Over the past three years, the Experts by Experience (EBE) Project Planning Course, part of Refugee Action’s Explore Adapt Renew (EAR) programme, supported 35 small and medium-sized organisations through four rounds of training in meaningfully envolving people with lived experience of the asylum system and migration. This course, co-designed and co-facilitated by EBEs aimed to equip organisations with the tools to co-produce projects that centre EBEs as decision-makers. Our most recent round of sessions held between October and November of 2024 highlighted just how powerful this approach can be.
Why We Created the Course
There is a shared ambition in the refugee and migration sector to involve people with lived experience in everything we do. However, organisations and practitioners often told us they didn’t know where to start—they needed time, support, and a structured approach to ensure engagement was meaningful. Earlier courses we ran focused on helping organisations set up user groups for Experts by Experience (EBEs), but we realised that maintaining these groups required significant resources and infrastructure. Limited capacity often meant that engagement efforts stalled when a user group’s momentum faded.
To address this, we developed a more sustainable, project-based model that empowers organisations to co-design and co-produce initiatives with EBEs in a structured yet flexible way. In 2023, we worked with a service designer, who, in collaboration with the EAR team and building on learnings from previous rounds, co-produced the Project Planning Toolkit. Built on Miro and Google Docs, this resource provided a practical framework for problem identification, idea generation, prioritisation, and project planning—ensuring EBE involvement at every stage. Through this course, we aimed to remove barriers to power, equipping organisations with the tools and confidence to embed meaningful co-production in their work.
“The template was extremely useful and was a very good starting point, and enabled me to thoroughly plan the project, and have a very accessible plan at the end which could be shared with colleagues or funders. The discussions with other similar organisations were also very helpful, just having the space to talk through ideas and find out how other projects were being delivered/designed."
Success in Action: Participant-Led Projects
This year, two participants from the course not only developed their projects but also successfully implemented them. Their experiences demonstrate how co-production fosters impactful, EBE-led change.
IMIX: Media and Storytelling Briefing
One of the projects, led by Elahe Ziai, IMIX’s Media and Storytelling Manager, focused on shifting the media narrative around migration. Marking three years since the tragic loss of lives in the English Channel on 24th November 2021, Elahe worked alongside the members of IMIX’s EBE storytelling network to organise an off-the-record media briefing.
This event, designed in partnership with individuals who had lived experience of channel crossings, gave journalists the opportunity to engage directly with personal stories often lost in mainstream reporting. A gender-balanced panel ensured diverse experiences were represented, and strong facilitation helped build trust among participants. Feedback from journalists underscored the event’s impact:
“I found it so moving and powerful… It was an honour to be there and listen to the accounts from everyone.” — Liesel Evans, RAW TV
This approach is already influencing media narratives, with journalists from The Guardian, BBC Newsnight, Metro, and others reflecting on the importance of ethical and compassionate reporting.
EBE Employment Initiative: Establishing an Advisory Board
Another participant, Duygu Guzeltas, used the course to develop and launch an EBE Advisory Board within the Experts by Experience Employment Initiative. This initiative, which supports EBEs in securing employment in the migration sector, is led entirely by individuals with lived experience.
Through the EBE Project Planning course, Duygu gained key project planning skills and refining her approach. The Advisory Board, launched in January 2025, will ensure that service users have a direct say in shaping employment support services. Reflecting on the experience, she shared:
“The course was a game-changer, providing me with new skills and knowledge that not only benefited me professionally but also brought a fresh perspective to our initiative.”
The Power of Co-Production: Lessons from Our Journey
As facilitators for the last round, Maria, Hassan, and I found that co-producing the course was just as transformative for us as it was for participants. We embraced the challenges of delivering online training, refining our methods to be more inclusive and accessible. We had a very flexible approach and adapted the programme as we went along. Participants really appreciated the peer learning space where they could talk and learn from each other so we tried to make the breakout room sessions longer. We blocked everyone's calendar just before starting the course to help participants to have the time they needed to dedicate to this work. One unexpected outcome was that participants gained confidence in using digital tools like Miro and Zoom in addition to project planning experience.
The Co-Production Ladder was a key framework that helped participants assess their current EBE engagement level and develop clear pathways for progress. One organisation that initially saw EBE involvement as a challenge left the course with a clear action plan and renewed confidence in their ability to collaborate meaningfully.
Looking Ahead: Building on Success
The success of these projects demonstrates that when EBEs are given the space, resources, and opportunity to lead, they create solutions that directly address systemic challenges. Our course is not just about project planning—it’s about shifting power dynamics across the sector.
For those looking to take the next step in co-producing with EBEs, our message is simple: start with trust, listen deeply, and be willing to adapt.
