Embedded Files
What’s Your Story?
For some, life in Western Sydney means opportunity, connection, and hope.
For others, it means long commutes, lost time, and feeling left behind.
Because inequity doesn’t look like one thing — it’s the everyday trade-offs people make just to keep going.
It’s:
Parents skipping work because there’s no clinic nearby
Students spending hours on public transport to reach opportunity
Families choosing between air-conditioning and groceries in a heatwave
Jobseekers turned away because their postcode says “too far”
Carers, renters, migrants and elders doing their best — in systems that weren’t built for them
Equity Diaries is a storytelling campaign from the Greater Western Sydney Advocacy Network (GWSAN) — collecting short, real stories that show what fairness (or the lack of it) feels like every day.
About the Campaign
Purpose:
A people-powered storytelling project capturing lived experiences of inequity across housing, transport, health, education, work, climate and community life.
Goal:
To turn individual experiences into collective evidence that helps decision-makers understand where systems fail — and where fairness starts.
Why It Matters
Budgets and plans rarely capture what it feels like to wait for a late bus, skip a meal, or spend half your week commuting.
Your story helps fill those blind spots, showing how policy lands in real life.
Because data needs people, and policy needs lived experience.
How it Works
1. Collect
We gather stories online, through WhatsApp voice notes, and at local pop-up sessions.
It only takes five minutes to share what fairness — or the lack of it — looks like in your day.
2. Protect
You’re in control. Every story begins with consent and is anonymous by default.
You choose what’s public, what’s private, and whether we can share your suburb or first name.
3. Analyse
Our team codes themes — from rent stress and transport gaps to heat vulnerability, school access, and opportunity barriers — then links them to local data and patterns.
Each entry helps us map where inequity hides.
4. Act
We turn insights into action. Stories inform advocacy briefs, community reports, and policy conversations with councils, MPs, and media.
Your experience becomes part of the evidence that drives fairer systems across Western Sydney.
Prompts to get you started
Transport: “How does your commute affect your day?”
Health: “What makes it hard to stay healthy where you live?”
Education: “How far do you or your child travel to learn?”
Housing: “What’s changing in your street or building?”
Work & Opportunity: “Have you ever felt your postcode limited your chances?”
Climate & Heat: “How does your suburb feel on a hot day?”
📮 Submit your story in 100–200 words or answer a few simple questions and we’ll help craft your entry.
Privacy & Consent
You decide what’s shared and how.
We never sell data or share identifying details without permission.
Anonymous by default — add a name or suburb only if you choose
Withdraw anytime — we’ll remove your story on request
Secure storage — submissions are encrypted and aggregated
Need support now?
Link2Home (NSW): 1800 152 152
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Or contact your local council’s community services team
Partner With Us
We’re working with councils, universities, and community groups to co-host diary pop-ups, analyse themes, and co-design solutions.
If your organisation believes Western Sydney deserves a fair share — join us.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse