COLLIE Gallery Group Inc. have received a grant for a project which will aim at using art to bring the Collie community together and bridge the gap between cultures.
The $35 000 funding for the Emergence project was awarded as part of the nib foundation’s annual Community Grant program.
The Emergence project will be a youth-focused wellbeing series of arts engagement workshops run over the course of ten weeks.
Collie Gallery Group Inc. Creative Director Joshua Thomason said the Emergence Project will encourage young people to engage with the arts.
“We wanted to create something that gives people ownership; traditionally sports have been a dominant part of the Collie culture,” he said.
“There are limited projects in the community that involve young people.”
“We want the project to be an art based rite of passage for young people in the Collie region.”
Mr Thomason said the project will partner with other organisations in the community.
“We will be working with existing links in our community and community organisations,” he said.
“The approach will be looking at community partnerships that we already have rather than going out and creating a new project.”
“Collie PCYC and Ngalang Boodja Council Aboriginal Corporation are two organisations that we will have good project partnership with.”
“We will also be working with local schools.”
Mr Thomason said the arts aren’t just about putting work on the wall.
“The program will be a way of introducing music, dance, film, digital media, and art therapy to young people,” he said.
“There will be four professional artists mentoring the students throughout the program and the final stage of the project will be a public showing, to display the work that has been produced.”
“The idea is to get young people involved and for them to have ownership of where the project should go.”
According to Mr Thomason the project will be a way of breaking down cultural barriers in the community.
“The whole idea of emergence is about being visible, and breaking down the negative stereotypes that exist in the community,” he said.
“It’s about breaking down cultures; sporting culture, Noongar culture, and Collie culture.”
Young people involved in the project will have an opportunity to learn about film making.
“One of the key areas we will be working in is film making,” Mr Thomason said.
“Part of that is creating a youth owned and run media unit, not only for them to learn skills but to generate an income out of it.”
“I think that’s really important, once they have the skills they can then access the equipment and mentorship to create a small enterprise.”
“Part of that is to work closely with the Collie community and Ngalang Boodja to create digital stories and help to bridge generational gaps and sharing of knowledge.”
A recent study conducted by the Shire of Collie, Western Australia, found that sixty-three per cent of Year 10 students do not feel a connection to their local community.
The report also showed that substance abuse and mental health issues are a concern.
The Collie Art Gallery aims to address these issues by providing opportunities for the Collie community, and particularly the region's young people to enjoy, participate, experience and learn from the arts.
The Emergence program will adopt principles of positive psychology, with topics such as mindfulness, gratitude, optimism and connection in conjunction with art therapy for improved mental health outcomes.
The Collie Gallery group were one of only two projects in Western Australia to receive funding from nib, after 300 applications were received.
nib foundation Executive Officer, Amy Tribe, said the foundation continues to be impressed by the calibre of applications received for the grassroots grant program.
“This is our seventh year of grant making and we continue to see such a wide range of innovative projects from organisations that are looking to approach the health challenges within their communities in a new and unique way,” she said.
“It’s amazing to see how a little can go a long way, with our partners managing to take a modest amount of funding to deliver exceptional programs and services that make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable and at-risk locals.”