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.
Better Health 4 Dorset
Better Health 4 Dorset is a not-for-profit organisation consisting of Dorset community members working together to support their community. The group are united by a shared concern about the rising impacts of mental health challenges and suicide in rural communities, and a belief that local people hold the solutions.
They saw that small towns often lacked accessible services but were rich in connection, care, and creativity. By combining those local strengths with evidence-based prevention approaches, they created a new, community-driven model for wellbeing. It wasn’t just a new program, it was a new way of helping, built on trust and the conviction that everyone has a role to play in keeping their community safe and strong.
Better Health 4 Dorset has embedded suicide prevention into everyday life, and their co-design approach has built trust, visibility, and local leadership, ensuring that suicide prevention is owned by the community, not just services.
Better Health 4 Dorset’s strength lies in collaboration. They work closely with people who have lived experience of suicide, ensuring their voices shape every stage of planning and action. The group partners with schools, neighbourhood houses, service providers, and community networks such as Relationships Australia Tasmania, Rural Alive & Well, and the Dorset Council.
They engage volunteers, families, and youth through co-design workshops and community events. By uniting people, Better Health 4 Dorset has created a network dedicated to reducing stigma and building wellbeing together, which continues to inspire others across regional Tasmania to take positive steps for mental wellbeing.
Proudly sponsored by Lifeline Tasmania
