IMPACT
Through extensive community engagements, we have observed the significant effects of social and cultural disconnection.
Our creative process is designed to:
break down social, cultural and personal barriers.
build trust, self-esteem and confidence.
create environments for essential ‘inter-generational dialogue’
generate powerful storytelling, driving both personal, social and cultural impact.
create safe spaces for ‘truth- telling’ and education.
Rather than focusing purely on ‘entertainment’, the unique DPM process has evolved to produce highly engaging stories exploring contemporary Indigenous perspectives. Our projects celebrate community, culture, and country in an authentic way. These are lives and stories that matter. DPM has built a strong reputation for community-led creative outcomes that give participants a crucial sense of agency, ensuring their voices are heard & their stories are valued.
DPM’s process has been tried and tested and refined in community over 20 years, in consultation with thousands of Indigenous young people, knowledge holders, Elders, services, agencies and organisations.
The connections, trust, truth-telling, empowerment, excitement, and hope that our process generates is profound and tangible for participants, their communities and broader audiences.
REACH
Since 2002, DPM has engaged many thousands of Indigenous young people, Elders, and communities,collaborating with local agencies, regional arts & cultural bodies, health services, schools and government agencies.
Our media productions are used as educational resources in schools and universities, both in Australia and internationally, and featured in museums, festivals, and exhibitions worldwide. Awareness of DPM’s work has grown globally, with 6M views on YouTube and rapidly growing social media presence.
Beyond the direct benefits of our programs are wider ripples that effect families and community and engage diverse audiences. Through this process we aim to influence and inform perceptions of Indigenous Australia and challenge pre-conceptions of Australian identity.
EVALUATION
A sequence of Independent Evaluations in recent years has given us the evidence of real-world personal and social impacts of our work.
The research generated key findings - evidencing that DPM projects create positive change for communities, along with recommendations that motivate us to further refine and enhance our processes.
Key Evaluation Findings & Recommendations:
DPM programs engage communities in an appropriate and safe way.
DPM programs directly strengthen cultural identity through traditional and contemporary storytelling forms.’
DPM Projects build community connections through a creative celebration of culture.
Communities have clearly indicated a strong preference for longer-term, sustained engagements with DPM. Communities and young people would benefit from Desert Pea Media being funded to return in a consistent way over time.
DPM Projects generate Opportunities in the creative industries and employment pathways.
DPM projects are empowering for the people participating. Behavioural change theory – participants going on the journey from “I can’t do that”, to “I’ll give it a go”, to “I’m really good at that”. This process is proven to buildself-belief & resilience.
These programs increase the motivation and enthusiasm of young people to ‘show up’.
Community connections are strengthened, and new connections are made through the Desert Pea Media program.
This feedback enables direct insights into the impact of DPM’s work, as well as communities expectations of how we engage. We continue to integrate these learnings in our program models and organisational operations.
Evidence from Evaluation Report 2021: “The Desert Pea program creates a safe space that enables young people to be brave, step up and do something they didn’t see themselves doing. This enables these young people to unlock their potential resulting in an increased sense of worth and a strengthened identity.”
Evidence from Report 2021: “Engagement in culture is reinvigorated and embraced by young people in popular culture form. Young people are delving into their and their Elder’s knowledge of story, song, dance and place, curating it into a professional music video and short film. Most of the communities interviewed mentioned these strengthened connections to each other, and said that cultural knowledge and practices were happening as a result of the Desert Pea program”
Evidence from Evaluation Report 2019: “Specifically, in one community the Desert Pea program had unified the young people across a number of clans. There was a significant realisation by the adults that unification was coming through the children’s involvement in the Desert Pea program. A resultant reunification through the creativity of song, music and dance gives the community hope and healing.”