What We Do

Creating connection, building resilience, and embedding mental health support into communities across Tasmania.

Threads: A School-Based Program for Disengaged Young People

Threads is a trauma-informed, holistic, and place-based school elective designed to re-engage young people who face complex life challenges, including mental health struggles, domestic and family violence, neurodivergence, and suicidal thoughts.   

The program is co-designed with young people and co-directed with Upturned Tasmania, ensuring it reflects youth voices and real-world expertise. Threads works alongside students and school staff to create shared goals and provides a safe, supportive space where young people can reconnect with their passions, explore their strengths, and find purpose.

Why Threads Works

Led by our Founder and Producer, Laura Johnson, Tier 1 provides the overall vision, leadership, and direction for THEIRS. This level guides the organisation’s purpose, strategic growth, partnerships, advocacy, and community impact. Laura works closely with all tiers to ensure THEIRS remains grounded in lived experience, youth leadership, and trauma-informed practice while continuing to create meaningful change across Tasmania.

Partnerships & Community Engagement

Collaboration is at the heart of Threads. We work closely with schools, local service providers, community organisations, and youth programs to provide tailored support, mentorship, and real-world experiences. These partnerships strengthen connections, build networks of opportunity, and ensure young people have access to the right expertise when they need it. By involving the broader community in student-led projects and events, Threads fosters belonging, connection, and shared responsibility for youth wellbeing.

What Makes Threads Different

Threads isn’t just another school program. It is truly co-designed with young people, meaning students’ voices, lived experiences, and feedback shape every aspect of the program from session topics to creative projects. It focuses on restoring passion and helping young people find purpose, rather than just ticking curriculum boxes. Threads creates shared goals between students and staff, encouraging collaboration and ownership of learning outcomes. Its trauma-informed, holistic, and place-based approach ensures every session is safe, inclusive, and relevant to the community context. The program is flexible and adaptable, able to suit schools, youth services, and community programs, and prioritises real-world skill development, community engagement, and personal growth.

Evaluation & Accreditation

We are committed to rigorously evaluating Threads to ensure it is effective, practical, and impactful. Work is also underway to gain accreditation, creating recognised pathways that validate students’ learning, skills, and personal growth.

Looking Ahead

Threads will begin with a trial across 5–6 schools and youth services, allowing us to refine content, delivery, and partnerships. Following the trial, we intend to scale the program statewide, with the long-term goal of expanding nationally. Demand is already high, with a waitlist forming for students and schools beyond our pilot year, highlighting the need for this meaningful, youth-led program.

Strengthening stories. Connecting communities.

THEIRS Workplace & Organisational Training Program

Building Mentally Healthy Workplaces Through Connection, Compassion & Practical Skills

Our training program is designed for workforces and organisations across all sectors — from schools and community groups to construction sites, offices, and even Parliament. Built by people with lived experience, co-designed with young people and communities, and grounded in trauma-informed practice, this program is highly flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of your team, regardless of industry or age group.

Through five interactive modules, participants learn how to recognise signs of struggle, respond safely, support colleagues, and look after their own wellbeing in sustainable ways. The training combines storytelling, practical tools, reflective activities, and real-life scenarios to ensure every participant walks away feeling more confident, capable, and connected.
While we cover the essentials of mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention, our program also acts as a gateway to broader support and training opportunities.

For example:

Workplaces or schools wanting specialised suicide prevention training can be directly linked to accredited providers.
Teams seeking Mental Health First Aid training can access certified trainers across the state.
Organisations can be connected to events, workshops, and programs that align with their specific wellbeing goals.

This approach ensures organisations aren’t just completing a standalone session — they gain direct access to ongoing supports, networks, and practical pathways for embedding mental health strategies long-term.

What the Training Covers

Module 1 — Understanding Mental Health, Suicide & the Realities People Face

Participants explore what mental health actually means, how it shows up differently for everyone, and the many factors influencing someone’s wellbeing. This module builds foundational knowledge, reduces stigma, and helps teams understand the diverse experiences people carry every day.

Module 2 — Recognising the Signs Someone Might Be Struggling

Using trauma-informed principles, participants learn how to spot subtle changes in behaviour, mood, and engagement. This module empowers people to notice before a situation escalates, in workplaces, schools, or any organisational setting.

Module 3 — Cups & Safe People: Sustainable Wellbeing & Capacity

This module focuses on self-care and resilience through practical metaphors.

Participants learn to:

Recognise their limits
Replenish energy (“fill their cup”)
Build healthy habits
Create support networks

The “Safe People” activity helps everyone identify trusted individuals they can reach out to showing that support is relational, not just personal.

Module 4 — How to Support a Friend or Colleague

Participants gain practical skills to approach someone who might be struggling. They learn how to:

Reach out safely and privately
Have compassionate, non-judgmental conversations
Listen in a way that helps people feel understood
Respond when someone discloses distress
Guide a person toward professional or organisational supports

The module demonstrates how organisations can link directly to broader services when specialised support is needed.

