Festival of Wellbeing 2022
Event Report
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Festival of Wellbeing Event Report 2022 FINAL.pdfOur Festival theme is Awareness, Belonging and Connection.
We aimed to create an atmosphere for open, inclusive, safe and welcoming connections, experiences and conversation.
Event snapshot
Hosted wellbeing spaces – Activities – Workshops – Kindness Table – Golden Wellbeing Tickets – Food – Art – Craft – Kids games – Wellbeing Tree – Mental Health Support Services – Local Community Groups and Clubs
*including contributors
The inaugural Festival of Wellbeing held in 2021 emerged as one of the community projects designed and delivered by participants in the Break O’Day Community Wellbeing Project. Project participants and volunteers worked with community to deliver the day with support from Break O’Day Council.
The 2022 Festival was organised by Break O’Day Council with involvement and input from our community. We did our best to recreate or build on many of the wonderful concepts and approaches created by the 2021 team. We are grateful for the amazing foundations laid down in 2021.
Funding
We are grateful for the funding and support of our key contributors in 2022.
$1,800 Mental Health Week Grant – Mental Health Council of Tasmania.
$1,000 Residual Sponsorship from 2021 – National Recovery and Resilience Agency –
Australian Government.
$500 Break O’Day Community Wellbeing Project – Tasmanian Community Fund – specifically
to support involvement of wellbeing project participants and promotion to broader
community.
$500 Break O’Day Council And additional in-kind contributions for venue costs, event
planning, risk assessment, staff–time at the event.
Adjustments to Festival Event Plan
Break O’Day Council made a decision based on the Festival Risk Management Plan to shift to a modified program due to rain and wind forecast. All outside contributors were invited inside with a modified timetable and some adjusted activities. Sadly, we could not include the planned smoking ceremony or the therapy ponies this year but Aunty Jeanymaree Welcomed us to Country inside and Red Robin Hollow hosted an inside horse-themed activity for children.
The Family Food Truck broke down and was unavailable at short notice. We missed them and this meant we had less food options than we intended, but our food providers did a fabulous job of offering a range of foods and drinks for everyone and keeping up with demand.
About the day
The success of this event is the culmination of everything that our community and visiting Wellbeing Champions bring to it. It is their generosity and wisdom that creates this day of Wellbeing for everyone.
The Break O’Day Community Wellbeing Project funded by the Tasmanian Community Fund continues to provide strong foundations and support for people to participate in creating wellbeing opportunities for others around them.
Event Details
Where: Bendigo Bank Community Stadium Tully St, St Helens
When: Thursday 6 October (Launceston Show Day) Gates open 11am-4pm Additional Network time 10-11am on the day for contributors to get to know each other and check out the site.
What: Interactive activities, demonstrations, supported conversations, come and try, goodie bags, resource library, food, Kindness Treasure Hunt, Golden Tickets.
Festival Vision
A celebration of all things wellbeing, our theme aligned with the Mental Health Week theme of Awareness, Belonging Connection, and our approach is to encourage Wellbeing Conversations. We encouraged and supported contributors to develop their activities around these themes and approaches.
Awareness – get curious and uncover the people, places and support available in our community.
Belonging – you belong here, you are seen, heard, and valued.
Connection – we live here together, our community is amazing, let's talk about how we can make it even better together.
Access and Inclusion
Careful consideration about accessibility and inclusivity formed part of our event planning. This included considerations of access to the venue and the accessibility of the promotional material for everyone. Creating a culturally safe and welcoming space for everyone was also a priority.
An access and inclusion statement was available on the Festival website to help set the intention for us and for all Festival contributors and visitors.
Festival Map
The day in pictures
Festival activities
Kindness Table
Over 37 gifts generously donated to the Kindness Table meant that many festival-goers took home a fabulous prize for finding a hidden Kindness Card.
Everyone learnt more about paying kindness forward from the Wellbeing Certificate volunteers when they chose their prize.
Golden Wellbeing Tickets
All the fun of the Golden Wellbeing Tickets returned this year. Festival-goers were challenged to visit at least 30 wellbeing spaces and collect a sticker for their Festival Map to go in the draw for a Golden Wellbeing Ticket. Five tickets were drawn and winners can spend $100 with a Wellbeing Champion of their choice.
Wellbeing Tree
The Wellbeing Tree was a fun and colourful way to collect messages of gratitude at the Festival. The Wellbeing Tree is one of the community projects from the Break O’Day Community Wellbeing Project.
Gratitude Messages
I am grateful for the love I feel.
I am thankful for my friends and family.
Home and family.
Happy.
I am grateful for having friends.
I am grateful for my perfectly imperfect body healthy and free.
For the community and its support.
I am grateful for people's smiles, laughter, family, friends, neighbours, music, religion. Gifts and many other things but I am most grateful for you!
Thank you to all the amazing people who organised this wonderful event.
I am grateful the the connections I make today. For the conversations. The hugs and the thoughts of kindness.
I am grateful to live in this amazing place.
Grateful for the amazing place I get to live everyday.
Open space fresh air and smell of horse hair.
