Researchers awarded $245,000 to develop tool to improve community inclusion capacity in regional Victoria

Researchers from the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences have been awarded a 2026 VicHealth Impact Research Grant to measure and improve community inclusion capacity in regional Victoria.

The team, led by Dr Lakshmi Neelakantan, will receive $245,000 to develop a new systems-based tool called the Community Inclusion Capacity Index. The tool will help regional communities and local councils better understand the conditions that support young people’s inclusion, belonging and connection, identify gaps and opportunities in local systems, and strengthen how young people’s voices inform planning and action.

“The Community Inclusion Capacity Index is designed to show how well a community’s systems enable young people to feel included, connected and valued,” lead researcher Dr Neelakantan said.

“Our aim is to create a rigorous but practical tool that regional communities can use to identify gaps, strengthen local systems, and embed youth voice in planning and decision-making.”

The project addresses a critical gap in current wellbeing measures by examining environmental factors such as community spaces, safety and youth participation. In addition to asking whether people feel like they belong, the index will examine whether broader social and structure conditions are in place to make inclusion possible.

The research team, which includes Dr Lakshmi Neelakantan, Professor Nicola Reavley, Nina Logan, Jane O’Loughlin, Dr Monika Raniti, Dr Jennifer Dam, and Associate Professor Michelle Lim at the University of Sydney, will work alongside key regional partners including Youth Live4Life, the City of Ballarat, and the Baw Baw Shire Council, to co-design and test the new tool.