The Interplay Project came from a campaign by Aboriginal leaders in central Australian communities to empower desert knowledge. 

The funding for this research was secured from the Australian Government to develop a wellbeing framework to quantify Aboriginal knowledge and ways of being. 

The Interplay Wellbeing Framework was designed from the ground-up, over 6 years in Aboriginal communities in remote Australia.

The idea was to measure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and bring these values into policy.

We spent several years asking people from different remote communities around Australia what they cared about and what they wanted out of life. 

Even with much cultural diversity, all groups voiced the same priorities – culture, empowerment and community. 

We worked with communities to translate their stories into numbers, to show how these values were important to peoples’ wellbeing.  We employed and trained 42 Aboriginal community researchers who co-designed and administered surveys to over 900 Aboriginal adults in their communities.

We published this research in over 20 academic publications and shared the knowledge across communities through data visualisations of Interplay Maps. 

We've also pitched, shared and socialised findings that are fit-for-purpose for other partners through a number of conference presentations and targeted policy debriefings.

We now use the same approach to evaluate program impacts based on community values and holistic concepts of wellbeing. 

The Interplay Project began to empower communities in the design of programs that directly affect them. 

It is this belief that we still work towards today. 

Culture, empowerment and community.