lived experience

This page delves into what it means, why some people prefer this term, and how it reflects our personal journeys, past learnings, and future potential. 

When we say lived experience, we’re talking about all the things that have happened to you, how you felt about them, and what you learned from them. It’s like your own personal story.

Now, care experience is a bit more specific. It means the time you’ve spent in places like foster care or residential care. But every person’s story is different, right? Even if two people have been in care, their stories might not be the same at all.

So, here’s why some people might say lived experience instead of care experience:

  1. Your Own Story: lived experience sounds more like your own unique story, not just a part of it. It says more about you as a whole person.

  2. More Than Just Care: lived experience also tells people that your life is about more than just the time you spent in care. It includes everything you’ve gone through, not just one part of your life.

  3. Avoiding Labels: Sometimes, if we say care experience,  it might make people think of you in a certain way, which isn’t fair. Lived experience might not do that. It says you’re more than just someone who’s been in care.

it's about your whole life

it includes everything that you've been through
It's not just about one part of your life, like the time you've spent in care. It's about all the things you've experienced, the fun times, the tough times, and everything in between.

it's more personal

lived experience sounds more like your whole story.
It's about you as an individual and how you've seen and felt things. This makes it very special because no two people's 'lived experiences' are the same.

it avoids labels

care experience might make people only think of you as someone who's been in care
But with lived experience, it's clear that your story is much bigger than that. This term doesn't put you in a box, it celebrates your whole journey.

it's empowering

it's about recognising the strengths you've learned
It shows that you're proud of your journey, no matter what it includes. It's a way of saying, "Yes, I've been through this, and it's made me who I am today."

When we say lived experience, we’re talking about all the things that have happened to you, how you felt about them, and what you learned from them. It’s like your own personal story.

Now, care experience is a bit more specific. It means the time you’ve spent in places like foster care or residential care. But every person’s story is different, right? Even if two people have been in care, their stories might not be the same at all.

So, here’s why some people might say lived experience instead of care experience:

  1. Your Own Story: lived experience sounds more like your own unique story, not just a part of it. It says more about you as a whole person.

  2. More Than Just Care: lived experience also tells people that your life is about more than just the time you spent in care. It includes everything you’ve gone through, not just one part of your life.

  3. Avoiding Labels: Sometimes, if we say care experience,  it might make people think of you in a certain way, which isn’t fair. Lived experience might not do that. It says you’re more than just someone who’s been in care.

it's about your whole life

it includes everything that you've been through
It's not just about one part of your life, like the time you've spent in care. It's about all the things you've experienced, the fun times, the tough times, and everything in between.

it's more personal

lived experience sounds more like your whole story.
It's about you as an individual and how you've seen and felt things. This makes it very special because no two people's lived experiences are the same.

it avoids labels

care experience might make people only think of you as someone who's been in care
But with lived experience, it's clear that your story is much bigger than that. This term doesn't put you in a box, it celebrates your whole journey.

it's empowering

it's about recognising the strengths you've learned
It shows that you're proud of your journey, no matter what it includes. It's a way of saying, "Yes, I've been through this, and it's made me who I am today."

This content was created in partnership with an AI model. The information provided was a collaboration between human guidance and AI generation. Here’s a breakdown of how it worked:

  1. Question & Context: The human partner (in this case, the website owner) provides the AI with a question or topic. They set the context, tone, and audience for the content.

  2. AI Generation: The AI model processes the request and generates a response. It uses its training data to provide accurate and helpful information.

  3. Human Review: The human partner reviews the AI’s output. They check for accuracy, relevance, and tone.

  4. Revision & Refinement: The human partner may ask the AI for revisions or more information. The AI adjusts its output based on this feedback.

  5. Final Content: The final content is a blend of human guidance and AI generation. In this case, we estimate that around 70% of the content was AI-generated, with 30% influenced by human input.

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