Our story
Communities should shape what happens next
Heeyersu began with strengths already present in the Karen community — organisations, faith groups, leaders, young people, families and volunteers who were already supporting one another. Through the Karen Community Project, they came together to build a shared understanding of what people were experiencing and what could be strengthened together.
Formerly the Karen Community Project
Our journey at a glance
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Early 2025
Community groups come together, building on existing strengths and support networks
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19 Aug 2025
Phase one consultation: 70+ community leaders and representatives
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Nov 2025
Consultation report launched and findings shared back with community
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2026
Phase two: deeper engagement with 14 community, faith and cultural groups
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2026
Community knowledge moves into practical responses
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2026
The Karen Community Project becomes Heeyersu
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Today
Ongoing community-led action, partnerships and learning
Where it began
Starting from strength, not deficit
In early 2025, Karen community groups, leaders and volunteers in Melbourne's west were already creating connection, supporting families and responding to concerns emerging across the community.
Rather than starting from a deficit view, the Karen Community Project recognised the leadership, relationships, cultural knowledge and support networks that already existed. Groups came together to ask what was working, what people were experiencing, where more support was needed and what could be strengthened together.
That strengths-based approach became the foundation for a broader community-led consultation.
- leaders and representatives
- 70+
- community groups
- 14
- council areas (Wyndham, Melton, Hobsons Bay)
- 3
Phase one · August 2025
One shared conversation
Community groups worked together to design a consultation that could bring different voices, experiences and perspectives into one conversation.
On 19 August 2025, more than 70 community leaders and representatives met in Melbourne's west — young people, women, elders, faith leaders, families, community organisations, people with disability, neurodiverse community members and others from across the Karen community. The consultation asked three questions:
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What are we seeing in our community?
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What is already working?
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What could we strengthen together?
Strengths we heard
- Family and cultural connection
- Faith communities
- Volunteer leadership
- Community organisations
- Willingness to support one another
Barriers we heard
- Language and communication
- Navigating services
- Mental health and wellbeing
- Intergenerational differences
- Stigma and mistrust
- Fragmented referral pathways
- Lack of awareness of rights and available support
Community was not simply a source of information about problems. It already held the knowledge, leadership, relationships and ideas to be part of the solution.
Findings were shared back through the consultation report, launched in November 2025.
Read the consultation reportPhase two · 2026
Deepening the work with 14 community groups
Phase two built on the relationships and collective leadership established in phase one. Through 2026, the project worked closely with 14 community, faith and cultural groups across Wyndham, Melton and Hobsons Bay — holding conversations in trusted settings, where each group could name its own strengths, priorities and ideas for action.
The aim was not more consultation. It was to understand more deeply the leadership already present in the community; the different experiences of young people, families, elders, women, faith communities and people with disability; the barriers people face with services and systems; and the practical responses we could build together.
Supported by
- Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)
- Wyndham Community and Education Centre (WCEC)
- Scanlon Foundation
- Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS)
From consultation to action
Not just asked — heard, and acted on
Communities are often asked to share their experiences but rarely see what happens next. We wanted to do things differently, so the work moved from consultation to practical, community-led responses.
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Saturday Community Clinic
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Youth Reconnecting Program
Connection, identity, leadership, wellbeing and opportunity.
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Elders and Leaders Visitation Program
Connecting with young people in justice and corrections settings.
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Community education and information
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Referral and service pathways
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Leadership, family engagement and partnerships
These weren't separate projects. They grew from the same community conversations.
See how we can help2026
Becoming Heeyersu
The Karen Community Project began as a response to immediate concerns, but the work had become something larger: strengthening community leadership, building connection, creating practical responses and making sure community knowledge could influence services and systems. As the work grew, it outgrew its name.
In 2026 the project became Heeyersu, a Karen phrase which can be translated as "take my hand" or “hold my hand”. Both meanings embody Heeyersu’s mission: a supportive environment for the community and a dedicated network of people who provide that support. It's a move from a time-limited project to an ongoing community-led platform for connection, leadership, action and change.
It didn't leave the Karen Community Project behind. The consultations, relationships and lessons from that work still shape how Heeyersu works today.
How we work with community
Participation shouldn't stop after people share their story
Heeyersu has been built through relationships — community members, leaders, young people, families, volunteers, faith groups, organisations and service partners. Community should have real opportunities to:
- Identify priorities
- Shape responses
- Build solutions
- Review progress
- Strengthen leadership
- Influence what happens next
Where we are today
Six priorities, one purpose
Across all our work the aim is the same: to strengthen community voice, relationships, leadership and pathways to practical action.
Community connection
Trusted spaces for people to come together, share knowledge and build relationships.
Youth engagement and leadership
Supporting young people to strengthen identity, confidence, wellbeing, leadership and connection.
Community support and navigation
Helping people understand services, systems and pathways to support.
Leadership and capacity building
Strengthening individuals, groups and community organisations.
Partnerships
Stronger relationships between community and services, government, education, health, legal and other sectors.
Evidence and advocacy
Learning from community experience to identify barriers, improve responses and drive longer-term change.
The story continues
Consultation isn't the end of a process. It's the beginning.
Heeyersu is still growing, shaped by what we hear, what we learn and what communities tell us needs to happen next.
- Listen
- Understand
- Act
- Connect
- Lead
- Return to community
That is the story of Heeyersu — and community continues to write it.