Creating social connection belonging and purpose toolkit

Feeling connected to other people is good for health at every age.

What is social connection, belonging and purpose?

Creating social connection, belonging and purpose means activities that help people feel cared about by others, care about others in return, and feel they belong to a group or community.

These connections can reduce loneliness and isolation and improve people’s health and social and emotional wellbeing, which in turn can help protect against alcohol and other drug harm. Much of the research focuses on older people, but strong connections matter at every age, and most programs can be adapted for different age groups. You can read more about protective factors in prevention strategies.

Ways to build connection, belonging and purpose

Activities work best when they give people purpose and direction, help them make new and positive relationships, connect them to culture and Country, and take place in healthy, safe spaces. Common approaches include:

• community sport and recreation, including relaxed, non-competitive sport, volunteering at a local club, or joining a club with friends
• community gardens, which bring together people of different ages, genders and cultures
• men’s sheds, where people meet to work on projects, share skills and stay connected
• social and activity clubs, such as walking groups, exercise classes and craft or book groups
• improving shared spaces, such as skate parks, BMX tracks and public spaces, with local councils and community groups.

Programs in Australia

Local Drug Action Teams often build on programs that already exist. National and state programs include:

• Act Belong Commit: Australia’s longest-running mental health promotion campaign, run by Curtin University’s Mentally Healthy WA with hundreds of partner organisations, encouraging people to stay active, connected and involved.
• Men’s Sheds: more than 1,300 sheds around Australia, supported by the Australian Men’s Shed Association, where people meet, share skills and work on projects together.
• Reclink Australia: sport and recreation programs that support physical and mental health and social inclusion, in more than 120 local government areas.
• Community Gardens Australia: a national network of community gardens where neighbours grow food and connect.

How Local Drug Action Teams use it

Local Drug Action Teams use this toolkit to bring their communities together, often by partnering with organisations that already run programs locally. Activities include community events and forums, workshops and training, and campaigns that encourage people to get involved. Many also use existing programs, such as a men’s shed or a sporting club, as the setting for their activities. This toolkit works well alongside mentoring, peer support, sport and arts programs.

Where it fits in the LDAT program

Local Drug Action Teams use this toolkit as part of their Community Action Plan (CAP).

How Local Drug Action Teams are responding

• Tiraapendi Wodli Hub: a community hub in Port Adelaide that brings people together through gatherings and yarning circles.
• Alexandrina LDAT: Milang Youth Hub: a youth hub giving young people aged 8 to 17 a place to belong.
• Children Thrive in Barossa: a Community Action Plan co-designed with young people, parents, volunteers and community partners, guided by this toolkit.
• Staying Strong in the City: a men’s shed that brings Aboriginal men together to share skills and support each other.
• Community sport and community arts: our themed pages bring together more programs where LDATs used sport, music, dance and film to build connection.

The full toolkit gives Local Drug Action Teams practical guidance, including:

• existing programs LDATs can draw on, and how to partner with them
• guiding principles for building connection, belonging and purpose, including connection to culture and Country
• considerations for planning and delivery, including partners, reaching people of all ages and abilities, cultural adaptation, resources and keeping participants safe
• key activities and measuring success
• key steps, from engaging the community to strengthening existing programs and improving local spaces.

If you’re part of a Local Drug Action Team, you can use the full toolkit on the LDAT platform.

Last reviewed: 4 November 2026