Telling the good story: supporting children's first 1,000 days in Northwest Tasmania

PURPOSE: Storytelling has long conveyed knowledge, wisdom, and values across generations, making it a powerful tool for shifting perspectives and encouraging behaviour change. By engaging audiences emotionally, it creates a shared space where diverse viewpoints coexist, fostering empathy and understanding. This is especially valuable in public health, where translating scientific evidence into relatable, actionable knowledge is essential. The First 1,000 Days storytelling initiative in Burnie, Northwest (NW) Tasmania, demonstrated the benefits of community-driven narratives in improving the health and well-being of children from conception to age two. This study explored how storytelling could function as a core strategy within the broader initiative, while examining parents' lived experiences in workshops designed to empower healthier lifestyles. METHODS: Early years practitioners and parents collaborated around four pillars-connection, nutrition, caring, and moving. Participants shared and reshaped personal narratives linked to each area. Facilitators emphasized dignity, autonomy, and inclusivity, creating a safe environment, particularly for disadvantaged participants. RESULTS: Participants combined expert knowledge with lived experience, building capacity to promote early childhood development across their networks and communities. CONCLUSION: This initiative illustrates how co-created storytelling effectively bridges lived experience and professional expertise, fostering reflection, empowerment, and sustainable, community-driven change in early childhood and maternal health.