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PLACE roadshow visits Latrobe Valley to celebrate community-led change and place-based health and wellbeing initiatives

Latrobe Health Assembly hosted the PLACE Roadshow, highlighting local leadership, community-driven health initiatives, and strong partnerships supporting long-term, place-based change across the Latrobe Valley.

By news@gippsland - 16th May 2025 - Back to News

The Latrobe Health Assembly recently hosted a stop on the Partnerships for Local Action and Community Empowerment (PLACE) Community Roadshow and Listening Tour. PLACE's vision is for local communities, governments, and others to share decisions on the things that matter most in people's lives. The tour is designed to engage directly with communities, listen to their experiences, and gather insights that will help shape PLACE's future strategies.

PLACE visited The WES, exploring its mental health support role and the Assembly's co-designed community collaboration

Elevating community voice

Luke Craven, CEO, PLACE Australia said, "PLACE's vision is about communities taking the lead in shaping policies and initiatives that affect them. This tour is about listening, learning, and strengthening connections to support meaningful, long-term place-based impact. Our goal is to elevate community leadership and ensure decision-making is shared with governments - firmly grounded in real-world experiences and local priorities," said Luke.

The Assembly being selected as a stop on the tour is a testament to the place-based work we are leading, working with the community to identify and address health and wellbeing needs of the Latrobe Valley.

PLACE's visit, on 8 May, began with a visit to The WES, a free, welcoming service designed to offer emotional and mental support. This provided opportunities for the PLACE team to connect with The WES staff, hear about the importance of the space in supporting people's mental health and wellness, and to learn more about the Assembly's role in working with community to co-design the service to best suit their needs.

Partnerships driving change

Several of the Assembly's voluntary Community Members then sat down with the PLACE team over morning tea to share their experiences of contributing to health and wellbeing initiatives in the Latrobe Valley. Following this was a visit to Grey Street Primary School, which provided the opportunity to showcase The Little Village Project and hear stories from the team within the school, highlighting the powerful impact it is having on students, including improving attendance, learning and social interactions.

The day culminated in a Round Table Discussion that brought together some of the key local voices involved in place-based change to share experiences and to learn more about the work of PLACE Australia. It was an opportunity to highlight the importance and strength of partnerships, the shared challenges of place-based work, and the commitment and dedication to work together to achieve better health outcomes for people in Latrobe Valley.

"We appreciate the PLACE team for taking the time to visit us to understand our work and what we have achieved so far. As a community-led organisation, we ensure that community voice leads the work that we do, through listening, advocating and shared decision-making. It was a wonderful opportunity to highlight the strengths of the Assembly and share our learnings with the PLACE team, and we look forward to continuing the partnership with them in the future," says Latrobe Health Assembly Chair, Tanya Rong.

Pictures from Latrobe City Council website.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com