We regularly feature blogs by Sarah Taragon, Stephen Woollett and the team at Clarity CIC, as well as philanthropy adviser and author, Emma Beeston of the Emma Beeston Consultancy.
This Friday’s blog is by Sarah and considers the important role lived experience plays in understanding and responding to society’s needs. If you have any thoughts or comments about Sarah’s article, we’d love to hear them. Please email any comments to info@grin.coop and we’ll pass them on to Sarah.
“Lived Experience”
“We work with a lot of organisations, where the founder(s) have set up their CIC (or charity) based on their own personal experience and gaps they found in the support available.
“We’ve recently completed an external evaluation for one such organisation, who were completely blown away by the feedback from their clients and partner organisations. The feedback was really clear that one of the main reasons why the support works so well is that the founder and the staff all have lived experience themselves, so they ‘get it’. Their service and the way they do things therefore works for their clients – the staff really understand what the challenges are, and how to make sure that the activities and services they deliver will work for their clients.
“This is a repeated theme. And it’s something that can’t really be learnt. Consultation is great, and staff or volunteers with years of experience are beyond valuable. But when it comes down to it, the only way of really understanding something is to have lived through it (either directly, or in close proximity).
“We’d suggest that all organisations really think about this – how can you make sure that at all levels within your organisation (Board, staff, volunteers) you have people who really understand what it’s like to be in your client’s place. How can you make sure their voices have influence in decision making and designing projects, activities and services and in the day-to-day decisions? How can you make sure that you have more people with lived experience involved in your organisation?
2We work with a lot of organisations, where the founder(s) have set up their CIC (or charity) based on their own personal experience and gaps they found in the support available.
“We’ve recently completed an external evaluation for one such organisation, who were completely blown away by the feedback from their clients and partner organisations. The feedback was really clear that one of the main reasons why the support works so well is that the founder and the staff all have lived experience themselves, so they ‘get it’. Their service and the way they do things therefore works for their clients – the staff really understand what the challenges are, and how to make sure that the activities and services they deliver will work for their clients.
“This is a repeated theme. And it’s something that can’t really be learnt. Consultation is great, and staff or volunteers with years of experience are beyond valuable. But when it comes down to it, the only way of really understanding something is to have lived through it (either directly, or in close proximity).
“We’d suggest that all organisations really think about this – how can you make sure that at all levels within your organisation (Board, staff, volunteers) you have people who really understand what it’s like to be in your client’s place?
How can you make sure their voices have influence in decision making and designing projects, activities and services and in the day-to-day decisions?
How can you make sure that you have more people with lived experience involved in your organisation?”
Clarity CIC enables social purpose organisations, including community groups, charities and social enterprises to be effective, sustainable and well-run. It helps organisations solve everyday problems, build their own capability, think and act strategically and demonstrate the value of their work. Formed in 2014, Clarity CIC has now helped over one hundred organisations across the South West. Clarity have also worked with local authorities and other public bodies to build their relationships with the social purpose sector.