North Midlands Project

We're  North Midlands Project, a not-for-profit arts, community and sector strengthening organisation working towards regional Western Australia to be known for its happy, healthy communities and creative, vibrant and connected towns. We want to hear community members, visitors and potential residents say 'I love this place!'

We deliver quality arts, culture, history and health initiatives on Amangu, Badymia, Widi and Yued country across Carnamah, Coorow, Eneabba, Leeman, Mingenew, Morawa, Perenjori and Three Springs. We also work on Southern Yamatji country in Geraldton, where we operate under the name of The Geraldton Project

Since 2015 we've collaborated with our community to create and deliver hundreds of diverse purpose-driven culture + arts programs to create happy healthy communities + vibrant, creative and connected towns. From 2024 we're looking forward to collaborating with additional communities across Western Australia, both near and far, sharing our approach and tools through our Creating Impact Program.

WHY WE'RE HERE

North Midlands Project was incorporated in 2015:

THEORY of change

We believe quality cross-sector co-designed arts, cultural and health initiatives have the power to strengthen communities making direct impacts on the economy, health, wellbeing, liveability, vibrancy, education, social cohesion and connectedness. 

We believe in the #Power Of Art!

Our impact

For regional Western Australia to be known for its happy and healthy communities and vibrant, connected towns. We want people from the community, visitors and potential residents to say 'I love this place!' Please view our Almanac for highlights.

OUR VALUES

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

OUR METHODOLOGIES + APPROACH

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

HOW WE CREATE + EVALUATE IMPACT

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:


Process


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.

WHAT WE DO - One      Strengthen our Community

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

Supporting Program:

WHAT WE DO - Two      Learn from our Community + Leverage the Impact

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

Supporting Programs:

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

We're part of the REGIONAL ARTS NETWORK

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.