The Conversations with our Community project aims to provide opportunities for older people to have a say on issues that are important to them.  This will ensure that COTA truly is the voice of older people and that older people in Tasmania know their voices are being heard.

Currently the major focus of the Conversations with our Community project is the COTA Champions initiative in the southern region of Tasmania.

The COTA Champion initiative currently exists in the southern municipalities of Huon Valley, Southern Midlands, Hobart and Kingborough.

The role of the COTA Champion is to listen to the needs and issues of older people in their local community and provide this information back to COTA, thereby ensuring COTA truly is the voice of older people. The COTA Champions also assist COTA to conduct consultations on specific issues.

To date the COTA Champions have been involved in the following consultations:

 2010       10 Year Review of Tasmania Together

 2011       A review of Tassielink bus services in the Huon Valley.  See report Improving Tassielink Transit Bus Services for Older People in the Huon Valley, Consultation Report May 2011.

Participatory research to understand the meaning of social inclusion for older people in Tasmanian.  See report A Sense of Belonging: Social Inclusion Issues for Older People in Tasmania, September 2011.

Research on the supports older people use when they are feeling stressed/down or life seems a little hard.  See report Discussion Paper Older Tasmanians Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum, October 2011 .