How does globalisation impact on the ground in local settings and how are local people and organisations addressing global problems?

‘Global Change in Western Sydney’ is a collaboration between Mapping Frictions and Global Studies at the University of Technology Sydney. It showcases short articles written by final year students enrolled in the Bachelor of Global Studies who have documented stories of people, organisations and initiatives in Western Sydney tackling global issues.

The selected works come from a group project completed in the degree’s capstone subject Global Problem Solving which examines how global issues related to inequality, diversity and sustainability manifest in the global city of Sydney. Mapping Frictions’ Creative Director, Kavita Bedford, gives a story-writing workshop to the students in collaboration with fieldwork guidance from the subject coordinator, Dr Kristine Aquino. The group project requires students to identify and research issues especially impacting the dynamic region of Western Sydney and engage with community members and organisations to gain a more concrete understanding of global problem solving ‘in action’ at the local level.