On 18 February 2026, more than 80 community members gathered to launch the Ballarat Civility Exchange, the first place-based project in a national exploration of civility, delivered in partnership with the Ballarat Foundation.

The day was chaired by Ballarat Foundation Chair Ellen Jackson, with General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Liz Gillies offering national context. But the design deliberately put local voices at the centre: after the framing, participants moved into small-group table discussions and were asked a strengths-based question, not ‘what is broken?’ but ‘where are people already finding ways to work together, and what can we learn from them?’

Across those tables the community produced 96 statements about the relational patterns in their city, the raw material that became the register, the themes and the credits explored elsewhere in this showcase. Participants also named the everyday ‘deposits’ that build trust: listening with curiosity, extending respect, inviting others into dialogue.

It took courage to speak honestly, and people did. The launch set the tone for everything since: civility is not abstract, it is lived, local, and built through relationships.