Module 5 — Reflections & Backpacks: Understanding What People Carry

This reflective activity uses backpacks as a metaphor for the visible and invisible burdens people carry daily. Participants explore:

How little we know about someone else’s load
The importance of compassion over assumptions
Checking in as a simple, powerful act of care

Why Organisations Choose This Program

For workforces and organisations of all types — from schools to construction sites, offices to Parliament
Flexible and adaptable to meet your team’s specific context and needs
Trauma-informed, evidence-informed & lived-experience led
Practical tools teams can use immediately
Supports mentally healthy workplace and organisational standards
Builds culture, trust, and stronger connections
Delivered in a warm, safe, non-clinical, and engaging way
Provides direct pathways to specialised services, additional training, and events

Participants consistently report feeling more confident, more capable, and more connected after completing the program — feedback we have received

“The most meaningful training they’ve done, and I can’t wait to take it to the rest of my organisation.”

“I’ve been in this space for years now and I’ve walked away learning so much and ways and people I need to check in on.”

Delivery Options

Half-day or full-day wokshops

Customised sessions for leadership, wellbeing teams, or frontline staff

In-person training across Tasmania and Australia

Optional follow-up support, resources, and consultations

Direct links to specialised programs, Mental Health First Aid, suicide prevention courses, and events tailored to your organisation

The Heart of the Program

At its core, this training is about people. Creating workplaces and organisations where individuals feel safe, supported, and valued. Where checking in becomes normal. Where mental health conversations happen without fear. Where teams look out for one another.

When organisations get mental health right, everything changes: culture, performance, retention, wellbeing, and community impact.

(Coming Soon / In Development)

T.E.R.R.A. Tasmania

Trauma-Informed Emergency Response & Recovery Alliance

T.E.R.R.A. Tasmania exists to ensure mental health and suicide prevention are embedded at every stage of emergency response and disaster recovery.

Currently, Tasmania lacks a coordinated, trauma-informed mental health response during crises. T.E.R.R.A. fills this gap by building structured, place-based teams capable of rapid mobilisation, coordinated communication, and evidence-informed action.

“Terra” means land — reflecting a commitment to grounding crisis response in place, community, and stabilisation.

Purpose of T.E.R.R.A. Tasmania

T.E.R.R.A. Tasmania ensures mental health and suicide prevention are embedded at every stage of emergency response and disaster recovery across the state. Tasmania currently does not have a coordinated module to provide immediate, trauma-informed mental health support during crises. T.E.R.R.A. fills this gap by building structured, trauma-informed regional teams capable of rapid mobilisation, coordinated communication, and evidence-based action.

The purpose of T.E.R.R.A. is to:

Establish regional, place-based emergency response teams that coordinate services and provide immediate support during crises, ensuring responses are trauma-informed, efficient, and locally tailored.
Embed mental health and suicide prevention into all disaster recovery and crisis responses, recognising these needs intersect with every other service area, from emergency responders to community wellbeing initiatives.
Build a statewide network connecting organisations, service providers, clinical supports, peak bodies, community leaders, emergency responders, and lived-experience advocates to ensure collaboration, information sharing, and coordinated action.
Provide recovery support grounded in connection, community, and long-term wellbeing, reducing suicide risk, mitigating trauma, and preventing service fragmentation.

The word “Terra” means land, reflecting our commitment to grounding disaster response in place, community connection, and stabilisation. Every crisis is approached with the principle that Tasmania must have a coordinated, compassionate, trauma-informed response that prioritises mental health alongside emergency needs.

Regional Emergency Response Teams

Each region will have an Emergency Response Action Group, consisting of:

Head Organiser: Oversees statewide coordination, ensures timely activation, and manages communication with government, peak bodies, and clinical supports.
Leaders: Responsible for regional coordination, team mobilisation, and operational oversight during crises.
Members: Trained responders who deploy on-the-ground during emergencies, providing mental health and psychosocial support.
Champions: Broader community services, clinical supports, peak bodies, and other relevant organisations who provide additional expertise and capacity.
Regional coverage includes:
- North-West, King Island, Flinders, West Coast
- Deloraine, Tamar, North including East Coast
- South

As a result of the TERRA team, we want to create a network of services.

Statewide Service Network Directory

The directory includes:

Mental health and suicide prevention supports
Youth and older person services
AOD and gambling services
Shelters and safe havens
Disability supports and equipment
Food relief and financial assistance
Sexual and family violence services
Carers, interpreters, cultural services
Any other relevant services

This directory ensures services are coordinated, less siloed, and accessible, reducing waitlists, duplication, and overburdened systems.

(Coming Soon / In Development)

Mess Fest

Life can be messy, but your mental health doesn’t have to be!

Join us for an unforgettable 5 km fun run/walk packed with colour, creativity, and a little chaos. Get ready to get muddy, painted, slimed, and foamed as you tackle a SAS-style bootcamp course designed for fun, laughter, and a whole lot of messy action.

