Beyond Empathy

The work of Beyond Empathy vividly shows how philanthropic giving to an arts organisation can benefit young people in regional Australia.

The core team at Beyond Empathy have over 50 years experience working in communities using the arts to influence the lives of people experiencing hardship- particularly in regional areas.

Interventions such as Beyond Empathy's Moree Indigenous young mother’s program ‘Mubali’ which successfully encouraged young mothers to make regular contact with the Gamilaroi Community Midwife service by conducting regular workshops to make and paint plaster casts of their growing bellies. Elder ‘aunties’ in the community were involved, helping to share important health messages about birth and infant care. The plaster casts made are now a popular exhibition at the Moree Plains Gallery and the babies born to mothers in the group had higher birthweights than others in the area. 

Beyond Empathy's arts interventions use mediums as diverse video, sound and performance to encourage community participation and address social issues as varied as drugs and alcohol, isolation, violence, crime and mental health.

Artsupport Australia assisted Beyond Empathy through its early development through introductions to corporate foundations,who have over time come to contribute multi year grants.

Through their relationship with Artsupport Australia Beyond Empathy has gained funding from the Coca Cola Australia Foundation for their kNot @ Home Pathways project, the Vincent Fairfax Foundation for their Message in a Bottle project and most recently they've gained a 3-year Westpac Foundation grant to develop a toolkit based on their mentorship program for disadvantaged young people.