From extraction to reciprocity: building authentic university and community partnerships

Do communities even want or need university support? How can we build bridges between universities and communities that allow for reciprocity and mutually beneficial outcomes? 

In this session, our panellists will share common pitfalls, how to shift from extractive to reciprocal relationships, and how to maintain a community-centred approach in all aspects of your research and projects.  

Event details

The event will also be live-streamed, so you can attend in person or tune in online! 

• 4.00 pm: Event commences
• 4.10 pm: Introductory remarks
• 4.20 pm: Panel session commences
• 5.30 pm: Panel session concludes
• 5:30pm - 6:30pm: Refreshments and dinner will be served, participants invited to view the exhibition

Panelists:

Professor Lindon Coombes is a Yuallaraay man who’s family is from Brewarrina in north-west NSW and has over 25 years of experience working across a range of sectors in Aboriginal affairs. He has held senior executive positions in the NSW Government and has been CEO of Aboriginal owned and controlled organisations. Lindon has also been a Senior Advisor for successive Ministers holding the Aboriginal Affairs portfolio in NSW. He has extensive experience in Indigenous policy development and engagement. He was most recently a Director in PwC’s Indigenous Consulting and is now Director of Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research.

Oscar Sanchez is the Coordinator of the Uniting Harris Community Centre and a community leader in the area of Ultimo Pyrmont. With over ten years experience in Community Development, Oscar has managed and co-designed with the local community many diverse and inclusive projects and events to bring people together, celebrate community traditions and support our most vulnerable members. Oscar has been a long-term partner across various UTS programs, including the Centre for Social Justice’s Community Engagement and Impact Team.

Phillippa Carnemolla is an Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney in the School of Built Environment. She is interested in exploring how inclusive design and community-led research is done well in a university setting. At UTS, she works on projects that identify and remove barriers to participation in our workplaces, organisations, homes and cities. She has worked in partnership with the Council for Intellectual Disability for the past 6 years on a range of projects about local governments,  self advocacy and NSW disability institutional heritage. Phillippa co-leads the design and innovation theme for the UTS Ageing Research Collaborative, and the UTS Disability Research Network. 

Jack Kelly is an Honorary Research Fellow at UTS in the School of Built Environment, Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building. Jack has worked in the disability research and advocacy sector since 2015, having worked with UTS and the Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) Inclusive Research Network as a Research Associate. Jack also holds a position at the Council for Intellectual Disability (CID) as a project worker. Jack is passionate about advocating for the rights of people with intellectual disability. 

Lisa Aitken is an experienced social impact practitioner having worked across university, government, not-for-profit, start- up and private sectors. She has extensive experience in human centred program design, leadership, strategic planning and project management. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Teaching (Visual Arts), completed subjects in a Master of Education majoring in Aboriginal Education and a Bachelor of Behavioural Sciences (psychology).

Amy Persson (moderator) is the Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (Social Justice and Inclusion) and is a public policy specialist who has worked across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. She was previously the Head of Government Affairs and External Engagement at UTS.

Exhibition:

Join us at the Community Engagement and Impact Exhibition. We will showcase key collaborations between staff, students and community including projects from: 

• Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building 
• UTS Business School
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 
• Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion 
• Council for Intellectual Disability
• Faculty of Engineering and IT 

Check out the other sessions at the UTS Community Engaged Symposium

• 12:30—1:30pm: Panel session - Engaged Teaching and Learning at UTS
• 2:00—3:30 pm: Workshop -Beyond our concrete tower: Breaking down barriers between academia and community
• 2:00—3:30 pm: Workshop - Indigenous Research: Community led, informed and actualised
• 2:00—3:30 pm: Workshop - Evaluation with communities: who gets to decide what "good" looks like?