Pathways into place-based work

This map shows different ways people contribute to place-based work – individually and collectively. It helps you orient yourself in the work, based on where you are right now. You can start anywhere. Follow what feels familiar, or explore other ways of getting involved. Click a pathway or practice point to explore further.

Don’t know where to start? Visit the landing pages for Collective pathways and Individual pathways to get a sense for the different parts of the map.

Pathways Map - Key

This map shows different ways people contribute to place-based work - individually and collectively - and where those forms of work connect.

Colours

Green - Individual pathways

Red - Collective pathways

Pathways

Each colour contains three pathways.

Pathways represent different ways of contributing, not stages or levels.

Practice points

Each circle represents a practice within a pathway.

Select a highlighted practice point to explore reflections, activities and resources.

You can visit practices in any order and return to them at any time.

Overlaps

The blue highlighted areas show where individual and collective pathways connect.

These highlight shared practices that influence both personal contribution and the wider conditions for place-based work.

Overlaps are shared ground, not additional steps.

How to use the map

There is no start or end.

Begin wherever feels most relevant to you.

Explore one pathway or move between several.

The map is designed for exploration rather than a fixed sequence.

Changing what counts as talent

How systems define talent shapes who sees a place for themselves in this work. When definitions broaden, pathways widen.

Place-based work depends on strengths that are not always recognised through formal hiring alone – strengths such as lived experience, cultural knowledge, community leadership, organising skills and the ability to move between systems.

When these strengths are recognised as expertise across decision-making, funding and governance, people who have been overlooked are more able to step in, stay involved and contribute.

Changing what counts as talent helps build a workforce that reflects the people and places it serves.

Reflect on:

which kinds of experience are treated as ‘qualified’, and what tends to be overlooked

whether local leadership and community knowledge are recognised and valued as expertise

how recruitment, selection or progression processes shape who is able to step in and grow in this work

how closely the people involved in the work reflect the communities and places connected to it.

Small step

Review one role description or selection process and consider whether the criteria reflect the actual work.

Where possible, broaden the language so people can demonstrate capability through different kinds of experience, not only formal qualifications or conventional career pathways.

Go deeper

Developing neurodivergent-inclusive role adverts and position descriptions (Victorian Public Sector Commission) offers practical guidance for writing clear, barrier-free role descriptions that focus on capability rather than credentials.

A Toolkit to Authentically Embed Lived Experience Governance (National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum and National Primary Health Network Mental Health Lived Experience Engagement Network, 2023) shows how organisations can recognise lived experience as expertise, create safe spaces for contribution, and design fairer recruitment and leadership pathways.

Inclusive Recruitment Tools (Diversity Council Australia) highlights how hiring norms can exclude capable candidates and offers practical steps to reshape practices so a wider range of experience and capability is recognised.

On Our Own Terms: Systems change through lived experience leadership (RMIT University and Morgan & Co, 2026) explores how lived expertise shapes leadership, accountability and systems change. It examines how institutions recognise, or overlook, community knowledge and collective leadership.

Return to 'Opening the door'

Explore the pathway