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Arts North West + Outback Arts secure funding for arts-based drugs misuse program

21 March 2003

Arts North West and Outback Arts will receive $388,000 from the Premier to provide eleven shires across the state with an arts-based Drugs Misuse Prevention program.

"This is great news for the New England and North West," said Jack Ritchie, Regional Arts Development Officer at Arts North West.

Outback Arts and Arts North West will work with the nationally acclaimed BIG hART organisation, the Community Drug Action Strategy and eleven local communities in the implementation of this 42 week project. Communities involved include Armidale, Tamworth, Narrabri, Inverell, Gunnedah, Moree, Walgett, Nyngan, Cobar, Coonamble and Lismore.

BIG hART Regional Co-ordinators, Charles Trindall (North West) and Lee Richardson (Outback Arts) will work with community advisory groups to develop and implement the Drugs Misuse Prevention Program. This will include recruiting artists from the region with a background of work in this area to work with young people on the arts-based project. A variety of arts media will be used including music, film, circus, visual arts and theatre.

The advisory groups, made up of community volunteers, will oversee each local project and encourage at risk young people to participate in the program. Work created through the project will be developed by BIG hART in consultation with groups for presentation at a state level via a major production. It is also hoped that arts items produced by the young people, especially video work, might ultimately be used as educational tools by the NSW Police Force.

"This is another example of the State Government's commitment to practical crime prevention," said The Premier, Mr Bob Carr.

"Big hART has a national reputation for helping young people make the most of their lives .... Graduates of the Big hART program have gone on to make significant contributions to society."

The Drugs Misues Prevention Program follows previous BIG hART collaborations such as the Violence Protection Project, which developed the award-winning film, Hurt; the Addictive ehaviour Prevention Project, which produced a series of radio plays; and Not At Home, a national film project.

For more information contact Jack Ritchie, Regional Arts Development Officer, Arts North West Tel 02 6732 4988
Email artsnw@northnet.com.au or Rod Ainsworth, Regional Arts Development Officer, Outback Arts, Tel 6822 2484 Email obarts@tpg.com.au.

This project is funded from the existing recurrent budget of the NSW Premier's Department. The cost of the project therefore has no impact on the projected budget surpluses shown in the mid-year review of the budget produced by Treasury in late December 2002.