Creative Collaboration with Tearfund: Turning “Change Starts Here” into a Collective Mural
When Tearfund Australia began planning a staff gathering, they were looking for more than a typical team activity. As a Christian international development organisation working to address poverty and injustice through community partnerships, they wanted an experience that reflected their values while strengthening connections within their team.
Tearfund approached DYA Australia with a clear intention. They wanted a creative workshop that would allow staff to pause, reflect, and reconnect with each other while exploring one of their key ideas, “Change Starts Here.”
This message highlights an important belief behind their work. Meaningful change begins with people. It begins with their mindset, their relationships, and their willingness to take action.
Together, we designed a creative experience that would bring this idea to life through collaboration and artistic expression.
A Creative Team Building Experience Inspired by Perspective
For the session, DYA designed a One and All collective mural workshop inspired by the artistic approach of Pablo Picasso’s Cubism
Cubism is known for presenting multiple perspectives at once. Rather than showing a single viewpoint, the style reveals how many angles and interpretations can exist within the same subject.
Research in visual perception suggests that people who engage with abstract art forms such as Cubism often become more skilled at interpreting complex visual information and recognising patterns from multiple viewpoints. This idea connects naturally with teamwork. When different perspectives are welcomed and combined, they can lead to deeper understanding and stronger outcomes.
The workshop was structured so that each participant created an individual portrait, representing their own perspective and contribution. These portraits later became part of a larger collaborative mural, symbolising how individual actions and viewpoints combine to create collective impact.
In this way, the workshop became more than a creative activity. It became a visual metaphor for how teams work together.
Workshop Highlight
This short highlight captures moments from the Tearfund session as the team explored the creative process together. Participants experimented with ideas, shared perspectives, and collaborated to bring the final mural to life.
Linking Creativity with Tearfund’s Values
The workshop was intentionally structured to reflect Tearfund’s core values while exploring the idea that change begins with each individual.
Justice
The session began by establishing a creative space where every voice mattered. There was no hierarchy in the room. Each participant contributed equally to the process.
Participation
Participants then created their personal portraits. Through colour, shapes, and expressive elements, they explored their perspectives on purpose, contribution, and change.
Relationships
Once the portraits were completed, the group moved into the collaborative stage of the mural. Participants worked together on the shared background, discussing ideas and deciding how their individual pieces would connect.
Accountability
The workshop concluded with reflection and group sharing. Participants discussed how the creative process related to their work and how meaningful change often begins with individual responsibility.
From Individual Perspectives to a Collective Story
The session began with a short reflective pause that allowed participants to step away from the pace of daily work and shift into a more open and creative mindset.
As the activity progressed, the room gradually filled with colour and conversation. Participants experimented with shapes, lines, and expressive elements while reflecting on what the idea of change meant to them personally.
Once the portraits were complete, the group gathered around the mural space and began planning how their artworks would connect. Ideas were shared, perspectives were considered, and the final composition slowly took shape.
This stage encouraged listening, collaboration, and creative negotiation. Each participant’s work became part of a larger visual story.
Workshops like this show how creative collaboration can strengthen connection within teams.
Workshop Moments
The Impact of Creative Team Building
The finished mural became a powerful representation of the Tearfund team. Many perspectives came together to form one collective story.
More importantly, the process created space for reflection, creativity, and deeper connection between colleagues.
Experiences like this show how creative environments can encourage new ways of listening, sharing ideas, and working together.
For Tearfund, the workshop brought the message “Change Starts Here” to life in a practical and visual way. It reminded participants that meaningful change begins not only in the communities they serve but also in how they collaborate and support each other.
Creative Team Building with DYA Australia
At DYA Australia, we design creative workshops that help teams reconnect, reflect, and collaborate in new ways.
Our sessions combine artistic exploration with team engagement to create memorable experiences that strengthen relationships and encourage fresh thinking.
If your organisation is looking for creative team building in Melbourne, our workshops provide a unique way to bring people together through creativity