Lived Experience Experts
Our Lived Experience Experts (LEEs) are people from our communities who have had first hand experience thinking about or supporting teenagers with sleep and mental health difficulties.
Through consultations with our LEEs, we aim to better understand which specific factors relating to sleep, the 24hr body clock, and biological, environmental and behavioural factors might be relevant to our study.
Given LEEs direct experience with mental health in teens, their insights are invaluable and will help improve the relevance of our findings. This influence will extend to ensuring that our study measures are appropriate and relevant, as well as to better understanding what we observe.
Working with LEEs will therefore allow us to develop better informed research methods and approaches, making any resulting interventions more appropriate for those who may use them.
Some of our LEEs:
Cape Town
Kai Manie
Lead LEE Consultant for the Cape Town team.
Someleze Mabusela
Makhanda:
Celéste van Vuuren
Further Education and Training (FET) Phase teacher at Hoërskool P.J. Olivier. She pursued Business Administration at the Central University of Technology, and later, driven by her passion for teaching, she completed her Postgraduate Certificate in Education through UNISA. In 2021, she further advanced her expertise by obtaining a B.Ed(Hons) in Educational Management and Leadership from North-West University. She considers it a privilege to serve on the LEE Board for this study, where she continues to contribute her experience, vision, and passion for education.
Mfuzo Dyira
Home loans clerk and financial life skills coordinator at GBS Bank, Grahamstown. President of Mfuzo Boxing Camp and public relations officer. Currently sits on the board of Food 4 futures and Makana boxing organization secretary.
Thanduxolo Royi
Robotics coordinator at Awarenet - an NPO in Grahamstown. A humble man with a passion for sport and working with youth, guiding them to better pathways.
Jeremiah Sewelo
Founder and Chairperson of the Sewelo Maths and Chess Community Youth Development Academy (SEMCCYA), a nonprofit organisation based in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. He also serves as a Provincial Council Member of Eastern Cape Chess. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of South Africa (UNISA).
Sizwe Mdaka
Born and raised in Grahamstown. Studied at Fort Hare (BA & HDE), Rhodes (BEd Hon, ACE LO & MEd). He has been teaching at TEM Mrwetyana for 30 years and has been appointed as a Principal this year (2025).
Tracy Mackenzie
Tracy is an English teacher and the Head of Wellness at St Andrew's College who creates well being-focused programmes for adolescent boys. She brings a holistic, empathetic approach to her work, informed by her long-standing interest in mental health and wellness.
Masonwaba Nduna
Sophumelela Ketelo
Chairperson of Sophumelela Youth Development Programme. Acting senior lecturer for Business Management and Financial Management at Eastcape Midlands TVET College Grahamstown College.
Zimasa Burns-Ncamashe
SACE-registered secondary school teacher and life-skills practitioner specializing in School Guidance and Counselling. BA Hons in Anthropology; HDE(PG)(Sec); MEd; BA Hons in Psychology from Rhodes University and Programme in Counselling and Adolescents from UNISA.
A few testimonials from our LEEs…
“Being a Lived Experience Expert has connected me with others who understand my worldview and the intersectional nature of sleep and mental health. I have learned more about what kind of impact the unconscious has on our conscious mind, in an accessible and inclusive way. It has been a privilege to assist for a lot of this process of adapting terminology and vocabulary for those who will participate in the study, and I hope that it will only continue in paving the way for a holistic understanding of the mind-body connection. There is so much value in the discussion we as a team have had, and I can only imagine the benefits we will see from the knowledge and insight provided in the upcoming five years.”
“Being an LEE in this study has encouraged me to speak up within my own community and family about the importance of both sleep and mental health, as well as how they relate to each other. The study itself is playing an important role in normalising discussions around these subjects in all environments, including both schools and homes.”