Canberra clubs combat loneliness in third spaces

Jamila Asfour has found her tribe in The Canberra Girls Club.

Coming from a place of loneliness, it's helped her feel less isolated in the community.

She said becoming a member of The Canberra Girls Club - what's known as a " third space ", had been a privilege, "because there are lots of inclusions, and I'm sure they'll be welcoming a lot of people with disabilities who are feeling isolated".

Canberra's reputation as a "boring" city is often a mask for the isolation felt within the community.

This label, largely created by those living outside the capital in the rest of Australia, resonates with many residents who feel stuck between their nine-to-five jobs and their homes.

Mrs Asfour said her first impressions of Canberra had been of an isolating city with little to do, and going