The Cyclist by John F. Gerrard
Rhythm of life runs in cycles, there are times in the darkness and time in the light.
—Olympia Dukakis
Our work
Changing systems to adopt and adapt to be inclusive of peer leadership requires dedicated time and work to build. Part of this is shifting the narratives and perspectives of lived experience being reduced to, and understood as an identity, rather than as an experience and a source of expertise.
Here you can learn more about the projects that the international peer leadership network is working on to advance peer and lived experience leadership internationally.
The Heiloo Declaration: A Commitment to Lived Experience and Peer Leadership
We were thrilled to co-host the Lived Experience and Peer Leadership match with EUCOMS for the Global Leadership Exchange in Heiloo, Netherlands in June 2024. The match consisted of 30 peer leaders from 12 different countries from across the world*.
Leaders and emerging leaders from all over the world meet to develop connections, share experiences, practice, innovation, developments, exchange information and work together to address and improve the mental health, disability, and substance use sectors.
From our two days together, we created The “Heiloo Declaration” describing and promoting peer leadership.
Shared Power, Shared Recovery: The Promise of Lived-Experience-Peer Leadership
The culmination of our work together at the Global Leadership Exchange Peer Leadership Match has been captured in a new international paper: Shared Power, Shared Recovery: The Promise of Lived-Experience-Peer Leadership. It sets out the vision, principles and practices of lived experience and peer leadership across communities, services and systems worldwide. Learn more about the paper and download a copy here.
Join the IPLN
We meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month. This is a space for peer supporters and peer researchers from all disciplines from across the globe to share, learn more about peer leadership, and connect with others through reflective learning to grow your peer leadership skills.