Innovative Community Participation

Building confidence,

skills and community connection

Astara Wellness provides innovative community participation supports that help participants build confidence, develop social capacity and engage more meaningfully with their community.

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Nurturing connections through interests & choice

Innovative Community Participation (ICP) is a forward-thinking NDIS support category designed for participants who want to engage with their community in non-conventional, creative and self-directed ways. It goes beyond standard community access to fund truly participant-led approaches.

At Astara Wellness, we embrace the spirit of ICP wholeheartedly. We work with participants to identify what community participation means to them whether that's creative arts, entrepreneurship, advocacy, digital engagement or something entirely unique and then design supports that make that vision real.

ICP supports are expected to be innovative, flexible and co-designed with the participant. They should represent something beyond what is routinely available, reflecting the participant's individual goals, passions and strengths.

What this support can include

People participating in a protest or demonstration walking on a city street. Two young girls carrying a large orange banner, one wearing a light purple hoodie and a blue cap, the other in a denim jacket. An older man with gray hair and a beard holding a water bottle, wearing a white shirt and gray shorts, walking beside a woman talking on a cellphone, wearing sunglasses and a beige sweater. Many other people are in the background sitting and standing, gathered around in an urban park setting.

Astara Wellness can support participants with:

Building confidence to participate in the community
Exploring personal interests and meaningful activities
Developing social and communication skills
Practising community access skills
Building independence in social settings
Joining local groups, programs or activities
Developing routines for regular community participation
Overcoming barriers to social inclusion
Strengthening motivation and self-confidence
Building skills for volunteering, learning or future work pathways where appropriate

How Astara Wellness helps

We focus on understanding what meaningful participation looks like for each participant. This may include social connection, learning new skills, joining activities, developing routines or building confidence to engage with others.

Our approach includes:

Identifying the participant’s interests and goals
Creating practical steps toward community involvement
Supporting gradual confidence building
Encouraging choice and self-direction
Helping participants practise social and community skills
Reviewing progress and adjusting supports as confidence grows

People working at a conference table with laptops and a screen displaying charts and data.

Suitable for participants who need

People standing in a circle holding up a large, colorful quilt canopy made of many fabric squares overhead in an outdoor urban setting.

This support may suit participants who:

Feel isolated or disconnected from the community
Need support to build social confidence
Want to explore new interests or activities
Require tailored support to participate outside the home
Need help developing community access skills
Are working toward greater independence and inclusion

Is this support right for you?

WHO THIS IS FOR

Creative individuals

Artists, makers, performers and creators
Entrepreneurs

People with business or enterprise ideas
Advocates

Those who want to lead or mentor others
Digital creators

Online creators and community builders

WHAT WE DELIVER

Support that covers what matters

What we provide

Creative arts & cultural projects - art, music, performance, film-making or cultural expression.
Entrepreneurship & micro-enterprise - exploring business ideas, market stalls or community enterprise.
Peer mentoring & advocacy - contributing as a leader, mentor or disability advocate.
Technology-enabled participation - using digital platforms to connect, create and contribute.
Co-designed community projects - collaborating with organisations on inclusive community initiatives.
Non-traditional learning - skill-building through creative, hands-on or community-based methods.

Our ICP approach

Participant-led design - we start with your vision, not ours.

Flexible and creative - we find ways to make non-traditional ideas work.

Community connections - we help link you with organisations and opportunities.

Co-design approach - you are an active partner in designing your support.

Outcome-focused - we track progress toward your community goals.

Adaptive - if something isn't working, we evolve the approach together.

Our outcome focus

Astara Wellness supports participants to build confidence, independence and connection. The goal is not just attendance at activities, but meaningful participation that supports wellbeing, identity and personal growth.

Frequently asked questions

Standard community participation funds support to access existing community activities. ICP funds creative, non-traditional approaches that go beyond what is routinely available - typically involving co-design, creativity, technology, entrepreneurship or peer leadership.
Yes. ICP must be included in your plan. If it isn't currently funded but you feel it would benefit you, speak with your support coordinator about including it at your next plan review or through an unscheduled review.
Absolutely - that is the whole point of ICP. We work with you as an equal partner to co-design a program that reflects your individual goals, passions and community vision. Your ideas drive everything we do.
That's perfectly fine - ICP is specifically designed for ideas that don't fit standard templates. Bring your idea to us and we'll work with you to design a support arrangement that makes it possible within your NDIS funding.