VicHealth’s This Girl Can – Victoria campaign came to life on the lawns of Government House this morning in a special event in honour of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
More than 150 Victorian women delivered a live version of the empowering campaign for Their Royal Highnesses proving that Victorian women aren’t afraid to have fun, get sweaty and be active – even in front of royalty.
VicHealth CEO Jerril Rechter said the event was about empowering everyday women to get active however, wherever and whenever they wanted without being judged.
“We want all women – no matter how sweaty they get, how red their face is or how good they are – to feel comfortable about getting out there and giving physical activity a go. That’s what This Girl Can – Victoria is all about,” Ms Rechter said.
“This Girl Can – Victoria features women from all walks of life – real, everyday women of all ages, from diverse cultural backgrounds, with varying levels of ability, different body shapes and sizes.
“We were excited and honoured to be able to show The Duke and Duchess how Victorian women are smashing the outdated stereotypes about what a woman can or can’t do in the gym, on the sporting field and in our neighbourhoods.”
VicHealth’s edgy campaign is based on Sport England’s viral hit This Girl Can. It’s proven to be a winning formula, with the Australian version achieving the equivalent level of success as its English counterpart in its first year, inspiring one in seven Victorian women to get active.
“We’re so thrilled the campaign is achieving its goal of empowering women to smash their fears of judgement and intimidation holding them back from being active,” Ms Rechter said.
“It’s an honour to be part of The Duke and Duchess’ visit to Melbourne, and we hope it will inspire even more Victorian women to get active and do the things they love.”
The next phase of This Girl Can – Victoria will launch early next year with the aim of inspiring even more women to join the movement. Women wanting to get involved should head to thisgirlcan.com.au and join the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and follow the #ThisGirlCanVIC.
Sang Rok Judo club are launching a program for woman and girls in partnership with GippSport to bring #GippyGirlsCan to Wonthaggi. Sang Rok Judo #GippyGirlsCan will aim to build self-esteem, confidence and offer a gentle exercise program over a three session format.
The sessions will run on Saturday’s at 3pm commencing from October 27, with the club committing to run this first program at no charge. The program is capped at 15 participants so get in fast.
GippSport Program Coordinator Gene Parini encourages all females over fifteen years of age to get involved. “Sang Rok Judo club are an extremely welcoming club and this program is offering local females the chance to build some skills in a friendly, inclusive environment” said Mr Parini.
The #GippyGirlsCan Campaign is part of the VicHealth Regional Sport Program which is enabling more people in regional Victoria to be physically active in healthier sporting environments. The Program is an investment under the VicHealth Physical Activity Strategy that aims to engage less active Victorians in rural and regional areas in sport. The program has a focus on getting woman and girls engaged in community sport.
Sang Rok Judo Club’s Tahlia Blackman who will be delivering the program is thrilled by this new program. “We are always looking at ways to welcome new members” said Ms Blackman.
“We have offered this approach to individuals already and had some amazing results with some even moving into taking up Judo but that isn’t our focus. Enabling women and girls to get more active and building their confidence is our main aim with this three session program. Offering it to more participants is really exciting” said Ms Blackman.
Tahlia started judo when she was 15, as a way to boost her self-confidence and fitness. She has been competing ever since and is Sang-Rok Wonthaggi’s first female Dan grade (black belt) and women’s coach. Since becoming a mother to 2 girls (Alex is 13, Willow is 5), her focus has shifted to teaching and helping girls have confidence in themselves and believes this program certainly does that.
To sign up or if you‘d like any further information you can contact Gene Parini at GippSport on 5674 6004 or gene@gippsport.com.au
GippSport are looking for other opportunities to increase physical activity across Gippsland so if you have an idea or want to get your club involved in the #gippyGirlsCan campaign please contact GippSport office on 5126 1847 or info@gippsport.com.au
Great news for Gippsland based Mums, Escaping Your Comfort Zone & Make your move Latrobe now have a free regular Wednesday morning pram walk along the Traralgon Creek trail, finishing with a cuppa at Food & Co. Slow paced, only ever at the pace of the slowest person. Come and join Jessica and the super cute Eowyn in the pram from next Wednesday the 10th of October.
Change Gippsland’s Game is an exciting workshop for girls aged 14-16 to start their journey on becoming the next generation of female leaders, and help us work with the Gippsland sport sector to be more welcoming, inclusive and supportive for women & girls.
GippSport are inviting 50 young aspiring female change makers from across Gippsland, those who may currently play traditional sport, social sports or who may not be involved in sport at all but have ideas and thoughts on how to activate young women and influence their communities.
This one day forum, hosted by GippSport, is funded by the Victorian Government’s Office for Women in Sport & Recreation to empower Gippsland girls to share their experiences and co-design with us opportunities for girls in their age range to increase participation in sport and recreation within the Gippsland community.
GippSport is working to build an inclusive sport and recreation sector that supports women and girls to play and be involved in the sports they love in a safe, supportive and empowering environment.
GippSport has engaged Dr Erica Randle, Research Fellow at Latrobe University Centre of Sport & Social Impact, to facilitate the day. Dr Randle is leading the Sport Australia’s Youth Participation Research project and will be facilitating the session to help us better understand our community’s needs and empowering the participants to design solutions that can help Gippsland.
It will be an awesome day, filled with activities and workshop sessions. We will conclude the forum with attendees and the GippSport staff participating in a Monster Obstacle course, facilitated by the amazing Summit team. The course includes a range of physical challenges, mental puzzles and it will test your skills. Everyone will finish with a great sense of achievement having completed something they thought they couldn’t or shouldn’t.
To register for expression of interest – Click Here
When: Tuesday 2 October 2018 Where: The Summit, Trafalgar East
For more information about the Change Gippsland’s Game, Girls in Sport Forum, download the information booklet.