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.

Individual pathways

Growing your contribution in place-based work

People contribute to place-based work in different ways – through lived experience, local knowledge, curiosity or roles grounded in community. Much of this work is relational. It often sits outside formal roles or recognition, but shapes trust, coordination and continuity in local efforts.

As trust and relationships grow, people often deepen their contribution and take on broader responsibility.

These pathways help you build on your contribution from where you are now. They include ideas and examples that apply across different places and contexts, including rural and remote communities.

They recognise different access needs and do not assume a single or linear entry point.

Choose your starting pathway

Starting where I am

For people new to place-based work, or moving into a new place or role. Learn, try things, and see what fits.

Explore the pathway Download the one-page overview

Contributing close to home

For people who want to contribute where they live, use their strengths locally and support their community.

Explore the pathway Download the one-page overview

Stepping into local leadership

For people stepping into local leadership by backing others, coordinating efforts or growing something new in their place.

Explore the pathway Download the one-page overview

These pathways draw on PLACE’s 12 elements of place-based change and the 6 skills for place-based initiatives.

They also draw on practitioner-tested frameworks, including the DOTS model and The Water of Systems Change.