More about leadership in Time to Change
Since Time to Change began, people with experience of mental health issues have held influential positions at every level of the programme, using their skills and experience to drive it forward. Here's how they led Time to Change in the first four years:
The Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) have driven strategy and decision-making, sitting on governance and management groups, and developing the bid for our new funding Regional Co-ordinators have used their experience of mental health problems to support and guide 29 community-led initiatives. This included a play by South Asian women about domestic violence, and a campaign by African and Caribbean men to improve their treatment by their local mental health services.
60 people with lived experience led the Education Not Discrimination project, training medical students, trainee teachers and GP surgery staff.
People with mental health problems have carried out research interviews as part of the evaluation of our work.
Consultants with lived experience have informed future planning and development. by carrying out reviews of our work
People with experience of mental health problems have shaped our national advertising campaign, by advising on messages, tone and audience, and developing and testing advertising concepts.
People with experience of mental health problems helped lead our pilot campaign in Harrow’s South Asian community.
A significant proportion of our staff are open about their experience of mental health problems.
People with lived experience have been involved in the recruitment of all new staff. We explicitly encourage applications from people with mental health problems, and for some positions it is an essential part of the role.
People with lived experience designed and delivered the training for volunteers on the Time to Change roadshows in 2011. Over 700 people led the roadshows by talking to the public about mental health.
- Supporters have shaped our work by feeding back via our Facebook page and through surveys.
- Our media volunteers share their stories in print and on screen.
- We have run a host of networking events for people with lived experience, including the Open Up conference, which brought 150 people together to share their skills, resources and ideas for challenging discrimination via workshops and discussion panels.
- Time to Change Champions have been taking our message across the country, from speaking out in their local community to 10 Downing Street!
Sharing personal stories with the media
Helping us to develop our work by responding to ideas tests on Facebook
Designing and delivering our 2011 roadshows: starting conversations with the public about mental health and running volunteer training.
Using our campaign action packs to speak out in their communities
Running 30 community-led initiatives to raise awareness and challenge discrimination locally
Developing and delivering our Harrow campaign pilot, which spread our anti-stigma message to North West London’s South Asian community. People from this community were crucial to the delivery of this work.
Taking part in LEAP - 12 people who used their skills and experience in activism, leadership, involvement, community development and engagement to act as paid consultants to every level of Time to Change, from our individual work strands to the highest level of governance. Some of LEAP’s key roles included:
Sitting on our Joint Management Group, to feed into senior strategy and decision-making
Developing the bid for our second phase of funding
Sitting on advisory boards for all of our projects, alongside other consultants with lived experience
Reviewing our work, including reviews of our leadership and engagement work, and our work with people from black and minority ethnic communities.
Sitting on all of our recruitment panels, to make sure we choose the most informed and sensitive candidates
Via our END project, training medical students, trainee teachers and GP surgery staff to be more aware about mental health
Contributing to the evaluation of our work by carrying out interviews and facilitating focus groups
Advising on the design of the Open Up conference, which brought 150 people with lived experience together in 2010 to share their skills, resources and ideas for challenging discrimination
Additionally, experience of mental health problems is either a ‘desirable’ or ‘essential’ criteria on all of our job descriptions, and we highlight in our job adverts that we welcome lived experience. A significant proportion of our staff, including senior staff and across every area of our work, have experience of mental health problems and are open about this experience both with colleagues and in their external work.
Need support?
If you are experiencing mental health problems or need urgent support, there are lots of places you can go for help.
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