Tasmania’s north-west is important to Hydro Tasmania. This is where you’ll find our Mersey-Forth power scheme, as well as our interests in the Woolnorth wind farm, and it’s a place many of our people call home. It is also an area where our youth face significant social and economic challenges.

That’s why Hydro Tasmania looks to contribute to these communities which have given so much to us, we hope our new partnership will help to change things.

Big hART has been developing award-winning youth programs for close to 30 years, and produced acclaimed works which have toured festivals and venues across Australia and overseas. If you’re not familiar with this remarkable organisation, you may know some of their Tasmanian work such as Project O and the Acoustic Life of Sheds. The art they produce with local communities can be truly transformational.

Positive Futures is Big hART’s new initiative for young people in North West Tasmania, in partnership with Hydro Tasmania and TasNetworks, which has enabled the expansion of Big hArt's work from Smithton and Wynyard high schools to include Sheffield District High School.

Positive Futures supports young people to thrive, develop new digital and artistic skills, and awareness of the career pathways into the renewable energy, environment and cultural industries. Their efforts will culminate in an exhilarating new work of sound and image, When Water Falls, which will debut in Sheffield on 26 June.

“The future of Tasmania is in young people’s hands”, says Scott Rankin, Creative Director of Big hART.

“This partnership with Hydro Tasmania and TasNetworks provides greatly needed opportunities for our young people in North West Tasmania and will ignite an entrepreneurial spirit of the many possibilities available locally.”

At the time of writing, young people from Sheffield, Smithton and Wynyard have been participating in a series of place-based workshops with Tasmanian artists, musicians, digital makers, filmmakers and mentors, including our own people. They are learning entrepreneurship skills and developing new ways of learning and thinking, using this creative project as a springboard into a future full of possibilities.

We don’t yet know what to expect from When Water Falls, only that it will be inspired by place, connection and the presence of water, and feature new music and imagery forged under the shadow of Mount Roland. We can’t wait to see it!

Photos supplied by Big hART