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Fortem Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that supports the mental fitness and wellbeing of first responder families. Every day, more than 300,000 first responders keep our communities safe. They are backed up by their families: partners, children and parents. All of them hold vital and challenging roles. We help them to be well, and stay well, through mental fitness, support services and wellbeing activities. These are their stories.
Walk, Snap, Explore | Illawarra Region Activity Wrap Up
A little drizzle didn’t stop our Illawarra region first responder families from enjoying the recent Walk, Snap, Explore wellbeing activity. It was a great way to be active and connect…
Kayaking Experience on the Towamba River | Bega Valley Region Activity Wrap Up
Another beautiful sunny morning – perfect for a family kayaking tour. A chance for a Bega Valley region first responder family to connect away from daily distractions and to do
Kayaking Adventure on the Towamba River | Bega Valley Region Activity Wrap Up
Kayaking on a peaceful river with the sun shining down and the sound of laughter or conversation drifting around you. Recently Fortem held a wellbeing activity for first responder families
Surfing and Mindfulness for first responder families | Illawarra Region Activity Wrap Up
Recently Fortem held a ‘Learn to Surf and Mindfulness’ wellbeing activity for first responder families from the Illawarra region, with Rusty of Gerringong Surf School. Our participants got to try
An adventure at the theme park for first responder families | West Gippsland Region Activity Wrap Up
Recently Fortem held an exciting wellbeing activity for West Gippsland first responder families at Gumbuya World in Victoria. We had a great turn out on a beautiful sunny day. The
Family Story: ‘Here’s what I do to help with the social isolation that comes with shift work’
My partner’s shifts are all over the place, and it’s very difficult to manage from a social perspective. It can feel quite isolating. You find that the close network that
Surf lesson and pizza for first responder families | Gold Coast Region Activity Wrap Up
On a sunny day in January, local first responder families bravely attended their first surfing lesson at Currumbin Alley on the Gold Coast. It was a great wellbeing activity that
Fun at the Wake and Aqua Park for first responder families! | Gold Coast Region Activity Wrap Up
A family day at the Wake and Aqua Park in December 2020, was a great chance for Gold Coast first responder families to connect, be active and keep learning. A
A spicy cooking experience for first responder families! | Shoalhaven Region Activity Wrap Up
On a recent Sunday in January, Fortem Australia hosted a Moroccan Spice cooking class with Chef Toni from Flavours of the Valley in Kangaroo Valley. It was a wonderful way
First responder families make a big splash! | Canberra Region Activity Wrap Up
What an awesome day at a recent wellbeing activity for Canberra first responder families, enjoying the local water park together. What an awesome day at a recent wellbeing activity for
Build your mental fitness with Peak Fortem
We are excited to announce the launch of our new mental fitness program, Peak Fortem. Peak Fortem is a digital toolkit that provides practical strategies for building mental fitness. “We all need to work on our mental fitness, just
Pasta Cooking Class | Bega Valley Activity Wrap Up
First responders took a trip to Italy (via Bermagui) on Friday – learning to cook Potato Gnocchi, Fettuccine Carbonara and Chocolate Fondants from scratch! We were all very amused by
