10/09/2026
This year's World Mental Health Day theme is 'Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change'.
People with lived experiences (PWLE) are asked to share their stories, but the wisdom and expertise they can bring to mental health systems is often overlooked. Providing opportunities for PWLE to influence decisions and co-design services is crucial for building a mental health system that can meet people with mental health struggles where they're at.
We are walking toward our vision, “a society where timely and accessible support is available for all, and mental health and substance use challenges are transformed into strengthened resilience and growth”, through lived experience leadership, and service development and delivery.
Our work is grounded in the belief that people with lived experience are not only compelling storytellers; they are co-architects of better systems, and an integral part of holistic and interdisciplinary service delivery models. We center their expertise in how programs are designed, how decisions are made, and how relationships are built, ensuring authenticity, trust, mutuality, and non judgement are lived values, not aspirational ones.
We are proud founding members of the Lived Experience Professional Network (LEPN), a South Island-based network of PWLE professionals, peer support workers, and employers dedicated to elevating the profession of peer support and lived experience roles.
Reach out to find out more about our programs or the LEPN!
