Change the Story

After 30 years of community engagement, a new question emerges - where to from here?Shopfront has survived changes in leadership, funding pressures, shifting university priorities and enormous changes in the communities it serves. So what has allowed it to endure, and what will it take for programs like Shopfront to continue into the future?In this episode, we explore how community engagement can become more than a collection of projects and partnerships. We reflect on what happens when engagement is embedded into the fabric of a university, how institutions can support and reward this work, and why creating opportunities for students to connect with communities remains as important as ever.Along the way, hear about hopes for the future of higher education, the challenges universities will need to navigate, and the role they can play in helping build stronger, more connected and more resilient communities.This episode asks a simple but important question - if community engagement matters, how do we make sure it lasts?VoicesProfessor Andrew Parfitt - Vice-Chancellor and President, UTSPauline O’Loughlin – Founding program manager, UTS ShopfrontAmy Persson - Pro Vice Chancellor of Social Justice and Inclusion, UTSProfessor Verity Firth - Vice Chancellor of Societal Impact, Equity, and Engagement, UNSWMarisol Morales - Vice President, Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development,Northern Illinois UniversityDr Caspar de Bok - head of Educational Policy & Quality and International Affairs, Utrecht UniversityEva Cox AO - Sociologist, author and social commentatorScott Burns - Former Shopfront student and UTS AlumniHosted by Dr Mehal KrayemCreditsProduced by Ali AitkenResearch and interviews by Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale BainChange the Story is an Impact Studios podcast.

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.VoicesProfessor Paul Ashton – Co-Founder and former alternate director, UTS ShopfrontPauline O’Loughlin - Founding program manager, UTS ShopfrontChristina Ho - Associate Professor in Social and Political Sciences at UTSTracey-Lee Aristides - General Manager, Kings Cross Community CentreMelissa Lee - MACVADHosted by Dr Mehal KrayemCreditsProduced by Ali AitkenResearch and interviews by Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale BainChange 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.VoicesProfessor Andrew Parfitt - Vice-Chancellor and President, UTSAmy Persson - Pro Vice Chancellor of Social Justice and Inclusion, UTSPhil Nyden - Professor Emeritus in Sociology, Loyola University ChicagoDr Caspar de Bok - head of Educational Policy & Quality and International Affairs, Utrecht UniversityProfessor Verity Firth - Vice Chancellor of Societal Impact, Equity, and Engagement, UNSWNorbert Steinhaus - Science Shop founderMarisol Morales - Vice President, Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development, Northern Illinois UniversityCreditsProduced by Ali AitkenResearch and interviews by Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale BainChange 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.VoicesProfessor Paul Ashton - Co-Founder and former alternate director, UTS ShopfrontPauline O’Loughlin - Founding program manager, UTS ShopfrontBonney Djuric - Historian and ActivistMaia Ihemeje - Founder, Yung ProdigyProfessor Alison Page - Former Shopfront studentScott Burns - Former Shopfront student and UTS AlumniHosted by Dr Mehal KrayemCreditsProduced by Ali AitkenResearchers - Dr Margaret Malone and Dr Cale BainChange 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.VoicesKatie 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.CreditsWritten 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.ResourcesMapping What Matters - The Harwood Approach Summary SheetHarwood Institute for Public KnowledgeHarwood Institute - Being Turned Outward