🚐 PLACE Listening Tour | Week 11 highlights
A powerful day in Glebe, Ultimo, Pyrmont and Haymarket listening, learning, and seeing what’s possible when community voice leads the way.
We heard how more than 100 local voices spanning ages 18 to 95 and over 15 ethnicities came together to shape a Suburb-Level Theory of Change: a bold, collective vision for a thriving community built from the ground up.
🔍 Using an Appreciative Inquiry approach, this neighbourhood-level collaboration asked:
When our community thrives, what makes it possible? What stands in the way?
The result? Deep insights, clear priorities, and a shared commitment to turning stories into systems change.
📣 “Despite our efforts, progress has been small scale. We’re at the end of our capacity.”
We sat with community leaders, students, and local organisations to unpack the challenges ranging from sticky-taped funding and siloed systems, to burnout and rising invisibility of disadvantage beneath the narrative of prosperity.
But the strengths? They run deep:
💪 A village feel and strong volunteer base
🤝 Long-standing relationships, including with UTS and local members
🧭 Social capital built on compassion, connection, and care
💡 Ideas for a sustainable future such as community gardens, climate action groups, local media self-publishing solutions such as the Glebe Newspaper, and digital tools like Community Compass.
👂 “It’s hard to fix a problem that can’t be voiced.”
👂 “The rug was pulled but we’re still standing.”
👂 “When we walk together, we believe change is possible.”
From public housing to public health, from food security to climate action, this visit showed how community-driven approaches are stronger when working together, cultural diversity and inclusiveness reduce loneliness, and again a large volunteer base is filing service gaps.
The day finished with a powerful cultural tour led by Uncle Les and Mitra Gusheh, tracing stories of strength, struggle, and community across local sites from of the last remaining scarred trees in Sydney, Uniting Harris Community Centre and its collaborative food pantry, to Tranby College, Bidura, Royleston, and the Tent Embassy protest site at Victoria Park, reminding us that place-based change is always grounded in history, culture, and connection. “Our Scar trees in Glebe are a signal of our enduring strength.”
Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and shared generously. The work happening in Glebe and surrounds is a brilliant example of what’s possible when we create space for the community to lead.
#PLACEListeningTour #GlebeYouthService #CommunityVoice #SuburbLevelChange #PlaceBasedLeadership #SystemsChange #LocallyLed #SocialImpact #ListeningMatters