefer to hide, but having a stage and voice is a privilege. The strength to stand up comes from others and the knowledge we share.

I regularly feel the difference in these experiences. As a schoolboy, I was alone with others and felt done to—it was me against them. As a speaker I feel the knowledge in the room. I know people will have different experiences, different training and different meaning. I will doubt myself—always. It is me and them. As a participant of the Lived Experience Movement, I gain strength from a shared commitment to learn and to give back. I have a sense of community. It is Us.

With a sense of others’ strength, willingness to learn, and motivation to right wrongs, I can stand and face my vulnerability and, I hope, represent what I know from listening to others. We all do this in some way. This is a power of Lived Experience.

The strength to stand up comes from others and the knowledge we share.

I see my role and Changing Minds’ work as an enabler for Lived Experience to be seen, heard, and understood. This means building trust through identity, values, and behaviour that are recognisable to Lived Experience. Changing Minds is a Lived Experience-led community organisation who is defined by what we do with experiences, not what experiences we have.

Changing Minds tries to create and open pathways for people to participate. This is our shared stage, all of us talking together, and participation can be national, regional, or local. Our voice may be heard by many or few, we may talk to power or to friends, we may make change or we may be taking a first step. Whatever our stage, whoever the audience, whatever your voice, it is powerful as part of a collective—and, as part of a collective, we can gain agency as individuals. By sharing with others, we can be active and have great impact.

Being an active part of a collective requires that we recognise different interests and experiences and consider all groups as equal in our action towards common goals. We must take the opportunity to learn from each other to understand different perspectives, to challenge our own behaviours and beliefs, to reduce anxiety and strengthen cooperation. With common goals, shared power, and deeper understanding, we can work together to impact decision makers and evidence the collective credibility of Lived Experience.

A Lived Experience collective reaches far and wide and we all have a part to play. We have people finding their self-determination and discovering agency. We have advocates, innovators, and leaders within communities who support others or champion a cause to make a difference. We have people who make their workplace more accepting, safer, and supportive. We have a growing Lived Experience workforce helping to deliver better services and building a better system. All these roles must connect to build a collective and to have impact.

Changing Minds is a Lived Experience-led community organisation who is defined by what we do with experiences, not what experiences we have.

And so, we stand on our stage and can feel strong because we talk with the voice and knowledge that others have shared. We take this with us wherever we are. For Changing Minds, this could be with Government Ministers, government agencies, service funders and providers, organisations, networks, and community groups. It could be my time to speak, or it might be yours. The collective approach, and Changing Minds, should enable us all.

You may feel this as belonging. You may experience this as community. You will have your own language and perspective. You may want to be at the front or standing at the edge of the crowd. Maybe you are loud or maybe you are quiet. Maybe you are confident in what you know or maybe you are speaking your sense of experiences out loud for the first time.  Whatever your circumstance, your participation gives you strength and gives strength to others.