Is this for me?

Lived Experience Leaders is designed to meet you where you’re at. Some questions to consider:

    • Do you carry unique wisdom from your life experiences — wisdom that has shown you what your community needs and how it could be better?

      • This wisdom might come from navigating experiences related to things like race or ethnicity, gender, age, income, or other parts of your identity — as well as personal experiences like loss and grief, addiction and recovery, or other experiences that have shaped who you are and how you see the world

    • Do you have a vision for community change you want to see — and feel ready to take steps to see it?

    • And/or have you started a community project, but encountered resistance or challenges you could use help with?

    • Have you tried to get involved in the community but weren't sure where to connect?

    • Have you wanted, or looked for, a relatable mentor and would like support in connecting with one?

Are you able to commit about 40 hours to a cohort leadership program across 9 months? The cohort is focused on community change, or growing what you’ve already created. Gatherings are one Saturday morning per month in downtown Winona. Participants are compensated and provided support for childcare, transportation, and more. You will receive mentorship, support, and resources.

What is the program?

The program brings together up to 12 individuals from the Winona area with diverse lived experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Each participant will be paid a stipend and provided financial and other resources to participate, and to pursue a community project of their creation. The program is designed and co-led by diverse facilitators and coordinators.

LEARN: Community leadership workshops

  • Individual change:Unlock inner skills and capacities, develop a compassionate and sustaining heart for leading change

  • Community change: Planning, team building, taking action, building power, overcoming challenges, managing conflict and politics, and more

  • Culturally competent: Design, skill-building, relationships

IMAGINE: Project, leadership, service role

  • Working one-on-one with each participant to imagine or develop an action for change, which could be a project or service role they’re passionate about, and rooted in their lived experience

CREATE: Develop, launch a project, or pursue a community role

  • Connections to relatable project guides

  • Consistent resources and support

  • One-on-one guidance

  • Small financial support

  • Train participants to tell their own stories in ways that amplify their voices and generate support for themselves and their work

  • And more!

The cohort program provides training and resources to amplify voices and support changemaking ideas of folks across the Winona area — including surrounding rural communities — whose lived experiences have given them unique and powerful expertise to create communities that work for everyone.

The program was designed with this vision of change: Diverse community members with lived experience owning their personal stories and journeys — reframing past challenges as having gifted them with unique wisdom and strength to serve others in similar situations — and then receiving support to create community change by providing mentorship, support, and connection.

The cohort participates in immersive gatherings and workshops over 9 months. Each member creates a plan for their community leadership's next steps (something they're working on and want to grow, or something new), and is supported and resourced through the with guidance, mentorship, materials, small financial support, and connections, while continuing monthly group gatherings and check-ins.

All participants receive a stipend that simply honors their participation, as well as participation resources like childcare and transportation support.