What if the very first question we ask determines everything that follows?
In this episode of Mapping What Matters, host Dr. Katie Blair is joined by social impact practitioner and systems thinker Mitra Gusheh to explore Appreciative Inquiry - a strengths-based approach that begins not with problems, but with possibility.
Mitra reflects on how asset mapping has evolved from a radical, community-led practice into something that is often reduced to lists, inventories and data collection. Through stories from her own work, she asks whether we’ve become so focused on identifying assets that we’ve forgotten why we are looking for them in the first place.
Drawing on the origins of appreciative inquiry, Mitra explains how beginning with stories of success rather than stories of need can fundamentally change the way people experience participation. Through examples including the 100 Voices project and community conversations with older residents, she demonstrates how asking different questions uncovers relationships, strengths and possibilities that conventional engagement approaches often overlook.
More than a facilitation technique, Appreciative Inquiry is a different way of seeing communities. It reminds us that people are experts in their own lives, that every community holds stories worth learning from, and that meaningful change begins the moment we ask a better question.
Whether your facilitating workshops, designing programs, or working alongside communities, this episode offers practical ways to shift conversations from problems to possibility.
Voices
Katie Blair, PhD is Manager, Research and Evaluation at the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion at the University of Technology Sydney. Her work focuses on community-engaged research, participatory evaluation and strengthening community voice to support meaningful social change.
Mitra Gusheh is a social impact practitioner and leader whose work focuses on advancing social justice, human rights and community-led change. She has extensive experience designing and facilitating community engagement processes that centre lived experience, strengthen relationships and support communities to imagine and create positive futures through strengths-based approaches such as Appreciative Inquiry.
Credits
Written by Mitra Gusheh, Tshinta Morris, Anusha Muller and Katie Blair. Recorded and edited by Jane Curtis and Lachlan A'Court. Executive producer: Sarah Gilbert. Mapping What Matters is made by UTS Impact Studios, in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and Glebe Youth Service. This project was also supported by the Paul Ramsey Foundation.Mapping What Matters is made by UTS Impact Studios, in collaboration with the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion and Glebe Youth Service. This project was also supported by the Paul Ramsey Foundation.
Resources
