UTS Shopfront Community Program

For nearly three decades, Shopfront has been connecting not-for-profits with UTS's resources, offering students real-world experience through work-integrated learning. Last year's engagement? Over 2,185 students and support to community organisations across Australia!  Show your support for Shopfront by voting for the People's Choice - click the heart icon next to Shopfront and enter your name and email. Every vote counts! 💖 https://lnkd.in/gBjHHswX

We were so excited to have celebrated the work of Shopfront students and community partner Liverpool Women's Health Centre on International Women's Day this year. Manager of Community Engaged Teaching and Learning Dr Mehal Krayem attended the opening of the 'Giving Voice' exhibition, designed by UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building students last year working in partnership with Jessika E. of Liverpool Women's Health Centre.💜 50 years of the Liverpool Women’s Health Centre and its incredible impact on women’s health and advocacy. The exhibition honours the resilience of the Liverpool community and the continued pursuit of equity, safety and empowerment for all women. Giving Voice is a free exhibition at the Yellamundie Gallery, Liverpool City Library, running now until 27 July. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e4p7jZcB

Passionate about the rights of refugees and aslyum-seekers? Interested in the ways design, archiving and story-telling can bring this issue to life? Come visit the UTS Data Arena this week to see a free, public immersive exhibition 'Weapons of Slow Destruction.' This twenty-minute screening is an act of 'creative resistance' to the cruel offshore detention policies of Australia. This unique exhibition interrogates the strategies and practices of systematic torture associated with Australia's immigration detention regime. Focusing on the incarceration of refugees in the Republic of Nauru, Weapons of Slow Destruction showcases examples from Elahe Zivardar's never-before-seen archive - a selection of diverse material collected and categorised during six years held in the island. The exhibition is curated by Elahe Zivardar and Omid Tofighian, and developed and delivered by the UTS Data Arena team; the project aims to expose how design, space, identity and time are weaponised in 1) the production and maintenance of the offshore detention centre, 2) the control and exploitation of human beings, and 3) the construction of narratives about national security, national identity and national interest. 📅 Wednesday 12, Thursday 13, Friday 14 ⏲️ 12-1pm 📍 UTS Data Arena, Building 11, UTS city campus 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_fXRB7b. Funded by the UTS Social Impact Grants through UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion

Work-Integrated Learning Australia is offering scholarships to students and the applications are now open! A few $1,500 scholarships are available to support students doing a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placement in Australia during their 2025/2026 studies. To be eligible candidate for this scholarship, you are required to: 🏢 complete placement with 3 weeks duration minimum and occur between 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026. ⏳the placement must be full time. Application submission process: 💠students complete an online application form. 💠all applicants must submit a 500-word synopsis, which addresses the following specific criteria as part of the online application form: 🎯Evidence of reflection on work-based context and skill development. 🎯How the WIL placement will support and enhance development of employability. 🎯Highlight the focus of personal skill development during placement. 🎯Evidence of clear and concise communication skills. 💠submit alll required documents that include most recent academic transcript, a written statement from an institutional representative supporting the application, and an evidence that the WIL placement is a requirement of the degree. 🆔All candidates considered including international students. 📅 Applications close 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘆. Check detail requirements and apply via CareerHub: https://lnkd.in/g3xA3m9p #UOW #WIL #Scholarship #Placement

Last week, we travelled to Canberra for the 2025 Universities Australia Solutions Summit. The event brought together leaders from across the university sector to discuss the current challenges facing higher education, building skills for the future, and the student experience. The mood of the conference was sombre, taking place against a backdrop of continuing policy uncertainty, with the upcoming federal election set to shape the future direction of higher education and research funding. However, it was also a timely opportunity for the sector to come together, share insights and consider the role of universities as enablers and change makers. ✨ Highlight from the Summit ✨ Our biggest highlight by far was attending the attending the Shaping Australia Awards where our very own UTS Shopfront Community Program was a finalist in ‘The Future Builder’ category. While we sadly didn’t come away with the win, it was an honour to be considered for the award amongst such high calibre projects. Congratulations to University of South Australia for taking home the trophy. We are so proud of the incredible impact that our Shopfront Program has had on both local community groups, not-for-profits, and UTS students for close to 30 years, and we can’t wait to continue this work into the distant future. “Even though Shopfront didn’t win, we are incredibly proud to be a finalist and to be recognised as a leading program in developing civic-minded graduates and future leaders.” – Maddy Langabeer ✏️ Key takeaways from the Summit ✏️ 🔸 UTS Chancellor Catharine Livingstone’s keynote address was direct in noting that the sector needs to be more active in demonstrating in practical ways how it engages with and supports national prosperity, innovation systems, skills development, and the economy. She also highlighted the immense potential that exists when our higher education, industry, and government work together. – Prof. Andrew Parfitt 🔸 Universities are critical to building Australia’s future and to delivering productivity, economic growth and progress. – Luke Sheehy, CEO, Universities Australia 🔸 Labor and the Coalition are outlining very different ways forward for the sector which creates great uncertainty. I had hoped the Universities Accord would achieve more bipartisan support but sadly not. – Sonal Singh 🔸 Student equity must be at the cente of reform, not an afterthought – Sonal Singh 🔸 Equity practitioners must rise and be louder, bolder, and more relentless than ever. We must demand diverse representation in decision-making spaces. We must call for greater inclusion of student voices and fight for an education system that serves all, not just those who have always had a seat at the table. – Sonal Singh #HigherEducation #AusPol #StudentEquity #CommunityEngagement

