Tasmanian LiFE Awards – 2026 Nominee
Communities in Action for Suicide Prevention LiFE Award
The Communities in Action for Suicide Prevention LiFE Award acknowledges the crucial role that communities play in identifying and taking action towards suicide prevention. This award recognises any group or community, whether it’s a sports club, community group, or a hobby group, that works together to prevent suicide. This may involve developing a local plan for mental wellbeing and suicide prevention or organising activities that bring the community together to facilitate social connection and provide opportunities to discuss mental health and suicide prevention.
Farm It Forward
Farm It Forward Tasmania empowers individuals by teaching essential life skills in growing, cooking and crafting: fostering self-sufficiency and self-worth in a welcoming community of companionship, acceptance and dignity.
Michelle Williamson created Farm it Forward Tasmania in 2021, with the intention of growing a local and sustainable food movement, one backyard at a time. Back then, people wanted to learn how to cook the food they grew, so they offered seasonal vegetable cooking classes and then, little by little, they were approached by people wanting to teach others their art/craft/skill.
From its beginnings, Farm it Forward Tasmania went on to create a community garden situated on a five-acre block of land in Somerset, and they now run 60+ workshops a month. The workshops cover a range of interests, including preserving, sewing, basket weaving, multicultural cooking classes, dance exercise, propagating seedlings, pruning fruit trees, Nature & Wonder aimed at 0-5 years, and crafternoons where the residents of local nursing homes visit and make a craft.
Farm It Forward Tasmania is led by the local community, and the program is constantly evolving as people offer to run new activities. What makes it a success is that it is inclusive, welcoming all ages and abilities with open arms and a smile. The feedback received has been positive – the joy of upskilling while spending time with like-minded creative people, and there are countless stories of gratitude for having found Farm it Forward Tasmania when people were at a low point in their lives.
Proudly sponsored by Lifeline Tasmania
