People often face barriers when trying to engage with their communities or try new activities. They may not know what opportunities exist, where to find information or how to take the first step. 

For some people, particularly those receiving support through Housing First or other community-based programmes, the challenge can be moving from interest and intention into action. Large amounts of information can feel overwhelming without simple ways to prioritise and plan.  

The challenge therefore was to create a resource that was practical, accessible and flexible enough for people to use independently or alongside support workers.  

The Purpose Map was developed as a user-friendly guide to help people explore a wide range of opportunities and identify activities that are meaningful to them.  

The guide encourages users to reflect on a series of simple questions, including: 

• What are you interested in? 

• Is there a new hobby you would like to try? 

• Are there skills you would like to learn? 

• Do you want to meet new people? 

• Would volunteering help you gain experience? 

• Is there something you would like to do to improve your mental health? 

• Do you need practical support with everyday living?  

To make the guide more accessible, practical advice was provided on different ways to use it, including: 

• Accessing it on a phone or tablet 

• Printing the full guide 

• Printing individual sections 

• Saving screenshots of relevant information for easy reference  

The accompanying resources also support people to move from reflection into action by identifying activities they would like to try and planning practical next steps.  

The Purpose Map created a structured but flexible way for people to identify opportunities that matched their interests, goals and circumstances. 

The resources encouraged people to: 

• Explore possibilities rather than limitations. 

• Focus on their interests and strengths. 

• Identify activities they would like to try. 

• Break down larger goals into manageable first steps. 

• Build confidence through experimentation and participation.  

Practical planning tools helped users think through important details that often prevent participation, such as: 

• What activity they want to explore. 

• When activities take place. 

• How they will get there. 

• How they will build participation into their week.  

The resource also encouraged people to collect opportunities they were interested in and gradually experiment with different activities over time rather than feeling pressure to do everything at once.  

We learned that taking the first step is often the hardest part of community participation. 

People may have interests, ambitions and ideas but need simple tools that help them organise information, identify priorities and build confidence to act.  

We also learned that flexibility is essential. Different people prefer different ways of engaging with information, whether digitally, through printed resources or with support from a key worker. Providing multiple ways to access and use the guide increases its accessibility and usefulness.  

Most importantly, we learned that focusing on purpose, interests and strengths can help people move beyond service dependency and towards greater connection, confidence and participation within their communities. By helping people identify what matters to them and supporting them to take practical first steps, the Purpose Map provides a simple but effective framework for personal growth and community connection.