Health Promotion

Our health promotion team promotes healthy behaviours within our community

Our health promotion projects are aimed at promoting health of our community as a whole rather than focusing on the health of individuals. Our aim? To prevent illness and injury from happening in the first place. We do this by looking at how social and environmental impacts affect our ability to lead healthy lives. We deliver health promotion programs and initiatives to schools, sporting venues and other communities with a focus on:

We deliver health promotion programs and initiatives to schools, sporting venues and other communities to teach locals about:

Healthy eating
Active Living
Preventing violence against women
Tobacco and E-cigarettes
Mental Health and Wellbeing

We help the Yarra Ranges community create healthier environments in the settings where people work, live, learn and play

We work in partnership with a variety of local and state organisations including Yarra Ranges Council, Eastern Health and the Department of Health. Our team regularly participates in Community of Practice and Professional Development events and programs to ensure a strong, evidence-based foundation.

Our Health Promotion projects are primarily funded through the Department of Health or via grant funding. This means that there is no cost to settings such as schools, recreation venues or the wider community when we implement our projects.

Some of our Projects

Click a project to read more

Step and Connect

Step and Connect is an active living project based in Lilydale aimed at encouraging increased participation in physical activity opportunities for women and girls.

Step and Connect consists of 3 components. These include:

A map of all Active Living/Recreational opportunities in Lilydale featuring 5 categories: Trails (walk/bike/horse), Parks/Playgrounds/Green spaces, Sport/Rec reserves, Public Art POI and Community POI
Establishment of a Women’s Only Walking Group in collaboration with the Lilydale Community House
Hosting a series of co-designed pop-up events for local teenage girls aged 12 – 15, showcasing non-structured activity opportunities in Lilydale. The series will explore opportunities such as: roller derby, cycling the Warburton and Yarra Valley Rail Trails, outdoor gym session, circus skills, lawn bowling, yoga in the park, skateboarding and exploring local walking trails.

Yarra Ranges Food Connections

Inspiro are leading the partnership committee in working together to connect community and create a resilient, sustainable, healthy and equitable food system within the Yarra Ranges.

www.yarrarangesfoodconnections.com.au

What is a local food system? Check out this informative 10 min video created by Inspiro & Masters of Dietetic students from Deakin Uni – Savannah and Adele (2021)

https://www.yarrarangesfoodconnections.com.au/what-is-a-local-food-system/

Healthy Choices in Sports and Rec

Inspiro partners with Belgravia Leisure and Yarra Ranges Council, working towards changing the environment to enable promoting healthier options in our sports and recreational facilities. Grant applications have allowed us to purchase cold display fridges, popcorn machines, steamers, blenders and air fryers. Staff are being trained, the fridges are looking healthier and healthier options are on the rise.

https://heas.health.vic.gov.au/healthy-choices/sport-recreation-and-parks

Keeping Healthy Options Cool

As part of our work with Belgravia we produced these ‘Healthy Eating after exercise postcards’

Vic Kids Eat Well

The Vic Kids Eat Well movement is focused on transforming food and drink environments where kids spend their time.

Organisations or clubs join this statewide program: https://www.vickidseatwell.health.vic.gov.au/

Inspiro health promotion officers visit schools and clubs to help achieve the small changes and swaps, creating a healthier environment, receive rewards, resources and go into a prize draw.

Morning Move 4 Mind (MM4M)

MM4M is an Inspiro lead, train the trainer program. MM4M aims to

increase physical activity
provide practical coping strategies to reduce stress and anxiety levels, and
increase resilience among primary school aged children.

The program aligns with much of the Department of Education’s Respectful Relationships curriculum and encourages children to achieve the National physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes per day.

In 2023, Morning Move for Mind was a finalist in the VicHealth Awards in the category of Outstanding Health Promotion Programs.

Find out more and register for additional program information here.

Art & Sole

Art and Sole aims to promote active living in Lilydale West through the celebration of Wurundjeri art, and installations of signed walks and maps. Signs include cultural and historical information gathered by local community historians and contemporary health promotion messages to encourage walking as an accessible physical activity.

Find out more: https://www.inspiro.org.au/blog/art-sole-is-now-open-to-the-public

Creating a Place for Women in Sport

Creating a Place for Women in Sport helps sporting clubs identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in promoting gender equality through the use of a Self-Assessment Audit Tool. The tool and associated resources enable a broad-based discussion on ways to create environments where women and men can participate equally and better understand how welcoming and inclusive their club is for women and girls.

Self-Assessment Audit Tool:
https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Community/Support-for-community-groups/Leading-the-change-promoting-gender-equality#section-2

Pre-Tool Survey
Self-Assessment Tool
Gender Equity Action Plan Guide

Healthy Sports Vouchers

Let’s give our players the awards they deserve!

Inspiro is committed to supporting sporting clubs to be places that are active, healthy and socially connected. That’s why we have partnered with Yarra Ranges Council and Belgravia to facilitate the Healthy Sports Rewards initiative.

