Beyond Empathy
Architectural fragments by Stephen Killick. Postcodes from the Edge, 2009. Image: courtesy Beyond Empathy
Beyond Empathy (BE) uses digital and mixed media, film, theatre, music, dance and visual arts to build relationships between disadvantaged young people, local support agency staff and their communities in thirteen locations across Australia.
BE uses art for two purposes. The first is as a medium that allows young people to consider their stories, explore issues, build skills and improve their social and economic opportunities. The second is start people working together to address young people’s needs and community issues.
BE uses a model of social change that allows the arts to focus and draw on people’s assets – their aspirations and the things they can do – rather than their issues or trying to ‘fix’ their ‘problems’.
The success of BE’s projects relies on its ability to work in collaboration with participants, support agency staff, professional and emerging artists and graduates from their programs. This means projects can influence change at a community level.
Change happens one on one, one by one. Through projects and collaborative works new opportunities for dialogue between participants, community and audiences are created.