Change grows beneath the surface
Communities don’t change simply because of new programs or policies. They change because people have experiences that shape how they think, feel, relate and act together.
Arbour is an independent practice, led by Ellen Jackson, that explores this hidden ecology and makes it easier to see and work with.
Understanding how change happens
What are people experiencing beneath the visible activity? Which relational practices shape those experiences? What helps trust, belonging and agency grow, and what gets in the way?
Arbour works with funders, government and community organisations who want to understand not just whether their work makes a difference, but how. The aim isn’t a universal model. It’s a clearer explanation of how change may be happening, tested in practice and turned into principles that can guide future action and investment.
The inquiry in practice
Much of Arbour’s current thinking has been developed through the Ballarat Living Lab: a way of learning from community change while it is still unfolding. The Living Lab is a Learning Partnership hosted by the Ballarat Foundation.
From the Understory
Short reflections, longer essays and occasional audio notes from Arbour’s work as it unfolds
About Ellen
I’m a psychologist and social-change practitioner. I’ve spent much of my working life exploring how people develop, grow and change. I started with individuals and organisations, then widened to communities, places and systems, but the underlying question has stayed much the same: what happens in and between people that makes change possible?
I established Arbour to give that inquiry a home.
More about Ellen →