The Geelong Football Club’s GMHBA Healthy Heroes program has been nominated as a finalist for a prestigious VicHealth outstanding health promotion award for 2021.
The Grade 5/6 leadership program was delivered as a pilot to 19 schools in the Geelong region. GMHBA Healthy Heroes leadership program partners with schools to co-create thriving, healthy communities. It aims to provide knowledge, skills and tools to allow greater health and wellbeing knowledge. GMHBA Healthy Heroes is a free and accessible program that is offered for each school level from Foundation through to Grade 6.
Over the year, 93 per cent of students who participated in the GMHBA Healthy Heroes Leadership Group program reported that they learnt something new about health and wellbeing, including food and water intake guidelines and the importance of limiting screen time on their devices.
“GMHBA Healthy Heroes is an outstanding program and we are proud of the impact it has with children in our region focused on advice on healthy eating, active lifestyles and positive mental health and wellbeing,” Geelong Football Club general manager of community Sarah Albon said.
“A key goal of GMHBA Healthy Heroes is to empower students to share their voice and actively take action to enhance their own and others health and wellbeing by being a leader in their school community.
“We run a series of workshops that allows students to apply their learnings. The program receives great support from our AFLM and AFLW players, who share how they learn, live and lead as Healthy Heroes, and we look forward to growing the program in the future so that it reaches more children.”
GMHBA is proud to partner with the Cats on this outstanding program.
“GMHBA are very proud that VicHealth have recognised the contribution that the GMHBA Healthy Heroes program makes to supporting and empowering young people and their families to live healthier lives,” Molly Jones, GMHBA’s community engagement manager said.
Cats Community programs aim to engage and empower our community to thrive in building healthy, active and inclusive lives. The Cats and GMHBA work in partnership on the GMHBA Healthy Heroes program to achieve strong collective outcomes to improve the health of their community.
