North Midlands Project was incorporated in 2015:

• Responding to community concern around the increase of mental health issues; reduced youth resilience and confidence; declining population; town decay; community disconnectedness, non-inclusive behaviour and social isolation of people not involved in sport, school or drinking culture, and a strong desire for increased access to arts and culture.

• To influence societal policy change and increase investment into the culture and arts sector, by providing researched based case studies on the lasting societal and economic impact culture and arts can make in regional WA communities.

• To diversify the creative industry's reach and create new artist and arts worker employment opportunities by developing new pathways that foster an understanding of the the value that culture and the arts can make to cross-sector objectives and projects around the state.

• To build capacity in the creative industry with practitioners, organisations and businesses to be work-ready and sustainable to grow their practice.

As a team we bring creativity, integrity and a genuine passion for the arts, culture, history and heritage to create happy, healthy communities and vibrant + connected towns. We value:

Access - We embrace and encourage diverse ideas that are inclusive of all community groups and individuals via multiple delivery mediums including physical and online.

Collaboration - We are strong believers in and are committed to working with the community, artistic and health practitioners, local organisations and government. Our programs are built on collaborative societal impact and co-design models.

Creativity - We pride ourselves on being an enthusiastic, engaging organisation that fosters expression, innovation and imagination. We are a learning organisation that pushes the boundaries challenging the status quo.

Professionalism - We operate our organisation with the highest level of integrity, excellence and respect responding directly to evidence based research and evaluation. Our programs are designed and evaluated using impact logic modelling based on PERMA + HDI principles. 

Following are the methodologies that underpin North Midlands Project's approach:

• Collaborative Societal Impact Model – cross sector/community inclusiveness  

• Encouraging continuous improvement through challenging the status quo

• Learning culture allowing mitigated risk

• Grass roots co-designed and purpose-driven programs

• Outcomes focused approach using a bespoke impact evaluation framework modelled on PERMA + HDI principles

• Organic flexibility for adaptability and transference of programs based on the 66.6/33.3 Fibonacci Sequence

• Community empowerment – social, cultural, environmental and economic change for long-term impact

• Growing groups of common interest and volunteering culture (focus on reducing volunteer burnout)

• Leveraging learnings to maximise the impact – the good, the great, challenges and opportunities

Our Program

Our Program Design Cycle is our co-design collective impact process linked to community ambitions.  The process utilises arts, culture and health initiatives as the vehicle to drive positive outcome-based impact. To allow for transferability between geographic locations the program framework is structured on the on Fibonacci sequence. 66.6% of the framework is structured with 33.3% fluid allowing organic movement to align to changing community ambition and cultural nuance difference. 

Narratives

Following are the four organisational narratives of the North Midlands Project:

• Improve lives using culture and the arts 

• Grow participation in culture and the arts

• Develop + connect the creative industry

• Increase investment in culture and the arts

Process

1. Community Voice (ambitions) are obtained using our #StrongerTogether framework with sector advisers and the community.

2. Community and sector ambitions are mapped into a deliverable impact outcomes logic model to each of our four program objectives/narratives. (Above)

3. The logic model is workshopped by our Artistic, Cultural & Wellness Directors to create our projects and programs. Health messaging and pathways to access support are embedded into the program at this stage.

4. The program draft is reviewed by the Management Committee to ensure it links to the organisations purpose and assesses investment required to deliver. On the program being deemed compliant the Management Committee approves the program.

5. The program is executed by the Delivery + Evaluation team by engaging with artistic, cultural, and health practitioners, cross sector organisations, businesses, and by leveraging local assets. 

How we evaluate the programs

Cultivate is our 'Impact Evaluation Framework' to monitor outcomes and outputs through a series of data collection systems which are overlaid against our community and sector ambitions. The framework assess social, cultural, environmental and economic impact on a short (12 months), medium (5 years) and long term (20+ years) periods. Please view our Almanac for some of our highlights.

Outcome: Connected, healthy people living in a vibrant and creative community

Supporting Program:

1. Annual Culture + Arts Program

2. Creative Spaces

3. Hinterland + Coastal Plain Creative Villages

4. Community Art Collection + Beyond the Gallery

Outcome: Vibrant, well supported culture + arts sector creating long lasting positive societal and economic impacts in WA 

Supporting Programs:

1.   Creating Impact Program  [Family, Village, Tribe]

2.   Artist + Arts Worker Development Platforms

   • • • Creative Tool Box www.thetoolbox.network

       • Learning Pathways www.learningbub.network

3.   State-wide Creative Activation Projects [Example Ebb+Flow]

Regional Arts Network

Looking to change the way the regional arts sector talk to each other, Regional Arts WA has partnered with strategically aligned local organisations to grow a Network of Hubs across the state.

The Hubs themselves engage and respond directly to their local communities by providing on-ground support for their needs. Their role is to increase local decision making, strengthening relationships with local governments and stakeholders, whilst seeking development opportunities for artists and arts workers within their communities.

By having Hubs then connect back to a state-wide Regional Arts Network, assists in building a sustainable and thriving ecosystem of connected creative regional communities who work together in collaboration.

The network is a Regional Arts WA initiative, proudly supported by Minderoo Foundation and The Ian Potter Foundation, with funding from the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund.

You can find out more on the Regional Arts Network here.