Where to from here? | The Shopfront Story Ep 3

What happens when learning leaves the classroom and enters the real world? Recorded at Shopfront's 30th anniversary celebration, the final episode in this special series brings together founders, academics, community partners and former students to reflect on what happens when universities and communities work together. Through a live panel discussion, they explore the value of community-engaged learning from different perspectives. Community partners talk about the practical challenges facing the sector and the opportunities created through university partnerships. Academics reflect on the moment students encounter social issues not as theories, but as lived realities. Former students share how working with community organisations changed the way they think about their work, their responsibilities and the impact they hope to have. Part conversation, part reflection, this episode offers a glimpse into the relationships, experiences and moments of learning that have shaped Shopfront over the past 30 years, and continue to shape the people involved long after the projects themselves have ended. Voices Professor Paul Ashton – Co-Founder and former alternate director, UTS Shopfront Pauline O’Loughlin - Founding program manager, UTS Shopfront Christina Ho - Associate Professor in Social and Political Sciences at UTS Tracey-Lee Aristides - General Manager, Kings Cross Community Centre Melissa Lee - MACVAD Hosted by Dr Mehal Krayem Credits Produced by Ali Aitken Research and interviews by Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale Bain Change the Story is an Impact Studios podcast.

Universities are often described as places of teaching and research. But what responsibility do they have to the communities around them? In this episode, we move beyond individual projects and explore a bigger question: what can 30 years of community engagement teach us about the relationship between universities and the communities they serve? Drawing on perspectives from Australia, the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, we explore ideas of public purpose, co-creation, mutual learning, trust and the growing global movement for community engagement in higher education. Hear how universities can move beyond seeing themselves as the sole holders of expertise, and instead recognise the value of lived experience, local knowledge and community wisdom. Voices Professor Andrew Parfitt - Vice-Chancellor and President, UTS Amy Persson - Pro Vice Chancellor of Social Justice and Inclusion, UTS Phil Nyden - Professor Emeritus in Sociology, Loyola University Chicago Dr Caspar de Bok - head of Educational Policy & Quality and International Affairs, Utrecht University Professor Verity Firth - Vice Chancellor of Societal Impact, Equity, and Engagement, UNSW Norbert Steinhaus - Science Shop founder Marisol Morales - Vice President, Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, Northern Illinois University Credits Produced by Ali Aitken Research and interviews by Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale Bain Change the Story is an Impact Studios podcast.

How did a small university program become a bridge between students, academics and communities for more than 30 years? In this first episode, we explore the origins of UTS Shopfront and the ideas that shaped it from the beginning. Through stories from founders, community partners and former students, we hear how collaboration, trust and a commitment to social justice helped create a program with lasting impact. From preserving overlooked histories to supporting emerging organisations, we learn that the most enduring outcomes are often not the projects themselves, but the relationships built along the way. Voices Professor Paul Ashton - Co-Founder and former alternate director, UTS Shopfront Pauline O’Loughlin - Founding program manager, UTS Shopfront Bonney Djuric - Historian and Activist Maia Ihemeje - Founder, Yung Prodigy Professor Alison Page - Former Shopfront student Scott Burns - Former Shopfront student and UTS Alumni Hosted by Dr Mehal Krayem Credits Produced by Ali Aitken Researchers - Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale Bain Change the Story is an Impact Studios podcast.

What happens when we stop planning for communities and start listening to them instead? Bringing together the themes explored throughout the series, host Dr. Katie Blair is joined by community builder and youth advocate Giane Cole to explore the Harwood Approach - a philosophy of community engagement built on one simple idea: before we plan, we need to listen. Drawing on decades of experience working alongside young people and communities, Giane reflects on how genuine community conversations can shift perceptions, build trust and create lasting change. Through stories from her own practice, she describes how creating space for people to share their aspirations led to youth-led action, transformed public spaces and changed the way communities viewed young people - not as problems to solve, but as leaders and active contributors. Giane explores what it really means to turn outward: placing community aspirations ahead of organisational priorities, valuing lived experience alongside professional expertise, and recognising that people, relationships and stories are some of a community's greatest assets. Giane also shares a practical five-step guide for facilitating meaningful community conversations and translating what people care about into collective action. As the series draws to a close, this episode reminds us that every engagement method carries a mindset. When we begin by listening deeply, sharing power and trusting communities to shape their own future, we don't just change the questions we ask - we change the possibilities that emerge. Whether you're working in community development, education, government or social impact, this final episode offers practical inspiration for creating more authentic, community-led change. Voices Katie Blair, PhD is Manager, Research and Evaluation at the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney. Her work focuses on community-engaged research, participatory evaluation and strengthening community voice to support meaningful social change. Giane Cole is a community builder, youth advocate and community development practitioner with extensive experience supporting young people and communities to lead positive change. Her work focuses on youth participation, community engagement and creating the conditions for communities to identify their own strengths, build relationships and shape their own futures through meaningful participation. Credits Written by Mitra Gusheh, Tshinta Morris, Anusha Muller and Katie Blair. Recorded and edited by Jane Curtis and Lachlan A'Court. Executive producer, Impact Studios: Sarah Gilbert. Mapping What Matters is made by UTS Impact Studios, in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and Glebe Youth Service. This project was also supported by the Paul Ramsey Foundation. Resources Mapping What Matters - The Harwood Approach Summary Sheet Harwood Institute for Public Knowledge Harwood Institute - Being Turned Outward

What if some of a community's greatest strengths can't be captured in a survey, a spreadsheet - or even a map? If Episode 3 encouraged us to see the wider system, this episode invites us to look more deeply into lived experience. Host Dr. Katie Blair is joined by Dr. Barbara Doran, an arts-based researcher and educator, to explore body mapping - a creative participatory method that helps people express experiences, knowledge and strengths that are often difficult to put into words. Barbara reflects on the limitations of traditional community engagement approaches, arguing that even strengths-based methods like asset mapping can overlook the emotional, embodied and deeply personal experiences that shape people's lives. Through stories from her own practice - including projects with young people, parents and carers, and women who have experienced trauma - she demonstrates how body mapping creates opportunities for people to share richer, more nuanced stories about themselves and their communities. The conversation explores how body mapping works in practice, from creating safe and supportive spaces through to using creative prompts and storytelling to uncover insights that conventional consultation methods rarely reveal. Barbara also shares practical guidance for introducing body mapping into your own work. More than an arts-based activity, body mapping is a different way of listening. It reminds us that knowledge doesn't only live in words - it also lives in memory, emotion, sensation and lived experience. When we create space for people to express these experiences in their own way, we don't just gather better information - we create the conditions for connection, understanding and transformation.