A new community-led initiative is providing a symbol of hope in helping to break down the barriers of mental illness.
Reflection Sofas will be installed in Angaston, Lyndoch and Mount Pleasant as a place for "reflection and connection".
The initiative is a collaboration between The Barossa Council, Seeds of Hope Suicide Prevention Network, local mosaic artist Kristin Wohlers and major sponsor Black Dog Ride Australia.
Network spokesperson Sue Raven said the role of a Reflection Sofa is to reduce stigma which is a barrier for people to reach out for help.
"We hope the sofas will be a prompt to ongoing discussions about suicide prevention and a place of solace for those impacted by suicide,"
"The keys to suicide prevention are connection, education and stigma reduction as well as connecting people to services. There will be a QR code to link to help services on each sofa."
The sofa locations have been selected in consultation with community representatives, and Kristin will work with communities to guide the design and construction of the mosaic elements.
Susan and Kristin will be at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market this Saturday, 4 March from 10am to talk about the project and engage the community with the design, with a workshop to follow.
Dates and locations for the Lyndoch and Angaston workshops will be announced soon.
Mayor Bim Lange welcomed the initiative as a way to maintain the community conversation about suicide prevention.
"These benches will be a visible reminder that support is available locally for people and encourage them to reach out for help," Mayor Lange said.
"We're especially grateful to our community representatives for driving this initiative and keeping suicide prevention at the forefront of community dialogue."
The sofas will feature the sunflower from the Seeds of Hope in ceramic mosaic, and it's hoped they will become a focal point for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day in November.
