READ OUR STORIES
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.
10 Little Ways To Look After Yourself Today
Today is World Mental Health Day, a great reminder that we all need to take care of ourselves in order to be well – not just today, but every day. Here are
Family story: ‘Why I involve the whole household in our fire evacuation plan’
It was when we returned home that the tears began. “You should have told me we were leaving because of a fire,” she said. “I didn’t get a chance to take
First responders impress with the perfect steak
It’s a classic – but it’s rarely done well. Steak is notoriously difficult to master: it’s so often too rare, too dry, too tough, or cooked for far too long.
‘Be in the moment’: 3 small talk tips from our workshop
There’s nothing small about small talk. It’s what starts conversations, and many great friendships and relationships have started with a chat about the weather. In this two-part virtual workshop, a
4 ways to keep a diary during the pandemic – and beyond
Keeping a diary isn’t all words on a page – but whatever form it takes, recording our days is more popular than ever this year. Experts at RMIT University say there’s been
Crafting Through Lockdown
As lockdown extended throughout Victoria, families looked for ways to use this time to connect through doing positive activities together. We sent out a series of art and craft kits
Centenary Trail Walking Group – Our First Walk
A glorious sunny day for our first Centenary Trail walk for Canberra first responder families on Saturday. Our group of seven gathered for the walk, as part of our Fortem
Suicide awareness: Why we need to talk about it
It has been the most taboo subject of them all, long considered something too serious, too dangerous, and too wrong, to talk about. But that’s changing. Now, we’re being urged by campaigns like World Suicide Prevention Day, to see suicide
Helping First Responder Couples Build Better Relationships
We all know that relationships have their ups and downs. They take some work to keep in shape – but we don’t have to wait until things are bad to
Families reconnecting at Canberra Zoo
It was a sunny morning and the animals were all awake and active as seven families joined us to take in the sights at the Canberra National Zoo & Aquarium.
Cooking together during lockdown
One of Melbourne’s favourite things to do during lockdown is learning to cook new foods. This weekend, we added to the repertoire of more than 20 families who learnt to
Making new friends over trivia and laughs
Q: What’s fun, connects families together, and even has prizes? A: Fortem’s monthly online trivia!
