What is Community Capacity Building?
Community Capacity Building (CCB) focuses on enabling all members of the community to develop the skills and confidence to take greater control of their own lives. It attempts to increase a community’s capacity to solve collective problems by working towards sustainable, grassroots solutions.
When looking at disability inclusion in our communities, we consider how we can work with local communities to promote and enhance:
Attitudes and mindsets
- People are respectful, welcoming, and inclusive of people with disabilities.
Information and communication
- People with disability have the information they require to understand and access available resources.
Physical access
- People with disability can get in, move around, and have the physical resources they require to fully access their community.
Policies
- There are policies in place that support the rights and needs of people with disabilities.
Opportunities
- People with disability are provided with opportunities to participate and contribute to the community.
What projects are we working on?
We are actively working on projects designed to increase access to all areas of community life, with a current focus on social inclusion and access in the early years.
We work with community organisations, gyms, volunteer groups, and early learning services to provide support, promote inclusion and equitable access for carers, people with disabilities and children with developmental delays and their families.
Community outcomes:
- Partnering with Neighbourhood Houses to increase access to community events and festivals. Explore our Inclusive Events Checklist to help guide your event planning.
- Co-designing Carer Peer Support Groups with community members and partners in Wyndham, Brimbank, and Hume. Learn more about our Carer Group impact.
- Working with school students to build job readiness skills and foster a growth mindset.
- Supporting the Archdiocese in the development and implementation of their Disability Action Plan.
We’re proud to be part of a growing network of organisations and individuals working together to build a more inclusive, supportive, and connected community.
How you can be involved
People with lived experience (people with disability, children with developmental delay, families, and carers) are always central to our work.
If you are interested in sharing your lived experience and ideas to help in building inclusive communities, please subscribe to our mailing list or email community@bsl.org.au to discuss further.
Our areas of work
We work within the Local Government Areas across North-East Melbourne, Hume Merri-bek, Brimbank Melton, Western Melbourne and the Bayside Peninsula.