CONNECT LIVED EXPERIENCE
About us
We are a group that organically met each other through conferences and (work)life. What kept us together is a shared striving for more social justice in practice, research and education.
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Our common goal is to acknowledge and value the importance of lived experience of those living in challenging situations. We believe that this knowledge 'from the inside' should be at the heart of our social studies programs.
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You can check out our international meetings too!
Our Team.
The Ghent connection: HOGENT
HOGENT is the largest University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Flanders offering a wide range of programmes at eight campuses across the cities of Ghent and Aalst, in the Flemish part of Belgium. EQUALITY//ResearchCentre is one of the research centra at Hogent. it sees knowledge by experience as a third form of knowledge which should be embedded in research, policy and education. Many researchers involved in EQUALITY//ResearchCollective also teach at the Departement of Welfare studies.
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This interdisciplinary research centre aims to counter the social exclusion of human beings in vulnerable living situations and aims to improve their quality of life and the guarantee of human rights. Its activities are guided by two large frameworks, that of Quality of Life and of Human Rights. Including people living in vulnerable situations as active partners in all research activities is a priority.
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Contact: tijs.vansteenberghe@hogent.be & jessica.demaeyer@hogent.be
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https://www.hogent.be/onderzoekscentra/equality-research-collective/
The Ghent connection: UGent
Ghent University is a top 100 university and one of the major Belgian universities. Ghent University was ranked 66th in 2019 in the Shanghai ranking of world universities. After decades of uninterrupted growth, Ghent University is one of the leading institutions of higher education and research in the Low Countries (Belgium and the Netherlands). This project will be led by the Department of Special Needs Education The information about this department (its activities, staff, etc.) can be found below.
The Department of Special Needs Education at Ghent University focuses on research and education around support for and quality of life and social participation of children and adults in vulnerable situations. Four lines of research are distinguished at the department, including mental health and addiction recovery, disability studies and inclusive education, supporting vulnerable children and families and the orthopedagogical approach of children and adults with emotional and behavioural
disorders.
Contact: clara.deruysscher@ugent.be & wouter.vanderplasschen@ugent.be
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The Ghent connection: ONT
Our New Future is a self-advocacy movement of, for and by persons with (intellectual) disabilities, founded in 1997. Self-advocates with (intellectual) disabilities fight for their rights and ownership over their own choices and decisions. As a movement of self-advocates, they radically counter the image of dependent, compliant and passive persons with disabilities. They support people to speak up for themselves, make decisions, take responsibility, make choices, gain insights, participate ... in order to participate and count in our society.
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People with (intellectual) disabilities carry the movement, but they do not do this alone. There is a support network within the organization of coaches. The coaches support both in the practical and the substantive organization of the movement.
Our New Future entered into a structural partnership with the Department of Special Needs Education at Ghent University in 2005. In this way, Our New Future can contribute to the theorization of people with (intellectual) disabilities, self-advocacy and empowerment from a day-to-day experience and lived reality. On the other hand, students have the opportunity to learn to provide support and gain insight into the wisdom of people with (intellectual) disabilities themselves.
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Contact: evelien.demaesschalck@ont.be & danny-vandeperre@hotmail.com
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The Ostrava connection
The Faculty offers social science degrees in a range of fields and provides a platform for young researchers to launch their careers. Teaching at the Faculty is closely integrated with research, reflecting the latest developments in social sciences and keeping step with newly emerging fields. Studies at the Faculty are integrated with professional service providers.The Faculty directs research at contemporary social issues, mainly at social exclusion. The emphasis is on exclusion from housing and persons at risk of social exclusion due to their age or health state and the role of social work and health-social services.
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Contact: alice.gojova@osu.cz & eliska.cerna@osu.cz
Experts by experience Ostrava
Socially disadvantaged people as „experts by experiences”. This project, realised from 2018, involves people with various disadvantages (addiction, homelessness, anorexia, etc…) in the courses for students of Social work programme. Experts by experience have a history of using social services. Now they act as „co-teachers“. They share their life experiences with students through storytelling method and help students to identify the needs of people in difficult life situations. Through involvement of disadvantaged people students improve their skills and competences, especially their ability to communicate and to be oriented in different fields of social work practice. The project at the same time offers a prestigious work opportunity for disadvantaged people. Experts by experience are trained in storytelling participatory method, which helps them to integrate their difficult experience within their life story and openly communicate about it. Currently the platform of experts by experience consists of 9 people. They are a part of 15 courses and cooperate with 12 professor assistants. The project is run by a support team that consists of 2 academician and 2 PhD students. The team functions as an intermediary between experts by experience and teachers of selected courses.
The Milan connection
The University of Milano-Bicocca (UNIMIB) is a young & dynamic multidisciplinary University, founded in 1998 and is located in Milan, amongst the most dynamic and international regions in Europe. The Department of Human Sciences for Education "Riccardo Massa" promotes many activities of counseling, supervision, training aimed to the development of the territory, in particular in the field of formal, non formal and informal education. In line with the goals of "Third Mission" of the University, the Department has launched a Counseling Service that aims to support the functions of guidance, care and education of parents, teachers, educators, social workers. It is also involved in Public Engagement, promoting cultural and educational activities for territories, and in Lifelong Learning to improve the professional educators and teachers’ competences.
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The Trondheim Connection: KBT
KBT Vocational College is a unit at Competence center for lived experience and service development (KBT). 70 percent of the paid staff has experienced to have own severe mental or substance challenges and received services because of this. KBT has stated that experience-based knowledge is as important as traditional, professional knowledge when working to develop services. A main objective is to ensure that the users’ experiences are documented and taken into account in the development of health services and institutions, and to be a center of competence for service users and organizations representing this group; carrying out evaluations and collaborate with scientific institutions. KBT emphasizes innovation and cooperation, which is practiced through a variety of methods, like the dialogue-based method of evaluation. The overall mission for KBT is to improve health services through using lived experience by service receivers as well as providing formal studies within mental health and substance abuse.
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Contact: vebjorn.orsjodal@kbtkompetanse.no
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The Trondheim Connection: NTNU
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is the largest university in Norway today, with a history dating back to 1910, and a tradition going back to 1767 and the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS). NTNU is headquartered in Trondheim, with campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund. NTNU has eight faculties in addition to units such as the NTNU University Museum and the NTNU University Library, about 42 000 students, 6 900 full-time equivalent staff. NTNU has the main responsibility for higher education in technology in Norway, and is the country’s premier institution for the education of engineers.
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NTNU: ottar.ness@ntnu.no
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