The People's Academy
Partnering lived experience for university-wide impact at LSBUWelcome to The People's Academy at London South Bank University. We are a university-wide partnership between individuals with lived experience and professionals, bringing together a diverse group of people who use their own experiences to inform and improve education, research, and community engagement across all disciplines at LSBU. The People's Academy is fundamentally about partnerships. We are determined to foster a culture where individuals with lived experience are effective collaborators and play a central role in enhancing all aspects of the university's activities.
Who we are
The People's Academy at London South Bank University is a committed and diverse group of individuals with lived experience from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines. We include students, staff, and members of the wider community who bring unique perspectives and insights based on their personal experiences.
We are advocates who work in partnership with professionals across the university to foster a culture of collaboration and inclusivity. Our aim is to ensure that lived experience meaningfully informs and enhances all aspects of LSBU's activities, including education, research, and community engagement.
With the belief that citizens (understood more broadly as individuals with lived experience relevant to the university's diverse work) working in partnership with professionals benefits everyone, the People's Academy strives to move away from passive involvement towards genuine collaboration. We are determined to play a central role in understanding problems, co-designing and delivering solutions, and evaluating the impact of initiatives across the university.
Inspired by the humanity, courage, commitment, steadfastness, and motivation of individuals both within the university and the wider community, we seek to create an environment where everyone's contribution is valued and where partnership improves the quality and safety of all that LSBU does by focusing on what matters most to people.
Our Vision
Our overarching vision is to work together to achieve:
- Sustainable progress and positive change for everyone connected with LSBU and the wider community.
- An improved understanding of well-being in its broadest sense, encompassing social, economic, environmental, and personal factors relevant to the university's diverse activities.
- Individuals with lived experience actively involved in every aspect of LSBU's work, including education, research, policy decisions, and service development.
Purpose
Together, we strive to:
- Shape the development of inclusive and effective educational programmes and research projects.
- Assist in the recruitment and development of staff and students who value and understand the importance of lived experience.
- Develop high-quality services and initiatives that are co-produced with those who will benefit from them.
- Support university leaders in embedding co-production principles across all levels of the institution.
- Improve perceptions and understanding of the value and impact of integrating lived experience in a university setting.
- Work with university leadership and departments to provide firsthand knowledge and insights that shape strategic decisions and policy development.
PA Member: “The People’s Academy is something to be proud of and it feels amazing to be part of it. What I enjoy the most is promoting healthcare by working with the community and the people with lived experiences whose knowledge proved to be invaluable.”
Our beliefs
Our work is driven by a fundamental set of beliefs, based on evidence and the shared commitment of our members and partners. Our core beliefs, which shape our actions and engagement, are:
- Partnership improves outcomes: We believe that working together as equals enhances the education and well-being of individuals and communities connected to LSBU.
- Lived experience brings valuable assets: We recognise that individuals with lived experience bring new perspectives, knowledge, and abilities to improvement and innovation across all university functions.
- Collaboration fosters personal growth: We believe partnership working improves confidence, knowledge, and self-care for all involved.
- Focusing on what matters most enhances quality and safety: By prioritising the perspectives of those with lived experience, we can improve the quality and relevance of our services, research, and educational programmes.
- Empowerment reduces reliance: We believe that by actively involving individuals in shaping university activities, we can foster independence and reduce unnecessary reliance on formal services.
- Respect for individual choices: We respect individuals' choices regarding their engagement with the Academy and recognise the importance of prioritising their own well-being. We also believe that everyone has the freedom to make choices, even if they might be seen as unwise by professionals.
- Equality in partnership: We are committed to working collaboratively in an environment where no one is considered more important than anyone else. Roles may differ, but value does not. We see individuals with lived experience as independent collaborators and equal partners in all LSBU improvement work.
- Strengths-based approach: We believe in working with individuals' strengths, abilities, assets, and diversity, presuming capacity rather than incapacity.
- Sustainable change through collaboration: We believe that LSBU can achieve sustainable progress with the help of the ideas, efforts, and commitment of individuals with lived experience and communities. We are committed to providing a supportive infrastructure for this collaboration.
- Continuous learning and improvement: We believe in learning together from our successes as much as from our failures. We are dedicated to sharing knowledge and co-creating resources that meet diverse learning needs
- Valuing lived experience equally: We believe that the contribution of individuals with lived experience to all aspects of university life is of equal value to that of professionals.
You can find out more about the People’s Academy by reading our manifesto here.
PA Member: “I find the People’s Academy to be very welcoming. I got first -hand experience with the students and being honest and open about my experience made me really appreciate the whole experience”.
What we do
Here are some of the key ways we contribute to education, research, and community engagement at LSBU:
- Enhancing Education: Our members share their lived experiences with students across various disciplines, enriching curricula and providing valuable real-world perspectives. This can include contributing to course design, validation, review, and teaching. We also support the development of inclusive learning environments.
- Co-producing Research: We partner with academics to co-design and deliver research projects that address pressing societal challenges and are relevant to the experiences of individuals and communities. This includes participatory action research. Our members can contribute to the development of new knowledge.
- Supporting Service Improvement and Innovation: We collaborate with professional services and academic departments to identify areas for improvement and co-design innovative solutions that meet the needs of the university community and wider stakeholders.
- Facilitating Partnership and Collaboration: We act as a bridge between individuals with lived experience and university professionals, fostering genuinely collaborative relationships based on mutual respect and understanding.
- Leadership Development: We contribute to the development of emerging and senior leaders by highlighting the importance of co-production and the value of lived experience.
- Community Engagement: We work with local communities and organisations, such as Southwark Council and NHS trusts, on co-produced initiatives that address local needs and inequalities. This includes projects like the Southwark CORE project, focused on health inequalities.
- Providing Feedback and Evaluation: Our members offer valuable feedback on the quality of services and initiatives, ensuring that the perspectives of those with lived experience are central to evaluation processes.
- Developing Resources and Training: We co-create information resources that meet diverse learning needs and support the principles of co-production. We also contribute to the development and delivery of training programmes, such as the PAR training for Community Researchers.
- Advocacy: Our members can advocate for improvements in services and the needs to address inequalities.
- Sharing Lived Experience: We provide platforms for individuals to share their stories effectively and safely, recognising the power of personal narratives to change perspectives.
- Promoting Choice and Voice: We champion the rights of individuals to make choices about their engagement and to have their voices heard in decisions that affect them.
The team involved in the People's Academy was hugely professional, knowledgeable and honest. They were commended from the panel for their enthusiasm and for the quality of the paperwork and especially in terms of the service user input. I am really appreciative of all your hard work and very proud of you all.
Partnerships
The People’s Academy is all about partnerships. We believe that where citizens work in partnership with health and care professionals everyone benefits. The Academy is proud to work with other partner organisations, such as:
- The Coproduction Collaborative at UCL
- Diabetes UK
- Local charities
Contact The People's Academy
Are you an LSBU teacher looking to bring the voices of citizens into the classroom?
Are you an LSBU academic who needs help to connect with people affected by your research?
Are you a citizen with lived experience, looking to have your voice heard?
If so, contact The People’s Academy by emailing peoplesacademy@lsbu.ac.uk
In this section
- The People's Academy
- Information for practice assessors and supervisors