A community planting project during Seniors Week has helped to create social connectedness in diverse communities across Tasmania, including Dodges Ferry.

For the past 12 months, 23 Tasmanians have been designing, developing and implementing community projects through the Tasmanian Community Fund’s (TCF) Emerging Community Leaders (ECL) program.

With a focus on developing the skills and knowledge to positively contribute as a leader in any sector, ECL participants have been building further skills in governance, finance, leadership, management, communication and project management.

Dodges Ferry resident Dawn Green worked in team of five to deliver their project Purposeful Planting, which focused on gardening, sustainability and providing senior support services.

Aimed at addressing social isolation in the older population, Purposeful Planting was delivered in St Helens, Dodges Ferry, Zeehan, Launceston and Glenorchy.

In Dodges Ferry, older people in the community worked with students from Dodges Ferry Primary School to re-pot and water a few dozen plants and flowers at Okines Community House.

“The five community events created a safe space for celebration and connection between the older and younger generation,” Dawn said.

“Together, they got their hands dirty and enthusiastically planted herbs, sunflowers, pansies and tomato plants into pots, using rich compost produced by the community garden.”

Dawn said being a participant in the ECL program has been truly life changing.

“The ECL program provided me with a unique opportunity to learn leadership skills which can be translated back to my community,” she said.

“The program residentials take place across the island, often in rural areas where we had the opportunity to meet with local leaders and learn about their unique leadership journeys.

“A great learning I took from the program is that being a leader can mean so many things to different people, and we were able to witness that through our interactions with local community leaders. It was very inspiring.”

TCF Chair Sally Darke said she is pleased to see the impact the program is having on the wider Tasmanian community.

“This program affords the opportunity to people that have the potential to be leaders to realise their full potential,” she said.

“The Emerging Community Leaders program teaches the participants how to work with people from other backgrounds, with different skills and opinions constructively and effectively to benefit the whole Tasmanian community.”

In its sixth year, participants, mentors and supporters of the program will be brought together to celebrate at a graduation ceremony in February in 2023.