Recently, members of the NRNE Lived Experience Group, Experts through Experience Homewards Aberdeen Panel, Cfine Lived Experience Group, and Yahyas Hub came together for a participatory session focused on connection, solidarity, and collective problem-solving. 

The session brought together people from many different backgrounds and experiences, including people with lived experience of homelessness, migration, poverty, disability, asylum systems, and exclusion. Throughout the conversations, one message emerged again and again: people are tired of fragmented systems that force individuals to move from service to service, repeating their stories while trying to navigate complex systems alone. 

The event was facilitated using the Go Deep Game methodology, a participatory and creative approach designed to encourage dialogue, trust-building, reflection, and collective thinking.  

Participants imagined instead a more connected and compassionate approach: one channel where people could access clear, reliable, and multilingual information without stigma, delay, or confusion. One participant described the vision as “a library system for information,” where anyone, regardless of background, could walk into one place and find support, guidance, and answers. 

The discussions also explored the importance of bringing communities together rather than working in silos. Participants reflected on the need for shared spaces where migrants, local residents, young people, and people with lived experience can learn from one another, build relationships, and shape integrated solutions together. 

There were powerful reflections on visibility and invisibility within society, particularly around homelessness, disability, migration, and poverty. Several participants highlighted how many struggles remain unseen, and how awareness and storytelling can help reduce judgement and discrimination. 

Education, cultural awareness, and lived experience leadership were recurring themes throughout the session. Participants spoke about the importance of recognising international skills and qualifications, creating accessible pathways into training and employment, and valuing the knowledge people bring from different cultures and life experiences. 

The session also explored confidence, inner critics, and emotional resilience through creative exercises using puppetry and storytelling. Participants reflected on the voices inside ourselves that can create fear, shame, or self-doubt, while also recognising the strength and wisdom that emerges when people feel safe enough to speak openly and be heard without judgement. 

One participant, Elizabeth, beautifully reflected:  “Unity of purpose turns individual effort into collective power, aligning many hands and minds toward one meaningful goal.” 

Another participant, Kritika, shared: “Attending the GO DEEP session on Saturday was a genuinely meaningful experience for me personally. What stood out most was seeing people with lived experience from different communities and charities come together to share openly, listen deeply, and learn from one another. It was especially powerful to see conversations happening across different generations, backgrounds, and experiences in such a safe and supportive environment. The session reminded me of the importance of empathy, confidence, and respectful dialogue, especially when discussing different perspectives and lived realities.” 

One of the strongest messages from the day was the recognition that meaningful change happens when people come together across differences not only to speak, but to listen, reflect, and build solutions collectively.

As participants reflected throughout the day, the goal is not simply to create more conversations, but to ensure those conversations grow into shared action, solidarity, and systems that work better for everyone.