Embedding Lived Experience: What It Means for the Future of Mentoring

Last week, Goal 17’s Founder, Francesca Salussolia, spent the day with St Giles Trust in Cardiff, joining leaders from across Wales to discuss a subject that is becoming increasingly central to public services: how lived experience is embedded meaningfully within systems of support.

The focus of the event was the launch of the Experts by Experience Pledge — an initiative encouraging organisations to move beyond tokenistic involvement and instead build real infrastructure around lived experience.

For Goal 17, this conversation was particularly relevant.

Why Lived Experience Matters

Lived experience is often spoken about as something valuable. Increasingly, however, it is being recognised as something more than that — as expertise.

When properly supported, individuals who have navigated care, the criminal justice system, homelessness, or multiple disadvantage bring insight that professionals alone cannot replicate. They understand barriers from the inside. They build trust more quickly. They see gaps others may miss.

But embedding lived experience well requires structure.

It requires:

• Training and preparation
• Psychological safety
• Clear role definition
• Progression pathways
• Organisational commitment

Without these elements, involvement risks becoming superficial.

With them, it becomes transformative.

The Intersection with Mentoring

For Goal 17’s community of volunteers, this conversation intersects directly with mentoring.

Mentoring works because of trust build up over time, because someone chooses to stand alongside another person consistently.

The discussion with St Giles Trust reinforced that mentoring and lived experience are not separate ideas. They are complementary approaches that, when combined thoughtfully, can strengthen outcomes for young people and adults facing complex challenges.

Goal 17 has long believed that volunteering should not only support service users — it should also build capacity, skills and confidence within volunteers and communities.

The lived experience model shared by St Giles offers further opportunity to deepen that approach.

Partnership and What Comes Next

Following the event, Goal 17 is exploring potential partnership opportunities with St Giles Trust. The aim would be to combine:

• St Giles’ established lived experience frameworks
• Goal 17’s mentoring, safeguarding and volunteer infrastructure
• Shared learning across local authority and community settings

Together, this could create stronger pathways for individuals with lived experience to contribute meaningfully — not only as participants in services, but as leaders and changemakers within them.

The Experts by Experience Pledge represents a wider movement toward more inclusive, reflective systems of support. Goal 17 will be considering how this aligns with its own programmes and partnerships in the months ahead.

For Our Volunteers and Supporters

If you are part of the Goal 17 community — as a mentor, partner, supporter or advocate — this is part of our ongoing evolution.

We are continually asking:

• How do we ensure that the voices of those closest to the challenges are shaping the solutions?
• How do we build systems that are not only compassionate, but credible?
• How do we strengthen mentoring with insight that comes from lived reality?

These conversations matter — because the future of effective social impact will depend on collaboration, humility and shared expertise.

To learn more about the Experts by Experience Pledge, please click here.

To explore mentoring or partnership opportunities with Goal 17, please contact us directly.