Having come alongside LELAN over the course of their two-year Discovery Grant project Activating lived experience leadership (ALEL), we have seen firsthand how their approach to listening, valuing, and returning power to people with lived experience can inform transformative change to our states mental health system. We also believe that LELAN have a vital role to play in making this much needed change happen.

The strategic partnership is established on a foundation of trust, with gives and gets on both sides. The Foundation will come alongside LELAN to advocate for embedded, meaningful lived experience leadership across the social sector and will support them to seek additional funding that will enable LELAN to continue operating as the peak body for lived experience in South Australia.

LELAN will guide the Foundation and our partners to practically implement the Lived Experience model developed through the ALEL project as we work collaboratively towards real, lasting, and powerful lived experience recognition, leadership, and consideration across the social sector.

 Why LELAN?

• LELAN and the Foundation are values aligned organisations with a shared vision for a future South Australian mental health system that is compassionate and rights-based

• We believe it is vitally important for South Australia to have a peak body for LEx like other states across the country

• We both recognise that people are the experts in their lives and of their own experiences

A Strategic Partnership forms the final stage of the Foundation’s five-year granting cycle in mental health and wellbeing. Strategic partners are selected from our cohort of Discovery Grant partners and is a two-year partnership with untied funding of 100k per year.