Volunteer Opportunity - Board of Directors Recruitment - Lived Experience and Recovery Network (LERN)

Hello Community Members! Do you, or someone you know, have a passion for advocating for peer support in mental health and addictions throughout Northeastern Ontario? Lived Experience and Recovery Network (LERN) is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications from all Northeastern Ontario community members to serve on our Board of Directors for a minimum two-year term of service from 2025–2027! 

About LERN: Lived Experience and Recovery Network helps to build the capacity of regional organizations that are led by peers with lived experience, ensuring their voices are heard. This is a voluntary position that allows the opportunity to help share the delivery of peer support services and more across the Northeast of Ontario. LERN is committed to the active direction of projects that directly improve the capacity of peer support organizations across the region, serving member organizations in the Northeast of Ontario in the regions of Algoma, Sudbury/Manitoulin/Muskoka, Parry Sound, Nipissing, Cochrane, and Temiskaming. Our Board of Directors consists of individuals who represent these regions and have their own lived/living experience within mental health and addictions. 

Our Mission: Lived Experience and Recovery Network (LERN) is a membership-driven organization rooted in peer support, guided by inclusivity and collective decision-making. Through ongoing revision and a refocus on long-term wellness, we aim to create an environment where the fidelity of peer support thrives, evolving to meet both current and future needs. 

Our Vision: Empowering peer communities towards wellness and recovery with the hope for continuous growth and resilience. Our Board: Our Directors are responsible for representing the interests of LERN and operating within our by-laws and policies. Directors are required to work collectively and in the best interest of LERN and its members. As a peer organization, we value peer support, diversity, confidentiality, respect, honesty, equality, inclusivity, and empowerment. 

As a Board Member, your responsibilities would include:
 • Actively participating in approximately one Board meeting per month and a variety of committee work per year (virtually and/or in-person, when possible).
 • Collaborate and provide feedback through ongoing electronic communications (email). 
• Work collaboratively with a team of Board members to direct and support LERN’s operations.
 • Raise awareness of LERN’s vision, goals, and community involvement and its Peer Support programs/organizations. 
• Assist in reducing stigma associated with mental illness and addictions within your city/district. Board Members benefit by being provided with: 
• Board training opportunities to develop and enhance leadership skills. 
• Various networking opportunities with individuals from other Peer Support initiatives. 
• The opportunity to make a difference in the peer support community and the broader community by sharing its value and benefits and by creating awareness that peer support is a viable support option that can be used in all areas no matter the focus or sector (trades, social services, health care, corrections, education, sales, etc.). 

How to Apply: We invite those interested in applying to LERN’s Board of Directors to complete the Google Form application (https://forms.gle/jhWWsGnBXtom62nY9) and submit a resume by Monday, June 16, 2025.
 If you have any difficulty accessing or submitting this, please contact us. 

Once all applications are submitted, a selection and interview process will take place by the Board of Directors Recruitment Committee. Those selected for interviews will be contacted, and interviews will be conducted within the first two (2) weeks of July. 
If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to: 
LERN’s Regional Director, Kari Sterling, by calling 705-840-1818 or by emailing rd@livedexperience.org. 
Website: livedexperience.org/2023/11/13/lern-2025-bod-recruitment/