FormatHot Pot Stickers
A shared table and simple prompts to meet people over hot pot. Trialled as an activity inside partner events.
Food and teaSmall groupIn person
Photo: Your Queer Neighbours Festival, 2026BetterActs · Naarm Melbourne
People who bring people together.
A community ecosystem for the organisers, creators and everyday people who make Melbourne feel like home, especially across cultures, languages and identities.
Connection takes a little care.Find your way in
Start where you are.
People usually join because they trust someone, not because they understand every programme. So we start with you, then point to one clear next step.
Established creator
You already run a group, event series or creative practice and want peers, reach and resources.
Start hereAspiring creator
You have an idea but not the first step yet. Start by joining a group and get 1:1 support.
Start hereJoin a group
Find people with shared interests and gatherings that suit your energy, language and time.
Start hereOrganisation or partner
NFPs, charities and social enterprises. Share events, co-deliver projects, reach new communities.
Start hereFunder or impact investor
Meet community creators in a more human setting and find aligned, grassroots projects.
Start hereBusiness or cafe space
Host a gathering, sponsor a small activity or offer an act of service, not just a donation.
Start hereBeyond Identity® communities
Seven circles, one ecosystem.
Each circle is led by community creators. Inside each one: groups, advisory and grant opportunities, programs with partners, and a path to advocacy and policy.
Beyond Identity® Creatives
Creatives
Artists, writers, dancers and filmmakers making work about identity and belonging.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
Beyond Identity® Women
Women
Women stepping into leadership on their own terms, with peers who get it.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
Beyond Identity® Health & Wellbeing
Health & Wellbeing
Gentle, low-pressure gatherings that look after body, mind and community.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
Beyond Identity® Belonging
Belonging
For anyone building a life between cultures, from new arrivals to third culture kids.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
Beyond Identity® DEI
DEI
Diversity, equity and inclusion practice, from lived experience to workplace change.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
Beyond Identity® Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship
Impact start-ups and social enterprises finding partners, mentors and funding.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
Beyond Identity® Co-leadership
Co-leadership
Creators co-designing and co-delivering projects so no one leads alone.
- Groups led by creators
- Advisory opportunities
- Grants and funding
- Programs with partners
- Employment pathways
- Advocacy and policy
How joining works
A person, not a funnel.
No long forms, no automatic decisions. A person reads what you share and helps you find a good fit.
- 01
Pick one circle
Choose the Beyond Identity® community that fits you today. You can change it later.
- 02
A short sign-up
About a minute: your name, email and the circle you chose.
- 03
A person reads it
Every expression of interest is read by someone on our team.
- 04
A conversation
A friendly chat with a facilitator, in your language if you like.
- 05
Join a group
We introduce you to a group or help you start your own.
- 06
First gathering
Come along to something small, creative or food-based.
- 07
A gentle next step
A light prompt to keep in touch with one person you met.
Gatherings
Small, warm and easy to say yes to.
What works: regular in-person activities, creative and relaxing formats, clear topics and a personal invitation. Every gathering lists its energy level and language support.
Format
FormatMake and share circle
Hands-on making with low social pressure. Bring nothing, leave with something and a new name you know.
CreativeQuietIn person
Photo: Zine workshop, Our Point 3
FormatCreators' table
Organisers swap what works: chat rules, first events, grant tips, keeping people coming back.
For creatorsIn personOnline
Photo: Our Point 3
Stories first
People enter through trust in a person before they understand every initiative.
Feifei Liao arrived in Melbourne at 16 as an international student. Her work since, from Our Point 3 to Feifei Curiosity and the Beyond Identity® podcast, asks one question: how do we build communities where people feel seen and able to contribute?
CuriosityCommunityCreativityChoice
Read our story
Stories and podcast
Stories of choices, life and belonging.
The Beyond Identity® podcast and story nights share how people found their way, so the next person can imagine more choices for themselves. Earlier episodes from our founders' work live on the Voices of Us series.
Listen to Voices of Us ↗From our founders' community work
Real people, real rooms.
BetterActs is new, so these photos come from festivals, workshops and exhibitions our co-founders have led or joined through Our Point 3, Feifei Curiosity and partners.
Tools for small not-for-profits
Less admin, more community.
Many organisers run on volunteers and goodwill. Lori, built by our not-for-profit BetterActs Collective, and its peer learning sessions for not-for-profit operators take some of that weight off.
Meet Lori ↗
Partners, funders and spaces
Start with a trial, not a contract.
We start every partnership with a conversation and a trial activity. If it works for both sides, we talk about something more formal.
Organisations
Share events across groups, co-deliver projects, reach regional communities.
Funders
Meet creators in interactive, non-corporate settings and find aligned projects.
Cafes and venues
Host a gathering and become part of the neighbourhood's story.
Businesses
Support through acts of service, skills and space, not only money.
Trust and accountability
A community you can check.
Backed by a not-for-profit
Our sister organisation BetterActs Collective Inc. (ABN 90 406 224 512) runs volunteering and Lori under its own board.
People decide, not software
Every EOI is read by a person. Any AI help is a draft for a human reviewer.
Your information
Handled under the Australian Privacy Principles. Ask us to see or delete it any time.
Safe, inclusive spaces
Community guidelines for every group, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and a clear way to raise concerns.
Bring a question or an idea.
Tell us who you are and what would make connection more useful for your community. A person will get back to you.