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54 <br /> and staff through state peer support specialist certification is a recognition of TSRC's strength-based <br /> approach. "We've been there, done that, been on the yard," says a formerly incarcerated person and <br /> Wounded Healers board member and mentor. "Who better to mentor someone that's coming home <br /> than somebody who actually walked that same walk?" <br /> Recently(2021), Dr. Esther Matthews published findings of a study that found, "a history of incarceration <br /> is perceived as the most important characteristic for peer mentors." Lived experience with incarceration <br /> gave peer supporters both credibility and the ability to serve as role models. Further she stated, "This <br /> credibility was almost exclusively linked to a lived experience of incarceration.."6 <br /> Integrating Lived Experience into Decision Making. Collectively,the organizations in this collaborative <br /> understand the profound importance of placing those with lived experience of incarceration and SUDS at <br /> the center of practice. Thus, those with lived experience serve as members and officers of our boards of <br /> directors, are staff leadership and programmers, and contribute as volunteers. Lived experience <br /> manifests itself in the development of training curricula and programming, in training of participants, in <br /> outreach and speaking roles, and in the roles as mentors, and reentry house programmers. In each case, <br /> these are meaningful, powerful, and substantive roles. As an example, Wounded Healers has <br /> incorporated lived experience requirements into its bylaws and staffing. <br /> Three of the collaborating organizations were founded by those with lived experience of incarceration <br /> and reentry, and two of those organizations are led and operated solely by those with lived experience. <br /> TSRC will continue to place lived experience at the center of all that we do including governing, staffing, <br /> developing programming,training, mentoring, and community education and outreach. <br /> TSRC Community Partners. Each of the five partners have years of experience working together.This <br /> Collaborative will be formalized using memorandums of understanding among the lead organization, <br /> Wounded Healers, and of each partner organization.These memoranda will emphasize the formal <br /> partnership among all partners, each partner's roles and responsibilities, and the sharing of decision- <br /> making and leadership.These agreements will build on pre-existing formal and informal agreements <br /> among partners. <br /> 6 Memorandum Of Agreement,Exhibit B.B13,p 5.Create or support culturally appropriate services and programs. <br /> 8 <br />