The peer-reviewed research article is vital for sharing new knowledge and practice. For community-based researchers and practitioners, however, its conventional form often marginalises or excludes the very thing they seek to share: diversity of knowledge and practice. So, how do we ensure that research articles are accessible and meaningful for all those involved in community-university collaborations? Find out in the latest edition of the 'Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement’ – now available via UTS ePRESS - University of Technology Sydney, Australia – https://lnkd.in/g-vzivKc We are proud to jointly edit and manage this wonderful journal alongside University of North Carolina at Charlotte. #CommunityEngagement #Research #Journal #Academia

Following the momentum and positive outcomes of the 2024 Elsie Conference chaired by Professor Anne Summers, UTS academics and professionals from across the university involved in domestic and family violence research are invited to join the Domestic and Family Violence Network. “The Domestic and Family Violence Network is a university-wide collaborative initiative which brings together the academic community to address one of the most urgent and pernicious problems of our time - family and domestic violence,” said co-lead, Dr Mihajla Gavin, Senior Lecturer UTS Business School. Co-lead Dr Jane Wangmann, Associate Professor at the UTS Faculty of Law said the Network will help showcase the excellent and innovative work taking place at UTS to build on it and collaborate more effectively. DFV@UTS will hold its first meeting for the year and the Network warmly welcomes all University of Technology Sydney researchers with an interest in this topic. When: 10-11.30am, Tuesday 11 March 2025 Where: RESHub events space, CB02.05.250, Level 5 Building 2 adjacent to UTS Reading Room.  RSVP: Send an email to [email protected] Learn about the Network at https://lnkd.in/gQqcuAaE Did you see the new report released today by Prof Summers on the the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence? " ...our research shows a dramatic “employment gap” between women who have experienced domestic violence and those who have not." Read more in The Conversation Australia + NZ https://lnkd.in/gp9fyEBn

This week we ventured down to Canberra for the Universities Australia Solutions Conference. We were very excited to have one of our programs, the UTS Shopfront Community Program a finalist in the Shaping Australia Awards. While we were not a winner, being a finalist from so many incredible programs across Australia and providing Shopfront (an almost 30 year old program) with the recognition it deserves has been a great experience. This program has tangible, purposeful outcomes for the community sector and builds critical skills for our students. A key theme of the summit was universities ability to engage successfully externally, influencing and driving policy and making real impact in society. I feel confident in our role in community engagement to provide impactful research, social outcomes and build civic graduate attributes for our students. Here are a few snaps from Parliament House along with our feature in the The Australian newspaper this week with one of our key partners Glebe Youth Service. Full Article here: https://lnkd.in/eNjz-sUj Maddy Langabeer Amy Persson Cale Bain Dr Mehal Krayem Mitra Gusheh Sonal Singh UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion University of Technology Sydney

UTS Shopfront Community Program was named a finalist in the Shaping Australia Awards and although we didn’t win, we’re really proud to be recognised as a leading program in developing civic-minded graduates and future leaders. ✨ Highlights ✨ from our program lead Maddy Langabeer below

Exciting News! We’re thrilled to announce that the 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 is returning in 2025! Join us at The University of Queensland on 𝟮𝟮/𝟮𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 for two days of insightful discussions and networking opportunities. Make sure to mark these dates in your calendar and stay tuned for more updates coming soon! #engagementaustralia2025 #eaconference #engagementaustraliaconference #australianuniversities #communityengagement #conferenceannouncement #UQ #savethedate #highered