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.

Staying grounded

As you explore place-based work, take time to check in with yourself and the people around you. Notice your energy, your boundaries and any cultural or community responsibilities you carry. This helps you stay grounded in the work.

Pay attention to what balance feels right for you.

Reflect on:

what helps you stay grounded or supported

how culture, family and community shape your boundaries, and where you need to set limits

how you know when you have taken on enough.

Small step

Choose one small practice that helps you stay balanced – a check-in with a peer, time on Country or in place, or a few minutes each week to pause and reflect. Notice what it shows you about your place and your role in it.

Go deeper

Skillsroad Career Quiz helps you identify what matters most in work and life. It can support you to check in on your values as you explore place-based work.

Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann – The importance of deep listening (dadirri) (ABC) is a short interview in which Miriam-Rose shares the meaning of dadirri – a practice of deep listening and awareness from the Ngan’gikurunggurr people of the Daly River region. It invites reflection on how slowing down and listening can shape the way we learn, relate and participate in place.

Return to 'Starting where I am'

Explore the pathway