Pool Pilot Initiative Wins Award Read More

Our Work

At Hands Up Mallee, our work is driven by the belief that lasting change happens when it’s led by the community. We bring together local people, services, and government to co-create solutions that address the priorities of our region, guided by community voice and underpinned by data, evidence, and research. Our projects and initiatives are grouped into three focus areas–Enable, Impact, and Amplify–each playing a vital role in building a thriving, more connected, and more equitable community.

Our work

Enable

We create the conditions for change by strengthening the systems, relationships, and knowledge that enable community-led work. Through transparent governance, shared principles, and measurement, evaluation and learning frameworks, we ensure our work remains aligned, accountable, and effective.

Planning & Progress

Collaborative processes guiding reflection, learning and planning to strengthen systems change across Mildura.

MEL Frameworks

Measuring progress and learning together to improve decision-making and drive lasting systems change.

Community Voice

Listening deeply and learning together to shape community-driven action and better outcomes.

Frameworks and Principles

Guiding principles and frameworks ensuring ethical engagement, trust and collaboration in our community-driven work.

Yarning Group

Embedding Aboriginal cultural leadership and community voice to guide decisions and drive meaningful change together.

Collaborative Governance Group

Collaborative governance that centres community voice and guides strategic decisions across our place-based initiative.

Impact

We work alongside the community to listen, learn, co-design, test and refine place-based solutions that address local priorities. Guided by evidence and research, we focus on approaches that are practical, collaborative, and capable of delivering meaningful, long-term outcomes.

Red Cliffs Project

Supporting Red Cliffs families to lead local priorities through community voice, partnership and shared decision-making.

Places & Spaces

Our Places and Spaces initiatives show how collaborative design transforms public spaces into vibrant, inclusive, welcoming environments.

Early Years Hubs

Our early years hubs work shows how co-design goes beyond consultation, giving families real influence over how the hubs are shaped and services are integrated.

Amplify

We embed community voices at the centre of our work to influence policy, funding, and decision-making at all levels. Through storytelling, advocacy, and knowledge-sharing, we connect local priorities to broader systems change, ensuring our region’s strengths and needs are recognised beyond our geographical boundaries.

ChangeFest 2024

Hosted in Mildura by HUM and Connected Beginnings, ChangeFest 2024 centred Aboriginal voices and community-led systems work.

Mid-Term Evaluation

Independent evaluation showing HUM’s collaborative, place-based approach strengthening systems, partnerships and community outcomes.