Tumby Bay and Districts Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention group Beacon of Hope (BOH) recently attended the Tumby Bay GEM Festival, seeking community input.
Tumby Bay Area School hosted the GEM Festival, which stands for gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.
Group vice chairperson Gladys Fleming said the school should be very proud of the GEM Festival as it was a fantastic community event with something for everyone.
“Encouraging the community to improve their wellbeing by being more grateful, empathetic and mindful is a straightforward concept, proven to increase wellbeing, that the wider community can easily adopt,” she said.
Gladys was seeking community wisdom about wellbeing and mental health in the Tumby Bay district as Beacon of Hope is working to foster positive changes enhancing the wellbeing of the wider community.
BOH chairperson Danica Gates said the festival was an excellent catalyst for discussions around improving wellbeing and mental health in the Tumby Bay area.
“Let’s continue these vital discussions,” she said.
Earlier in 2023, BOH won a Spark grant from the Fay Fuller Foundation to explore ways to enhance the wellbeing of the Tumby district.
“We aim to foster positive change in the community by building on strengths and conditions which enable wellbeing,” Ms Gates said.
“Listening to what community members think, feel and have experienced in our community will help us foster positive changes.”
Ms Gates said BOH welcomed feedback and ideas from any community member who had experienced positive or negative changes to their mental health and wellbeing whilst living in the Tumby Bay district.
“We want to build the capacity for community members to respond to one another,” she said.
“What does our community need to help everyone to thrive? What can we do to improve the wellbeing of the community?
“Beacon of Hope members are prepared and trained to listen to and support community members and will be available to hear community feedback in the new space we are currently preparing.”
Those who would like to contribute can contact Beacon of Hope at tbbeaconofhope@gmail.com
