Pool Pilot Initiative Wins Award Read More
Community voice is at the heart of everything Hands Up Mallee does. From the first conversations with over 1,600 people to today, local voices have shaped our shared vision and continue to guide decisions. This commitment ensures that change is not imposed but created together.
In 2016–17, Hands Up Mallee spoke with over 1,600 people across our region to understand passions, aspirations, and concerns. These conversations shaped a shared vision: “A connected community, where children and young people thrive, and families matter.” These weren’t one-off consultations—they became the foundation of how we work, ensuring community voices guide every step.
In 2022, we introduced a fit-for-purpose governance model that embeds community voice:
This model means decisions aren’t made for the community, but they are made with the community.
Co-design is more than consultation. It is a different way of engaging with communities that support how place-based collective impact initiatives work. Traditional consultations often stop at gathering feedback as governments and service providers look for community input without necessarily any contribution to the creation and testing of ideas. In contrast, co-design aims to shift power dynamics by putting community and conversation at the centre of the process.
At Hands Up Mallee, we use a blend of design thinking, human-centred design, and participatory approaches to ensure local knowledge drives innovation.
This approach has evolved over time:
