Centering and Defining Lived Experience in Refugee and Migrant Charities
Freedom from Torture’s Kolbassia Haoussou invites participation in a conference to explore how we define, work with and truly value lived expertise in the refugee and migrant sector.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in the approach of refugee and migrant charities towards centering and defining lived experience in their work. This is a long-awaited change for the refugee and migration sector, and, provocatively, a very late one in the game in comparison to other sectors like homelessness, mental health, and disability. The People, Power and Priorities report, published in 2023, showed 65% of survey respondents agreed that the sector works more “with” and less “on behalf” of migrants and refugees than it did in 2020.
There is so much to do, but we can see a growing progress in awareness and understanding of the value of involving people with lived experience of migration and refugee protection in achieving fundamental, inclusive and collective change. It is however very important that we keep our focus on exploring key questions pertaining to how we work with people with lived experience.
65% of survey respondents agreed that the sector works more “with” and less “on behalf” of migrants and refugees than it did in 2020.
One of the ongoing questions lies in defining lived experience. How do we define lived experience? Is it possible to categorise and validate diverse experiences? How can we ensure that the term remains inclusive and reflective of the multitude of narratives within the refugee and migrant community?
There have been calls as to whether this term has lost its meaning: do we instead focus on upholding values of solidarity and compassion within this term? What is beyond the label “experts by experience”? These questions contribute to the ongoing dialogue within the sector about the nuanced nature of lived experience.
Some other questions include how we address barriers to lived experience power and how we support lived experience leadership, the latter being covered in this blog post by Refugee Council. Shared resources, insights and strategies can lead to more effective advocacy and support systems.
Has the term lived experience lost its meaning? Do we instead focus on upholding values of solidarity and compassion within this term?
Lived experience leaders should work together in tackling these questions. By fostering partnerships among different groups, we can create a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of centring lived experience in our work.
To delve deeper into these questions, Kolbassia Haoussou from Freedom from Torture, Marchu Belete from Migration Exchange, Mohamed Omar from Refugee Action, and Yusuf Ciftci from the Refugee Council are co-designing a lived experience-led conference on 25 April 2024.
Don't miss the chance to join the conversation at this upcoming conference in London on 25 April. For more details, contact Fernanda Nauana, and register at Eventbrite Page.
