Who is on the Council?

Click on each picture below to see a full bio of the Council member.

What will the Council do?

Objective 1: Change how research is done.

This can include pushing HBGI to fund research that is based on human rights, takes a holistic approach to brain health and is both person and community-centered. This also includes ensuring that lived experience is involved in deciding the priorities for what research is funded and in every step of the research process

Objective 2: accountability in HBGI to lived experience leadership

The Council will deliver a regular Report Card from the Council to the Board; the management team will be responsible for proposing a plan to address comments in that Report Card.

Objective 3: sustainable self-governance and accountability to principles.

This objective includes development of a Council-specific governance document setting out roles and a common vocabulary within the Council, including how the Council itself will be evaluated in order to stay accountable to its principles.

Objective 4: build a movement and network around HBGI’s work.

This may include promoting the value of lived experience leadership, developing HBGI’s communications more generally, and creating partnerships with other organizations to mutually amplify each group’s work.

Objective 5: upskilling and capacity-building.

The Council aims to create a supportive team environment that supports its members in their work with HBGI and in sharing skills to become more effective advocates in general.

What are the core principles of the Council?

Principle 1: Respect and Kindness

The Council, its members, and its engagements are founded upon a sense of mutual respect and kindness to create a space of shared learning, belonging, and empowerment.

Principle 2: Vulnerability and Agency

The Council values vulnerability but expects its members to choose how and when to be vulnerable.

Principle 3: Social Justice and Equity

The Council confronts structural inequalities whilst building internal and external systems which work with each according to their ability and with each according to their needs.

Principle 4: Diversity and Inclusion:

The Council embeds the perspectives of a diversity of peoples, cultures, thought, geographies and lived experiences in its composition and work.

Principle 5: Reflexive, Responsive and Accountable

The Council engages in constructive dialogue with the rest of HBGI, as well as its own members, to ensure that each is committed to delivering on their established goals.

Principle 6: Transparency, Collaboration and Communication

The Council works with a range of partners whilst engaging in transparent and effective communication both internally within HBGI and externally to a broader public.

Principle 7: Evidence and Impact

The Council acknowledges and values the existence of numerous approaches to constructing evidence and systems of knowledge more broadly which go beyond the experiential and the academic. 

Principle 8: Implementation

The Council will ensure a continued focus on applied research which bridges the knowledge to action gap with conscientious implementation across global contexts

How does the Council relate to the rest of HBGI (i.e., to the Board or management team)?

Like the rest of the organization, the Council is ultimately accountable to HBGI’s Board of Directors and will present its workplan for Board approval.

The Council will work most closely with the management team in its contributions to the day to day operations of HBGI. We hope to engage with Council members as meaningful thought partners in this strategic stage of the organization.