Stronger voice: power, participation and lived experience

*We are now oversubscribed for this session and have closed the booking system. If you would like to be added to a waiting list please email events@clinks.org*

This session will draw on lessons from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) Power Project inquiry, and the new guide, ‘It’s All About Power’, which launched in March 2022. The session will look and feel like a collaborative workshop, whilst also providing you with practical tools and approaches to thinking about power, allyship and participation of people with first-hand experience in your social change work.

‘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. 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. 

‘It’s All About Power’ is designed to start conversations that will create the conditions, within each organisation, for more equitable relationships to flourish with people who profoundly understand the consequences of inequality and its potential solutions. This training session is about putting those principles into practice.

Participants will:

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

This training is delivered by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

Who is this session for?

• Anyone working to create space within their organisations for people with direct experience of the social issues they tackle, whether you yourself have direct experience or not
• Anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the power dynamics that exist within civil society and how these affect the work done by campaigning organisations
• Any level of seniority, from those at the start of their careers to senior executives and board members of organisations.

About the trainer

The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) aims to support new and inexperienced campaigners, and to champion the right to campaign, offering experience and resources to bring the campaign community together. They support individuals, groups and communities to have the skills and confidence to speak up and take effective action on issues that matter to them.

Eligibility criteria

As Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales are funding this programme of work, we are asking for the following criteria to be met:

• These are open to any voluntary organisation working in the criminal justice system, though each event has a different capacity of attendee numbers to ensure the training is effective
• Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis, subject to eligibility and availability, though Clinks will reserve specific spaces for organisations working with people in contact with the criminal justice system that are led by and focussed on racially minoritised people
• Please only book one ticket per organisation as we expect there to be high demand for these events.

About Stronger voice

The Stronger voice training programme brings together experts across policy, campaigns and communications to support organisations of all sizes to influence decision makers. This programme is being delivered as part of Clinks’ three-year Stronger Voice programme, funded by the Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, and aims to help the voluntary sector working in criminal justice to develop a unified and influential voice, at both a national and regional level.