The SELF project, a program born from lived experience, built by women with lived experience and delivered by women with lived experience, for women exiting custody.

This paper will explore the lived experience of Tahlia Isaac and her struggles with mental ill health after 10 years addicted to ice and 10 months in QLD correction centres. You will learn how she overcame multiple barriers to create an organisation that centres lived experience at the core of everything, from programs to advocacy, even the board of directors.

The SELF Project is an in person program delivered by women with lived experience of reentry for women who are exiting prisons who need help putting their lives together again.

Central to this approach is the concept of community belonging, which plays a crucial role in an individual's resilience, mental wellbeing and associated offending behaviours. Led by facilitators who have lived experience with mental health and justice involvement we provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals to explore their struggles, share experiences, and learn from one another. By addressing the relationship between mental wellbeing, community belonging, and life skills development, this approach offers a holistic and sustainable solution to tackling addictive behaviours.

Three Key Learnings:

1. Gaps in service provision from a lived experience perspective.
2. How to centre lived experience in service provision.
3. Women leaving prison are an under supported cohort.