Let's address something critical: the phrase "lived experience." It began as a profoundly important call to action, designed to elevate voices that had been systematically ignored. It was about authenticity, about speaking truth from a place of direct, personal insight. But it's time to question whether we're now over-using it to the point of dilution. When every single discussion, every report, every workshop feels compelled to preface every point with "from a lived experience perspective," it risks becoming a mere buzzword. It morphs into a performative check-box that drains its original, potent meaning, effectively blunting a crucial tool for genuine understanding.
Now, consider the very real backlash against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives. It’s insufficient to simply dismiss every critique as mere resistance from those clinging to outdated norms. For real impact, we must dissect the lessons here. Some DEI efforts, perhaps in their execution, have indeed veered into areas perceived as divisive or tokenistic, focusing on superficial categorisations rather than profound systemic change. This backlash isn't just background noise; it’s a loud, albeit often muddled, signal that something in the approach or messaging has gone awry. Ignoring it, or simply reinforcing the exact methods causing friction, is not just unhelpful—it's strategically flawed.
When powerful phrases like "lived experience" lose their original force, and when vital initiatives like DEI face genuine, impactful resistance (beyond mere anti-progress sentiment), the most disadvantaged individuals bear the brunt. These are the very people whose voices we aimed to elevate and whose systemic barriers we sought to dismantle. The risk isn't merely stagnation; it’s a dangerous rollback of hard-won progress. We need to be smarter, more authentic, and far more strategic in our advocacy. It's imperative that we reclaim the impactful, grassroots energy of these movements, ensuring they deliver tangible, equitable change, rather than just serving as material for the next corporate presentation.
So what should we do instead to increase awareness
So, what steps should we take to truly increase awareness and drive genuine impact? We need to shift our focus from passive "awareness" to active, empathetic engagement. Instead of simply citing lived experience, we must deeply internalise it, transforming empathy into concrete policy and actionable practice. This requires investing in robust, sustained education that cultivates profound understanding, rather than merely highlighting differences. It means moving beyond superficial diversity metrics to systematically dismantle the barriers that genuinely disadvantage people. Our approach must involve telling compelling stories, not just presenting statistics, and demonstrating the clear, undeniable benefits of true equity for everyone. Awareness is merely the initial step; the substantial work lies in the deliberate, consistent action that creates a fundamentally more just and inclusive reality.