WEBINAR #1.
The Tamworth Effect: How one region transformed literacy from birth
Discover how a simple idea – one free book a month, turned into a region-wide reading revolution, and what other communities can learn from it.
Preview:
What if we could use a place-based, ‘ecological’ model to build early literacy skills?
What would it look like to include every child and every family in shared reading, in all the places they live, play and learn?
It might look a lot like Tamworth.
In 2019, the Tamworth Local Government Area became the site of Australia’s largest early literacy initiative. With support from local government and funders, the Tamworth community began gifting one book per month to every child born in the city.
What happened next was a reading revolution.
Watch the full webinar here to find out why Tamworth is the new gold standard for early literacy, and what it means for other communities.
WEBINAR #2.
Community Engagement: Making it Real, Making it Count
Preview:
If you work in the community sector, service delivery agencies or public policy, you might have wondered: why is everything ‘place-based’ and ‘community-led’ these days? Have you pondered what the buzz words mean – and whether they’re even real?
We hear you.
That’s why we came together for a real chat about community engagement, led by experts in the field.
Our webinar in December 2025 tackled the big issues: why community engagement matters, what it can look like, and where it can take us. (And whether it can actually create ‘place-based change’.)
Featuring speakers from The Hive and the Together in 2770 Collective in Mount Druitt:
- Steve Pederson, Community Development Lead, The Hive – Mt Druitt
- Renee Stevens, Community Capacity and Engagement Officer, The Hive – Mt Druitt
- Brigid Burke, Engagement & Evaluation Coordinator, The Hive – Mt Druitt
- Bec Reidy, Director, Bidwill Uniting
Watch the full webinar here
WEBINAR #3.
Starting and Sustaining an Imagination Library: How to Build Community Momentum and Sustainable Funding
Preview:
Across Australia, communities are discovering the power of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to spark a love of reading from birth. But what does it really take to launch a program, mobilise local champions, and sustain funding year after year?
Whether you’re just beginning your Imagination Library journey or looking to strengthen your existing program, this webinar unpacks practical strategies used by successful communities nationwide.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how to:
- Build momentum for your local Imagination Library
- Engage diverse funding partners and sponsors
- Strengthen long-term sustainability and impact
Panel
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- Jocellin Jansson, Councillor at Narrabri Shire Council and Imagination Library working party team member
- Nicole Carr, Executive Officer at United Way Glenelg ,and Imagination Library Local Coordinator
- Kylie Collins, Partnerships Coordinator, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Watch the full webinar here
WEBINAR #4.
Evaluating Place-Based Work: New Ways of Measuring Impact
Preview:
Working in a ‘place-based’ way is big and ambitious. Seeking to change conditions across an entire community can be challenging. One of the big challenges? How to measure our impact.
This webinar showcases one evaluation journey, which used innovative methods to create meaningful measures of impact.
You’ll see our expert panel discussing:
- The challenge of evaluating place-based work
- What synthetic control methodology can offer, and its limitations
- Our process, including accessing publicly available and administrative datasets
- Our evaluation outcomes
- What we learned, and how it might help other place-based initiatives.
Our Panel
- Catherine Marks, Principal, Ember Advisors
- Laura Bird, Associate – Measurement, Evaluation, Learning and Research, Paul Ramsay Foundation
- Brigid Burke, Engagement & Evaluation Coordinator, The Hive.