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 collective and individual pathway pages to get a sense of 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.

Strengthening relationships

As your role grows, relationships become central to how work gets done. Local networks carry knowledge, trust and accountability that no one person can hold alone.

Strengthening relationships involves listening across difference, finding shared ground and recognising the value each person brings.

Reflect on:

who you work with most often, and who may not yet be part of these relationships

what helps trust hold through tension or change

how you keep relationships mutual and supportive over the long term.

Small step

Choose one relationship you would like to strengthen – with a partner organisation, community leader or peer. Reach out to check in, share an update or ask how things are going.

Go deeper

Guide to Peer Support, Coaching and Mentoring (Volunteering and Contact ACT, 2019) offers practical guidance and tools for building peer support, coaching and mentoring relationships. It explores how trust, listening, shared learning and mutual support can strengthen relationships and help people learn from one another.

PLACE Training Directory includes leadership courses focused on facilitation, collaboration and working across sectors. These can help you build the relational skills needed to strengthen connections and support shared work in your place.

Wheel of Engagement (Tamarack Institute, 2017)helps people identify how they would like to be involved in shared work. It can support conversations about different levels of participation and where people would like to contribute.

Return to 'Stepping into local leadership'

Explore the pathway