OUR PROGRAMS

DPM has delivered hundreds of our ‘Collaborative Storytelling’ projects in regional and remote communities for over 20 years.

Our creative process is highly engaging & effective - creating an uplifting and profoundly moving experience for participants and their communities. DPM programs are built around an intensive workshop framework that is designed to create a safe environment for truth-telling.

The workshop process and resulting media outcomes can explore a broad range of subjects, including Cultural education, health and wellbeing, engagement with services/programs/school, response to critical incidents (environmental, social etc.), criminal justice, caring for Country, youth empowerment and many more. The outcomes of these projects are a living cultural archive of meaningful media - songs, music videos, short films, documentaries - that speak directly from people’s real lived experience.

Unpack the past, understand the present, and re-write the future!

There is a space for all ages and abilities in this creative process. Everyone’s story matters, and they can contribute to the yarn.  Participating in creative truth-telling is a powerful healing process for all involved, for the community AND the wider audience watching.

We have delivered projects with diverse partner organisations from schools, community organisations, health agencies and Government Departments, Universities and Research Institutes, Aboriginal Land Councils, Housing Services, Youth orgs and many more.

The projects are most effective when co-designed and custom-built around specific community needs.

PROJECT FORMATS

Songwriting and Music Video

DPM is most well-known for these projects – focusing on the language of storytelling through music.  Great for engaging young people in a creative way to think critically and objectively about themselves and their community.  Works well to link services/schools with disengaged young people, speaking in a language that they understand.

DPM has won 6 National Indigenous Music Awards for these productions.

Time: 1-week intensive (writing, recording, and filming).
Who: Up to 15 participants for songwriting, and extra for music video filming
*Often combined with short-film productions.

Short Film / Documentary

Focusing on the language of storytelling through documentary/narrative.  This can take the form of a cultural education resource, school resource, language education resource, or short film about a specific issue (such as health, wellbeing, Culture, youth empowerment etc). These projects present an opportunity to dig a little deeper, and creatively explore social and cultural themes with the community.

Time: 1-week intensive (writing, recording, and filming).
Who: Numbers can vary depending on production

Podcasting & Audio story recording

Boutique recording projects focusing on the tradition of oral storytelling in Indigenous culture. These project can include building a podcasting kit, training and development, production, working on story structure and interview techniques, and ongoing mentoring for community podcast teams.  These projects can cross over into radio, and create foundation in community for ongoing storytelling and community media programs.

Time:  1 - 2 week intensive, depending on program design.

Who:  Usually smaller groups, agencies, services and Indigenous staff.

Skills Development & Mentoring

Focusing on upskilling and building capacity in the art of storytelling. Teaching the mechanisms and process of creating meaningful media through practical workshops.  Leaving skills & resources in community to enable self-determined storytelling beyond the life of the project. It also includes empowering participants to understand the responsibilities of storytelling and developing healthy relationships with social media.

Time: Usually multiple workshops over a specific period.
Who: Numbers can vary depending on program (usually around 5 participants at a time)

Cultural Archiving

Archiving cultural knowledge through compelling film, music, oral stories and digital media. Focusing on recording Elder's stories, interviews with knowledge holders, and creating localised educational resources to ensure future generations have access to appropriate cultural knowledge.  This can include traditional language education, historical stories from the community/region, interviews and recordings, on-country visits or camps with young people, cultural exchange, cultural events and documenting cultural programs.

Time:  1-week intensive (writing, recording, and filming) depending on program design.
Who:  Usually smaller groups, with knowledge-holders.

Long Term Projects 

Customised, co-designed projects to address a specific community need. 

Through a range of engagement methods (workshops, songwriting, filmmaking, performance, training as outlined above) these projects provide an opportunity to engage more deeply with the community and produce a variety of creative outcomes.

Longer project engagements can also include:

  • skills development/ mentoring in Digital Storytelling (Film, Facilitation and Music),

  • Personal Development and Leadership workshops (with a focus on Social and Emotional Wellbeing),

  • Cultural Education (including on-country trips and camps).

  • Showcase events that present all the work the community has produced during the project.

These projects can also create link participants to local services, and support participants to pursue new career and life pathways.

Check out “CROSSROADS” as a example.

DPM program models are adaptable and modular and can be customised to suit a broad range of needs. For more info on projects and costs CLICK HERE and CONTACT US to discuss details.

Have a look at some of our “FEATURE PROJECTS” to see examples of our work.