100 Voices: Engaging community through deep listening

As a local community citizen, UTS seeks to create positive change by working for and with members of our local community, recognising them as the experts in what our shared neighbourhood needs to thrive.  

Engaging with the community to listen deeply and capture the community at its best, the Social Impact team within the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion (CSJI) is working across Glebe, Haymarket, Pyrmont and Ultimo. 

We focus on factors that enable success, what needs to change and identify potential gaps within the community. These insights, combined with an understanding of what works locally and globally, provided the foundations for a vision for the future that speaks directly to local community needs. 

 

A vision for the future of our neighbourhood suburbs 

In 2022 we developed a community vision – a theory of change at the suburb level – for these local neighbourhoods. The plan outlines a broad vision for the future and identifies key needs to help build a thriving community. 

The vision provides a framework for partnering on projects and initiatives. Three projects undertaken so far include: 

• Pyrmont Indigenous Garden – a garden open to the public, created with the Indigenous community as a home for native plants with cultural or spiritual value, and where people will learn about First Nations sustainability practices. 
• Community Voice, Community Stories – a video series capturing what people love about their community and a place to share issues that matter to the community. 
• Upcycle to Recycle – on Second Hand Sunday in March, a drop-in stall and a series of workshops on bike repairs, sewing, electrical repair and upholstery will develop skills in repair and upcycling, saving everyday items from landfill. 

This vision will continue to develop and change along with community needs. The Social Impact Team will continue using the Suburb Level Theory of Change as a lens to focus resources and advocacy. 

 

Appreciative Inquiry to uncover strengths and opportunities  

Appreciative Inquiry is one of several participatory methodologies used by the Social Impact Team to engage, listen, and collaborate with local community members. 

This methodology involves focusing on strengths and assuming that conversations can instigate change. Rather than looking at a context as a problem to be solved, the approach uncovers assets and builds on these as foundations. 

The questions most often asked by institutions set the direction in which they move. We use Appreciative Inquiry because shifting the dialogue from the deficits to strengths can result in positive, asset-based narratives and lead to transformational change.  

We pair this with design thinking processes and tools to co-create ideas and solutions that meet community needs. 

• Our approach for this project weaved iteratively through the following phases:  
• Establishing partnerships and setting the foundation for engagement 
• Project design 
• Community conversations 
• Community-led sensemaking