Creative Recovery Training Programme Evaluation Report

Creative recovery initiatives have received improved support in Australia since the Victorian 2009 Black Saturday fires. 173 people died in fires that destroyed 2029 houses, scorched over 4500 hectares of land, and affected 78 communities. These numbers were unprecedented, thus recovery processes needed to be swiftly initiated to support the communities to process, heal and rebuild. An initiative by Arts Victoria led to a creative recovery project in Country Victoria that contributed to healing, self-confidence, creating structure, living memorials and importantly, also allowed people to give to each other (Fisher & Talvé, 2011, p. 50). The evaluation of the project provided first-hand information on how to best fund and support communities using creative processes after a disaster. Since that time disasters have increased exponentially. The Australia-wide 2019/2020 fires scorched 17 million hectares and destroyed 3094 homes, with 34 lives directly lost. The arts are playing a pivotal role in disaster-recovery in Australia. This evaluation aims to capture how training in creative recovery can mobilise artists and services to support their communities after a disaster.