Community Capacity Building

Leadership from lived experience

What we do

The Changemakers Collective supports leadership development across all levels of the Empowerment Ecosystem. We work with individuals, organisations, and place-based groups to:

  • Build governance and decision-making skills

  • Strengthen facilitation, advocacy, and community organising

  • Provide mentoring, structured learning, and peer support

  • Embed leadership roles into real projects and paid work where possible

This is not a standalone program. Leadership from lived experience is built into how the ecosystem operates

The Changemakers Collective exists to make community leadership real, not symbolic.

We support people with lived experience to build the skills, confidence, and experience needed to take part in decision-making, program delivery, and governance. This includes stepping into leadership roles that shape priorities, direct resources, and influence the systems that affect their communities.

This work combines training, mentoring, and hands-on leadership opportunities. People do not just learn about leadership. They practice it, in real roles, with real responsibility.

Why this matters

In many community organisations, the people most affected by programs and policies are rarely the ones deciding how they are designed or run.

Lived experience is often acknowledged in principle, but leadership roles tend to be filled by people who already have professional credentials, sector experience, or confidence navigating institutional systems. Participation is frequently limited to those who are outspoken, well-connected, or already visible.

As a result, many voices are left out. Emerging leaders, quieter contributors, and people from less dominant cultural groups often have insight to offer but lack access to pathways, mentoring, or support to step into leadership.

Changemakers Collective was created to address this gap.

It builds practical, supported pathways for community members to lead, not just contribute. The focus is on capability, not token representation.The not-for-profit sector, while important, is not immune to problems. Too often there is no real accountability to the people the organisation claims to serve. In some cases, this lack of accountability has allowed ego, gatekeeping, or personal agendas to take precedence over what communities truly need.

Leadership through Community Governance Councils

Leadership is not abstract in Empowerment Ecosystems. It is exercised through Community Governance Councils (CGCs).

Councils are local leadership teams made up of community members with lived experience. They are responsible for shaping direction and holding the work accountable to community priorities.

Each Council is responsible for:

  • Setting priorities for local initiatives

  • Making decisions about programs and partnerships

  • Ensuring alignment with community values and needs

  • Overseeing shared goals and collective responsibilities

To support this, we provide ongoing training and mentoring, not one-off workshops. Leadership skills are developed over time, alongside real responsibility.

Councils are not advisory groups. They are decision-making bodies, embedded in operations and accountable to the people they represent.

This is what community-led governance looks like in practice.

Our Programs

Emerging Changemakers

A structured leadership program for people who are new to leadership or looking to step into it.

This program is open to:

  • Community members with lived experience

  • Young people and students

  • Emerging leaders interested in community decision-making

Participants combine hands-on community work with targeted mentoring and skills development. The program is also available as a formal university placement, linking learning directly to real-world leadership experience.

Custom leadership pathways

We work with councils, community organisations, and grassroots initiatives to design leadership development that fits local context.

These pathways focus on:

  • Growing leadership from within communities

  • Supporting diversity in who leads and how

  • Building long-term capacity rather than short-term participation

Get Involved

The Changemakers Collective is open to people and organisations who want to do leadership differently.

We welcome:

  • Community members ready to step into leadership roles

  • Universities and training providers seeking meaningful placements

  • Organisations and councils committed to building leadership from the ground up

📩 Contact us to learn more or explore a partnership