One way to get involved at Grandview Kids is to participate in our Family Leader Program as a Paid Advocate. These individuals assist in the development, implementation or evaluation of projects or research, using their lived experience as either Grandview Kids clients or caregivers to provide feedback on specific topics, earning compensation for their participation. The opportunities are temporary, with the time commitment and compensation outlined before participation begins.
Paying Advocates to provide their perspectives underscores Grandview Kids’ recognition of the value and expertise of those with lived experience. It also removes barriers to engagement, which may otherwise prevent diverse (often marginalized) voices from being captured. Grandview Kids also believes that lived experience should be valued as much as professional accreditation and education, ensuring that Advocates are compensated similar to organizational staff.
“People with lived experience have the best understanding of the context, root causes and scope of social determinants of health, and deep insight into the systemic barriers which prevent social problems from being adequately addressed. Moreover, they have critical vantage points about community needs, what aspects of services are working, and what needs to be changed. For such reasons, lived experience, both past and current, represents an invaluable form of expertise.” – Feige, S., & Choubak, M. (2019). Compensating people with lived experience: Best practices from the literature. Community Engaged Scholarship Institute.
For more information on Paid Advocates, or to get involved in a current opportunity, please email familyengagement@grandviewkids.ca.