This is more than just a run, it’s a celebration of community, creativity, and wellbeing, brought together through collaboration with local organisations and young people from all across Tasmania. Whether you’re racing with friends, family, or flying solo, there’s something for everyone.

Before the run, immerse yourself in the festival atmosphere with:

Live artists and bands performing throughout the day
Delicious offerings from food vendors
Festival rides
A range of wellbeing activities, including yoga, stress ball making, animal therapy, and painting with the Blue Tree Project
Craft activities, face painting, and more

Fun for all ages continues with exciting lucky door prizes, and a best-dressed competition, with prizes for under 10s, under 25s, and over 25s.
This event is the perfect mix of adventure, creativity, and connection, celebrating mental health in a fun, inclusive, and interactive way.

Come ready to get messy, make memories, and support a positive, community-focused message around mental health.

Supporting Your Event

At THEIRS, we’re committed to supporting events that foster connection, understanding, and positive mental health outcomes. We work closely with schools, workplaces, community groups, and organisations to ensure every event is safe, inclusive, and trauma-informed. Our support can include practical guidance during the planning stages, providing resources and materials, delivering workshops or talks, and offering on-the-day assistance to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all participants.

We understand that every event is unique, so we take the time to tailor our support to your specific needs, whether that’s helping to design engaging activities, providing expert speakers, or ensuring mental health considerations are central to your event. Our goal is to help you deliver an event that not only runs smoothly but also leaves a lasting positive impact on participants and the wider community.

To explore how THEIRS can support your upcoming event, please email us with your event details, including date, location, audience, and objectives, at info.theirs.event@gmail.com.   Our team will review your request and collaborate with you to create a plan that aligns with your vision and the well-being of all involved.

Laura’s Talks or Invite Laura Johnson OAM to Speak

Mental health is a conversation that affects us all, yet many people feel unsure about how to ask for help, support others, or build resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Laura Johnson OAM, founder of THEIRS (Talk, Hear & Help, Educate, Inform, Refer and Support), is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and lived experience sharing. Through her talks, Laura creates safe, engaging, and inspiring spaces where people can reflect, learn, and feel empowered to make positive changes in their own lives and communities.

Laura’s presentations are not only informative—they are personally grounded, practical, and relatable. By drawing on her own lived experience with mental health challenges and recovery, she demonstrates how resilience, connection, and asking for help can transform lives.

What to Expect

Laura’s talks typically run for 45 minutes and are designed to be flexible and tailored to the needs of each audience. They are suitable for:

Community groups looking to raise awareness and start meaningful conversations
Workplaces and organisations seeking to build mentally healthy cultures
Service providers, health professionals, and not-for-profits wanting to understand lived experience perspectives
Public forums or community events aiming to inspire change and connection

During the session, attendees can expect to:

Hear a personal story of challenge, resilience, and hope – Laura shares her journey in a way that is honest but uplifting, helping audiences understand the realities of mental health while highlighting the possibilities of recovery and growth.
Explore practical strategies for wellbeing – Attendees gain actionable insights about self-care, coping mechanisms, and how to support others through difficult times.
Learn about the power of lived experience – Laura explains how sharing stories can reduce stigma, encourage empathy, and create stronger, more connected communities.
Engage with the mission of THEIRS – Participants learn how youth-led initiatives and community programs can make a tangible difference in mental health support and awareness.
Feel inspired and empowered – The talk is designed to leave attendees with motivation, confidence, and practical takeaways to implement in their personal lives, workplaces, or communities.

Laura’s approach combines storytelling, practical tools, and reflection, making each talk meaningful and impactful.

Optional Q&A

If requested, a structured Q&A session can follow the presentation. These are facilitated in a way that ensures participant safety and privacy, allowing for thoughtful discussion and exploration of key topics.

Safety and Wellbeing

The wellbeing of all attendees is a priority. Laura has extensive experience speaking to audiences of different ages, backgrounds, and needs, including those who may have experienced trauma or mental health challenges. For events where additional support is needed, it’s recommended that professionals can be present to provide guidance and assistance.

Event Costs and Travel

Travel – Depending on the location, a contribution toward travel expenses may be requested.
Fees – Talks are offered at a varied cost depending on circumstances and requirements. Donations to support THEIRS’ programs welcome but not required.

Booking Process

To book a talk, interested groups complete a short request form. This helps us:

Confirm Laura’s availability
Tailor the presentation to the audience’s specific needs
Ensure all logistical and safety requirements are considered

Each request is reviewed individually, and confirmation will be provided as soon as possible.

Feedback from Talks

Here is some feedback received from people who has attended talks.

“I loved how relatable she made her talks. It’s made me believe that I can also use my own experiences to make an impact” – student from Indie School.

“We had Laura come and speak at our school a few years ago now we now are a part of doing more projects together” -

“I loved how it was more of a conversation and interactive. All of the paired activities have left such an impression and a new perspective in my mind.”

Request Form