Healthy Sports Rewards are a great way to recognise junior players, they include a certificate of achievement with an attached voucher that offers free entry to local sports and recreation facilities (such as the Yarra Centre and Monbulk Aquatic Centre).

Clubs can receive the vouchers by requesting via health.promotion@inspiro.org.au or attending the yearly lease meeting at Council.

Young Leaders

Our Health Promotion team offers two Young Leaders (YL) programs to schools in the Yarra Ranges.

The YL programs work with students to develop their leadership skills and understanding of a particular topic. It supports them in creating a student voice project to help create change within their school.

YL Gender Equity and Respect is offered in partnership with FVREE and consists of 3 x 2.5hr workshops for primary school levels 5 and 6. Fees apply. Alternatively, see our resources section for the free Young Leaders Teachers guide.

YL Prevention of E-Cigarettes and Vaping consists of 3 x 1.5 hr sessions and is aligned with the curriculum and Quit and DET classroom resources. During 2024 there is a small amount of financial support for 2 schools.

To register your interest or for more information please email health.promotion@inspiro.org.au.

Smiles for Miles

Smiles 4 Miles is an initiative of Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV), which aims to improve the oral health of children and their families. The program is delivered to the educators of early learning services such as preschools and kindergartens and focuses on three key messages: “Drink Well, Eat Well and Clean Well”. Smiles 4 Miles has been implemented extensively across Victoria and Inspiro health promotion staff coordinate the program in the Yarra Ranges.

https://www.dhsv.org.au/oral-health-programs/smiles4miles

A free, 30 minute education session, screenings and individualised follow up advice from our wonderful Dental team are offered as part of the program

Every Body in Every School

Every Body in Every School is a practical toolkit that can be used by schools to help identify strengths and opportunities for improvement in promoting students’ wellbeing and health.

The toolkit focuses on factors that can influence body image, physical activity, and healthy eating in the school environment.

There are no right or wrong answers; this toolkit is used as a ‘temperature check’ at a moment in time.

Learnings can provide opportunities for schools to explore ways to create environments that support student’s body image and relationships with food and physical activity.

Find out more and access the Every Body in Every School toolkit here.

Infant Feeding, Active play and Nutrition (INFANT)

INFANT is a program consisting of four face-to-face group sessions offered to parents/caregivers when babies are around 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. INFANT is designed to help parents and families with healthy eating and active play from the start of their baby’s life. The program content is reinforced via an evidence-based app for parents called My Baby Now.

The program runs in partnership with the local Maternal Child Health Nurse and our Community Health Dietitian. Currently running in the Belgrave area (2024) and other areas depending on demand.

Call 9738 8801 to register or ask your Maternal Child Health Nurse.

Download the INFANT Information Flyer.

Kids Healthy Eating

A set of 4 mini videos designed for supported playgroups but suitable for anyone with young children.

Part 1 – Bottle and breast what drinks are best

Part 2 – Sugary drinks, your teeth and health

Part 3 – Fussy eating

Part 4 – Packaged foods and snacks

There are activities that can accompany the videos please contact health.promotion@inspiro.org.au if you would like a copy

Hakka Chin voice over – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvOzYRBNzu4QhNJ7MTRV0WbubTnrCPgxS

English voice over – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvOzYRBNzu4TxBdtT1WK6TDlgIetgMgce

No voice over – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvOzYRBNzu4TVMkKj-q8RyrfUib2Kk3Jl

Created by Inspiro Community Health & Masters of Dietetic students from Latrobe Uni – Grace and Lachlan (2020)

You Can’t Be What You Can’t See

The ‘You Can’t Be What You Can’t See’ poster series was developed in partnership with Yarra Ranges Council and EDOVS and aims to promote gender equity and breakdown gender stereotypes. By challenging aspects of gender inequality, such as rigid stereotyped constructions of masculinity and femininity, we work towards creating communities that are safe and free from violence.

Free poster series can be found here

https://www.levelplayground.org.au/posters/

Resource information can be found here

https://thewellresource.org.au/uploads/FINAL-You-Cant-Be-What-You-Cant-See-Poster-Series-Supporting-Resource-Document-compressed.pdf

Sport for All Gender Inclusive Toolkit

The Sport for All Gender Inclusive Toolkit is a practical self-assessment tool to help clubs and active recreation settings align with the principles of Fair Access. It helps identify strengths and potential areas for improvement to increase participation, opportunities, visibility, and access for women and girls, transgender, and gender diverse people.

Find out more and download the Sport for All Toolkit here.

Sport for All Gender Inclusive Toolkit

Find out more and download the Sport for All Toolkit here.

Find out more about Inspiro’s Health Promotion service here:

Fees

For all the information about our fees, income ranges and more. Head to our “Need to know” page using the button below.

More information

If you’re interested in finding out more or have any questions for us, get in touch using the form on the Contact page.