Creating environments and opportunities for healthy young people in Ballarat

The City of Ballarat is putting local tweens and young people in the driver’s seat to help create healthier communities as part of a new VicHealth initiative. 

The “Creating Environments and Opportunities for healthy tweens in Ballarat” project will involve the City of Ballarat working closely with tweens to implement key Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan actions, focusing on increasing physical activity, healthy eating, and social connections. 

City of Ballarat Mayor Daniel Moloney said the project will join 15 other ‘fast-track’ local government areas in giving children and young people a seat at the decision-making table and involves a range of evidence-based health promotion modules for local councils.  

“The VicHealth Local Government Partnership will see strong and long-lasting outcomes for our community, including those who face barriers to reaching their full health potential, because of circumstances such as their income, cultural background, gender, age or where they live,” Cr Moloney said. 

The health promotion modules have been developed with input from a range of expert partners including academics, community organisations and people with lived experiences, to help create effective, equitable and sustainable change in local communities. 

As part of this project, the City of Ballarat will engage with tweens to create lasting change around healthy eating environments within City of Ballarat owned facilities and sporting clubs, increasing physical activity in nature and through social physical activity opportunities, as well as increasing social connections. 

The City of Ballarat will also work in partnership with health and education service providers, not for profit community organisations and directly with tweens who want to make a difference in their community.