Wellbeing festival.
Alive healthy happy.
Family friends community nature health wellbeing.
Friendly, approachable, supportive, happy, helpful, smiley, people, and a sense of community, And the beaches!
A small community that can come together in time of need. The emergency service volunteers.
For me in the universe.
Amazing outdoors, family, dog group friends, my dogs.
Grateful to live in such a beautiful area, that has an amazing community of kind people.
The ocean and the purity of the air and the old and new blood mingling and moulding together.
I am grateful to be going to Stray Kids in 2023.
I am grateful for the beautiful people helping in various ways. The water, boats, family, God.
I love my life in Break O'Day because of the beautiful environment we have around us which makes us happier to be around each other and supports us as a community.
I am grateful to have Jayne as my mummy.
I am grateful for my family and living in such a special community.
I am grateful for the community and groups that all come together.
Love Live Peace and Harmony - Laughter is the best medicine.
I am grateful for SKZ for getting me through a tough time.
Grateful for the variety in community. Together we are stronger and there is so much we can teach each other!
Advertising & Promotion
Our promotion campaign commenced in early August, with different formats and ways of communicating used to try to reach as many people as possible.
Promotion will be strengthened as the day becomes embedded as an annual event.
In 2022 advertising and promotion included:
Posters on community noticeboards in St Helens, St Marys, Fingal, Falmouth and Pyengana.
Posters distributed to businesses and community venues in St Helens, Fingal, St Marys and Scamander.
Posters or editorials in the Council Newsletter, Valley Voice and Coastal Column in August and September and in the St Helens School Newsletter in September.
Dedicated Facebook page began promotion on 8 August. Posts also shared to Community Wellbeing and Break O’Day Council’s Facebook pages.
Radio advertising on Star FM from 27 September
Poster on Community Wellbeing and Event pages
of Council’s website.
Direct email to service providers and community groups.
Included on statewide event database, Australian Tourism Data Warehouse for other promoters to pick up.
Electronic sign at St Helens Mountain Bike Trailhead
A Festival Facebook page was created on 8 August 2022. www.facebook.com/FestivalOfWellbeingBreakODay
The Communities of Wellbeing website built in 2021 was used to host the 2022 Festival information.
2022 Festival webpages:
Home page
For Contributors – hidden after Contributors locked in
Expressions of Interest – hidden after Contributors locked in
Wellbeing Champions
Access and Inclusion Statement
Festival Map
Festival Program
Festival Photos – photos added post-Festival
Golden Wellbeing Ticket – created post-Festival for Ticket Holders and Wellbeing hosts to find more information about the process
Feedback
Feedback as of 31 October 2022 from 24 respondents to an online survey and some additional emails and social media comments.
Awareness, Belonging and Connection
“I learnt about all the mental health services available to the community - so great to see so many of them there :)” - Awareness
95.8% of respondents reported feeling more aware of wellbeing opportunities or support services in their community with %50 much more aware.
“It is a wonderful event that I am happy to help out volunteering” – Belonging
Everyone who responded to the survey reported feeling a stronger sense of belonging in their community. With 41.7% much stronger.
“Great way to connect with local providers and businesses in the community”
- Connection
95.9% of respondents reported making new or stronger connections to others in their community.
What was great about the day?
“Such a wonderful day! This community just keeps getting better so grateful to be a part of something so inspiring! Beautiful people everywhere!”
“A wonderful event. Well done everybody involved”
“Congratulations!!! on a wonderful Festival of Wellbeing. It looked amazing on facebook and I have heard lots of positive comments about it around town.”
“Many people, like minded visitors/stallholders, positive vibe, family friendly, activities”
“The range of presenters and food and transport from Fingal. The optimism in the room for great things. The involvement of people in activities and services.”
“There are so many wonderful people out there that care for each other and our community.”
“Organisers and participants did a fabulous job, the energy was amazing. So many activities! Everyone was friendly and worked well together.”
“I had a smile on my face all day!”
What can we do better next time?
“Something that wasn't well advertised I guess? And on a public holiday? Hmm would have liked to check things out...” – Facebook comment
“Many have said they did not know about it, don't listen to radio or get the local papers and would have liked more directions a sign on the gate and a sign at Tully St showing the way and many noticed the arts signs but nothing for this and might be confusing with things close together.”
“Better PA system - it was really difficult to hear the MC.” “The audio/stadium acoustics were not great.”
“There were mixed feelings in the community regarding the date as not all people have the public holiday off but in saying that not all people have the weekends off.”
“Being held on Launceston Show Day greatly increased the cost for services to participate, especially those travelling from the North due to penalty rates.”
Some key things for the 2023 festival team to consider…
Date - Mixed responses about choice of date but Saturday appears to be just preferable to Launceston Show Day. School holidays works well.
Marketing - Enhance and expand advertising. Easy read flyers. Roadside signs.
Venue - Some challenges to address about sound in the venue and access to cash.
More Information
Break O’Day Council
www.bodc.tas.gov.au/community/health-and-wellbeing/
Wellbeing@bodc.tas.gov.au 6376 7900 0439 826 491