Community Action in Upper Kiewa
In 2023, Alpine Health, Alpine Shire Council and Gateway Health began implementation of the RESPOND project, with support from Deakin University.
RESPOND aimed to create a shared community response to support health and wellbeing. It had two key strategies;
- Engage with community to identify local factors that impact health and wellbeing.
- Empower the community to lead actions that improve the health and wellbeing of the wider community.
RESPOND was delivered in a number of locations across regional Victoria, and Mount Beauty was selected within the Alpine Shire.
While the RESPOND project has now concluded, we continue to collaborate with the Upper Kiewa Valley community to identify and implement place-based actions.
Findings
Group Model Building workshops were held in Mount Beauty in 2023. This enabled a systems map to be developed, which outlines the local factors that affect health and well-being and how they interconnect.
Five key themes were identified from the map, including:
- Connected community
- Remoteness
- Mental health
- Cost of living
- Family capacity
Image: RESPOND Alpine Systems Map
Action
Action ideas were generated by the community to address factors that impact health and wellbeing. Alpine Health facilitated a community action group who collaborated to implement the first action. This took form as the Kiewa Connections radio program on Alpine FM.
A follow-up workshop was held in 2025 to re-connect with the community and explore new ideas. Alpine Health and Alpine Shire Council remain committed to supporting place-based, community-led action, but we need the experts: the Upper Kiewa Valley community, to come on the journey with us! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact [email protected]