A total of 26 participants have been selected to take part in this year's Casuarina Community Leadership Program.
The annual program, which started on Saturday and will run until June, helps participants develop their leadership skills and progress change in their community.
With a focus on hands-on learning, the program teaches practical skills such as project management, effective communication and engagement and provides advice on how to apply for grants.
This year's program participants who live, work or volunteer in the Surf Coast Shire are:
Anglesea: Wendy Clarke, Deborah Elliott, Sally Groom, Samantha Gault and Julie Martin.
Bellbrae: Mollie Vaughan.
Deans Marsh: Miranda Jarvis.
Gnarwarre: Annika Naylor.
Jan Juc: Nicole Dickmann, Ferne Millen, Lucy O'Grady, Regina Sawyer, Brooke Murphy and Margaret Foulkes.
Mount Duneed: Georgia Pearson.
Torquay: Murray Middleton, Claire Osborn, Sharon Valentino, Priti Jitendra, Amber Potter, Merrin Wake, Angela Rodaughan and Ngoni Kwashi.
Winchelsea: Richard Colin Lockie, Alasdair Baird and Sylvia Maseyk.
Surf Coast Shire Mayor Cr Libby Stapleton congratulated the participants on being selected to take part.
"Our participants are heavily involved in their communities and have a good understanding of local needs," she said.
"The Casuarina Community Leadership program will help equip them with the practical skills they need to realise their community project ideas, and I'm excited to see the positive changes they'll make."
"This program is as grass roots as it gets. It's all about empowering one another to create a more connected, caring and sustainable community."
