Introducing the Community
Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln is a region of great strengths, beauty and resilience. Like all communities, there are people doing it a bit tougher. Industry changes, COVID-19, drought and climate change, tourism instability and international trading relations all have their impact. Across the community many people have experienced trauma, whether it is bushfire related, family violence, or disconnection from culture and identity.
There are many people and organisations providing great support and care in the region. But we know, this sometimes this can occur in a silo, or isolation, where individuals and agencies work really hard in their own patch, but may overlook opportunities, or lack the tools and methods to collaborate and develop shared responses and solutions.
The shared vision for The Bush Telegraph delivered in 2021-22 is for Port Lincoln to be a wellbeing and trauma responsive community. This is a community who has the knowledge, skills, language and methods, founded upon best-practice science, to work side-by-side together to intentionally respond to the growth needs of individuals and communities, and in a manner that really honours local knowledge systems and strengths. A community that acknowledges the power and resilience of Aboriginal understandings of social-emotional wellbeing.
Building upon a pilot initiative in 2020-21 (click here for research outcomes), Centacare Catholic Country SA and LBI Foundation collaborated with five local Community Partners (see logos).
The project was funded by Wellbeing SA.
Intent ('What')
Build a Wellbeing and Trauma Responsive Port Lincoln Community
As Made Practical Through the Following Co-Designed Outcomes
System or Community
The Port Lincoln community has sustainable methods, language and shared processes to co-design and implement ‘wellbeing solutions’ at the ‘system’ or ‘interagency’ level.
Community Partners
Foundational awareness and skills
- Wellbeing, resilience, brain functioning and mental health.
- Intentional trauma-responsive practice.
- To intentionally respond to community member needs, rather than react to behaviour.
- How to work with others in shared intent, and develop shared growth solutions (or Growth Action Plans) together.
Community (Clients)
Individual and collective community members have increased:
- Awareness (literacy) of what is wellbeing, resilience and mental health.
- Awareness and skills to apply best-practice tools and methods to build positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes.
Actions ('How')
Positioning
The Bush Telegraph is designed to strengthen existing community wellbeing and mental health initiatives. The attached video summarises the project.
Summary Actions
The Bush Telegraph delivery was founded upon the following four features.
- Foundational IMPACT Training – this was delivered at the start of the project in January 2022 to diverse community partner members. The training provided the foundational shared language, methods, tools and resources to enable the science of wellbeing, growth and trauma to be translated and personalised to individual context, in a manner that honours the strengths and knowledge of individual and community.
- Community Champions – four local Centacare Catholic Country SA community members were trained, coached and accredited to the IMPACT Coach level, to support the localised coaching and embedding of IMPACT content (30+ coaching sessions conducted, in collaboration with LBI).
- Community Conversations– interagency workshops to build a shared intent and collaboration (5 community conversations).
- Wellbeing Projects – the Community Champions and LBI supported the delivery of 6 projects that translated the science of wellbeing and trauma to individual agency and community needs and context.
CCCSA Community Champions
Commentary and Further Information
Local Quote
The Role and Importance of The Bush Telegraph For Regional Communities
Supporting our local communities to develop ownership of their wellbeing journey is vital to sustainability and growth. Working together side-by- side, The Bush Telegraph offers access to best-practice wellbeing solutions that are embedded in the community and have a positive impact on outcomes
